Ronald Jacobs (December 27, 1942 – December 24, 2015) was an American basketball coach. Jacobs was head coach of the men's
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...
team of
Loyola Marymount University
Loyola Marymount University (LMU) is a private Jesuit and Marymount research university in Los Angeles, California. It is located on the west side of the city near Playa Vista. LMU is the parent school to Loyola Law School, which is located ...
. After turning the program around in just one season, he was invited by Philippine businessman
Eduardo Cojuangco, Jr.
Eduardo "Danding" Murphy Cojuangco Jr. (June 10, 1935 – June 16, 2020) was a Filipino businessman and politician. He was the chairman and CEO of San Miguel Corporation, the largest food and beverage corporation in the Philippines and Sou ...
to coach the
Philippines men's national basketball team
The Philippines men's national basketball team ( fil, Pambansang koponan ng basketbol ng Pilipinas), commonly known as Gilas Pilipinas, is the basketball team representing the Philippines. The team is managed by the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipi ...
. Jacobs brought the Philippines back to prominence in basketball during the 1980s. He revolutionized the way basketball was played in the Philippines. He raised the level of technology in playing the game and turned every contest into a learning experience by showing how to win with science, hard work, team play and discipline.
Career
Loyola Marymount
Jacobs was named
West Coast Conference
The West Coast Conference (WCC) — known as the California Basketball Association from 1952 to 1956 and then as the West Coast Athletic Conference until 1989 — is a collegiate athletic conference affiliated with NCAA Division I consisting of ...
Coach of the Year for piloting the
Loyola Marymount's basketball varsity to the
NCAA
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...
Tournament in 1980. He had turned the program around in just a season from a lowly 5-21 pushover to a legitimate contender.
Jacobs became an overnight hero at the Loyola Marymount campus in Los Angeles and there emerged a popular clamor for him to take over as athletic director. This did not sit well with some in the school's Board of Trustees. Jacobs eventually left the university, exasperated by the politics that smeared his name.
Philippines
As Jacobs reassessed his future, an invitation to visit Manila fell on his lap. Ambassador
Eduardo Cojuangco, Jr.
Eduardo "Danding" Murphy Cojuangco Jr. (June 10, 1935 – June 16, 2020) was a Filipino businessman and politician. He was the chairman and CEO of San Miguel Corporation, the largest food and beverage corporation in the Philippines and Sou ...
was appointed project director for basketball by
Ferdinand Marcos
Ferdinand Emmanuel Edralin Marcos Sr. ( , , ; September 11, 1917 – September 28, 1989) was a Filipino politician, lawyer, dictator, and kleptocrat who was the 10th president of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986. He ruled under martial ...
. Having effectively sidelined then FIBA and BAP President Gonzalo "Lito" Puyat, Cojuangco sent BAP secretary-general
Honesto Mayoralgo
Honesto Mayoralgo (August 5, 1934 – August 17, 1985) was a former Filipino basketball player and coach.
Nes or Mayo, as his friends called him, was one of the more popular Ateneo Blue Eagles from high school in 1949 through college in 1955 and w ...
to the US to look for an American coach who could reinvigorate the sport in the Philippines. Mayoralgo was an
Ateneo graduate who tapped his contacts in Jesuit schools to seek recommendations and was pointed at Jacobs' direction.
Jacobs came to the Philippines in 1980 along with another NCAA coach
Ben Lindsey. Cojuangco, willing to give any amount just to get any of the two coaches, was to choose who among the two top-notch coaches he would hire to run the state of affairs of Philippine basketball. The jockeying for the position intensified so deeply that the two coaches, once good friends, eventually ended up bitter at each other. Jacobs allegedly threw negative statements behind Lindsey's back and he eventually earned Cojuangco's job for the coveted and lucrative position. Lindsey left the Philippines in a huff, fueling speculations, and Jacobs stayed behind.
Philippine Men's National Team (1981-1986)
Jacobs's first task was to improve the quality of basketball in the Philippines. After watching some
Philippine Basketball Association
The Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) is a men's professional basketball league in the Philippines composed of twelve company-branded franchised teams. Founded in 1975, it is the first professional basketball league in Asia and is the se ...
games, he came up with the idea of naturalizing American collegiate players as Filipinos, to pass basketball technology to Filipino cagers.
Jacobs formed his first team in 1981; it had eight American players (Steve Schall, Steve Lingerfelter, Bruce Webster, Willie Polk, Eddie Joe Chavez, Jeff Moore, Dennis Still and Michael Antoine), two Filipino-Americans (Willie Pearson and Ricky Brown) and two local players (both from
San Beda - JB Yango and Frankie Lim). The starting unit for that team included the 7'0 Steve Schall, the 6'8 Dennis Still, the 6'3 Jeff Moore, the 6'1 Eddie Joe Chavez and the 6'0 Ricky Brown. Steve Lingerfelter, at 6'9, was Schall's backup at the slot while Willie Pearson similarly languished at the bench. This team was sent to the 1981 William Jones Cup tournament where they beat a solid American team made up of US
NCAA Division I
NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest level of College athletics, intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major ...
collegiate players by more than 20 points in the finals and an average winning margin of more than 30 points against the others. The 1981 team encountered a backlash as Filipinos found it hard to accept the victory as the Americans were the ones responsible for the victory, with Yango and Lim being fielded sparingly. Jacobs eventually threw his program out of the window when Cojuangco feared the non-acceptance of the Filipinos.
Jacobs' next project was to retain the gold medal in the 1981 SEA Games. Noting the lack of competition, Jacobs decided to field then-La Salle coach Pilo Pumaren instead as coach and gave him enough leeway to run the team. This 1981 team was made up mostly of MICAA and National Seniors players like Ricky Relosa, Bokyo Lauchengco, Itoy Esguerra, Ed Cordero, among others. The gold medal was won with President Marcos himself watching at the Big Dome, witnessing the near brawl ensuing from the solid kick made by Itoy Esguerra in the face of a Malaysian opponent in the finals.
Jacobs, for the first time, was to handle a national team all made up of Filipino players in trying to regain the Asian Youth title lost in 1980 from China - a bitter setback since the Philippines won the first 5 stagings of the tournament. That 1980 team included players like Zaldy Latoza, Elpidio Villamin, Bay Cristobal, Rey Lazaro among others and handled by Turo Valenzona. Jacobs decided to get players mostly from La Salle - the school that Cojuangco patronized. This move by Jacobs drew raised eyebrows from the basketball circle as after all, Jacobs was closely associated with then La Salle coach Filomeno "Pilo" Pumaren. Jacobs choices were less talented, less athletic and unknown players in the collegiate ranks like La Salle players Jun Tan, Jong Uichico, Teddy Alfarero, Derek Pumaren, Rey Cuenco of Arellano and the fat and flat-footed Alfie Almario. The only deserving players in Jacobs' list, as far as Philippine basketball leaders then were concerned, were Hector Calma of Adamson, Louie Brill and Elmer Reyes of San Beda. It was contended that the team Jacobs formed was weak since dominating collegiate players like Joey Loyzaga, Terry Saldana, Sonny Cabatu were left out. Another criticism was that all players selected were above 19 years of age - the Asian Youth were only for players who were 19 years old and below. Hector Calma was reportedly a ripe 23 years old already by then. No team from 1970 to 1984 fielded in a legitimate lineup, and only when the media reported this in 1987 did the Philippines under Joe Lipa field a legitimate Youth team made up of Benjie Paras, Nelson Asaytono, Bong Alvarez, Eric Reyes, Jun Reyes, Bobby Jose among others.
Even with the criticisms, the RP Youth team mangled the opposition heading towards the semifinals where met
South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...
. This was the game Jacobs feared the most, especially since South Korea was bannering the very young but promising rookie
Hur Jae
Hur Jae (born September 28, 1965) is a South Korean retired basketball coach and former player. His playing and coaching career combined spanned over three decades, beginning during the semi-professional era and coinciding with the establishmen ...
. The Philippines won the game, 77-74, which featured a mini-brawl with the usual taunts and threats. The team was to meet China, who won over Japan, in the finals. In the finals, the Philippine side featured Alfie Almario's timely sniping from the outside, Hector Calma's masterful quarterbacking, and Teddy Alfarero's matching up well against China's star forward Wang Libin. The Philippines won the game 74-63 with Imelda Marcos and an overflow crowd of 25,000 in the
Araneta Coliseum
The Araneta Coliseum, also currently known by naming rights sponsorship as Smart Araneta Coliseum, is an indoor multi-purpose sports arena that is part of the Araneta City in the Cubao area of Quezon City, Philippines. Nicknamed as "the Big Dom ...
witnessing the game. Appreciation and the heart of the Filipino fans fell most on Calma and Almario. During the awarding ceremony,
Imelda Marcos
Imelda Romualdez Marcos (; born Imelda Remedios Visitacion Trinidad Romualdez; July 2, 1929) is a Filipino politician who served as the First Lady of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986, wielding significant political power during the dictator ...
went to Calma and Almario and gave both players a hug with kisses on both sides of cheeks that drew an emotional applause from the crowd.
In 1983, Jacobs decided to retain the services of Jeff Moore and Dennis Still, owing to the lack of big men that the country faced. Having read through the FIBA rules where naturalized players can only play after 3 years of residency, he immediately submitted Moore and Still's application for naturalization. He then sought for a shooter in the US to provide the outside sock and eventually train the likes of budding shooters like
Allan Caidic
Allan Vito Flores Caidic (born June 15, 1963) is a Filipino former professional basketball player in the Philippine Basketball Association. He is considered by many to be the greatest shooter the country has ever produced, thus, earning the mon ...
of UE,
Pido Jarencio
Alfredo Lorenzo Mendoza Jarencio (born September 5, 1964) is a Filipino basketball coach and former professional basketball player who is the head coach for the NorthPort Batang Pier of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA).
He was the h ...
of UST,
Jojo Lastimosa
Isabelo "Jojo" Lastimosa Jr. (born March 10, 1964) is a Filipino former professional basketball player in the Philippine Basketball Association for the Purefoods Hotdogs, the Alaska Aces and the Pop Cola Panthers from 1988 to 2002. He was als ...
of Ateneo, and
Ato Agustin
Renato Guilas Agustin (born August 1, 1963) is a Filipino former professional basketball player, politician, and current assistant coach for the San Miguel Beermen. He played college basketball for the Lyceum of the Philippines before moving on ...
of Lyceum. He recruited Arthur "Chip" Engelland of
Duke University
Duke University is a private research university in Durham, North Carolina. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present-day city of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco and electric power industrialist James ...
, who would have been eligible to play by 1987 for the national team.
In 1984, the Philippines, under Jacobs, played in the ABC tournament held in
Qatar
Qatar (, ; ar, قطر, Qaṭar ; local vernacular pronunciation: ), officially the State of Qatar,) is a country in Western Asia. It occupies the Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it sh ...
. They won their first three games in the eliminations only to be forfeited because of Engelland, Moore and Still's ineligibility. Howls of protest from the team didn't prosper despite the initial assurance made by the ABC, eventually raising the suspicion that the Philippine team was set up to lose via technicality. The team went down 0-3 and the American members were barred from playing. The team didn't qualify for the quarterfinals and ended up in the classification round, where they beat the remaining rivals convincingly despite playing only their 9 Filipino players. Hence, they became the only team in the history of the ABC to have won all its games in the tournament but ended up 9th overall.
In the latter part of 1984, the Philippines won the
Asian Interclub title to earn the right to play in the
1985 Intercontinental Cup
The 1985 Intercontinental Cup was an Association football match played on 8 December 1985, between Juventus, winners of the 1984–85 European Cup, and Argentinos Juniors, winners of the 1985 Copa Libertadores. Recognised as the best edition in t ...
to be held in
Girona, Spain
Girona (officially and in Catalan , Spanish: ''Gerona'' ) is a city in northern Catalonia, Spain, at the confluence of the Ter, Onyar, Galligants, and Güell rivers. The city had an official population of 103,369 in 2020. Girona is the capital ...
. The Philippines, playing as the Northern Consolidated Cement basketball team featuring Moore, Engelland and Still, went up against the Golden Eagles from the USA representing North America, CA Monte Líbano, representing
Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
(bannered by the De Souza brothers, wily point guard Milton Setrini, and the eminent
Oscar Schmidt
Oscar Daniel Bezerra Schmidt (born February 16, 1958) is a retired Brazilian professional basketball player. He is also commonly known as Oscar Schmidt in Spain, where he played for Fórum Valladolid for the 1993–94 and 1994–95 seasons, ...
) representing South America,
Banco di Roma Virtus (featuring
Dino Meneghin
Dino Meneghin (, ; born 18 January 1950) is an Italian former professional basketball player. He is widely considered to be the best Italian player ever, as well as one of Europe's all-time greats. A 2.06 m (6 ft 9 in) tall center, Meneghin ...
) of Italy and
Košarkaški klub Cibona featuring
Drazen Petrovic for Europe. The Philippine NCC team lost to Cibona of Zagreb 111-86 in the first game and on the Second day lost to the Golden Eagles of the USA 81-73. In the third game, they lost by a solitary point against the Brazilians, 78-77. But in the Fourth game, the Philippine NCC team toppled the Italians by more than 19 points, 98-79. Reports from Girona said that the team won the hearts of the Spanish basketball fans as they saw the smallest basketball team in the World Cup for Champion Clubs play competitively against taller opponents from Europe and America. Ron Jacobs later admitted that he did not instill in his players' minds to give their best for the World Cup for Champion Clubs, as they treated the tournament as just part of their preparation for the coming Asian Basketball Confederation Championships.
In 1985, an even bigger victory came in the William Jones Cup in Taiwan. Ranked 4th overall, the Philippine team wasn't expected to do well, especially since the Americans were represented by solid NCAA Division I players like
Harold Pressley
Harold Pressley (born July 14, 1963) is an American former professional basketball player. He spent four years in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Sacramento Kings between 1986 and 1990 before playing a major role in Joventut Ba ...
,
Joe Wolf
Joseph James Wolf (born December 17, 1964) is an American professional basketball coach and former player.
Professional career
He played in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was the 13th overall pick of the 1987 NBA Draft, selecte ...
,
Kenny Gattison
Kenneth Clay Gattison (born May 23, 1964) is an American former professional basketball player and National Basketball Association (NBA) assistant coach.
College career
Born in Wilmington, North Carolina, Gattison was a four-year lettermen at Old ...
,
Kevin Henderson,
Jay Bilas
Jay Scot Bilas (born December 24, 1963) is an American college basketball analyst who currently works for ESPN. Bilas is a former professional basketball player and coach who played for and served as an assistant under Mike Krzyzewski at Duke Uni ...
and
Tommy Amaker
Harold Tommy Amaker Jr. (; born June 6, 1965) is an American college basketball coach and the head coach of the Harvard University men's basketball team. He has also coached for the University of Michigan and Seton Hall University. He played po ...
and coached by Purdue's
Gene Keady
Lloyd Eugene Keady (born May 21, 1936) is an American basketball coach. He is best known for his 25 years serving as the head men's basketball coach at Purdue University in Indiana. In his tenure leading the Boilermakers from 1980 to 2005, he went ...
, fresh from being awarded 1984 NCAA national coach of the year and Big 10 Coach of the year. Keady was assisted on the bench by
Bruce Weber, his assistant at Purdue that would later become a decorated coach himself. But Jacobs' boys pulled off one surprise after another as Moore worked like a horse, Engelland was at his pinpoint accuracy best, Calma was at his prime handling the court generalship role, and the tandem of Samboy Lim and Allan Caidic doing wonders both inside and outside. In the finals, the team found itself to be in a dilemma, as center Dennis Still was hobbled by a bum knee while Jeff Moore encountered some back problems. But showing true guts and courage, the two players overcame the odds, and, with Engelland sniping away from the outside with 42 points and Lim, Caidic and Franz Pumaren doing equal damage from the arc, the SMB team won against the Americans
overtime
Overtime is the amount of time someone works beyond normal working hours. The term is also used for the pay received for this time. Normal hours may be determined in several ways:
*by custom (what is considered healthy or reasonable by society), ...
of the final, 108-100. Tommy Amaker didn't know what hit him - he was astonished how Calma outran and outfoxed him all throughout the game. It came to a point when the foreign press described Calma as the "point guard whiz" from the Philippines while being astonished by Samboy Lim's high-flying and daredevil ways. Jacobs in an interview said "I thought the American team that beat us in the Interclub World Tourney was weaker than the American team we beat in the Jones Cup finals". In saying those words, Jacobs meant that they could have won two successive trophies if only they treated the World Interclub tourney seriously.
With the momentum on their side, Jacobs' team their last pre-ABC tournament in the
Philippine Basketball Association
The Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) is a men's professional basketball league in the Philippines composed of twelve company-branded franchised teams. Founded in 1975, it is the first professional basketball league in Asia and is the se ...
's Reinforced Conference, with each team featuring one import with a maximum height of 6'5. In one semifinals tiff held at the ULTRA, Jacobs' went up against Robert Jaworski's Ginebra in what may be considered as one of the best PBA games of all time. Ginebra lost Robert Jaworski via a busted lip midway in the second quarter on account of a wayward elbow from Moore that forced him to rush to the emergency room of the nearby Medical City in Pasig. Given up for lost, the Philippine team ran roughshod against the Gins minus their leader. When Jaworski came back to the coliseum with less than 8 minutes left in the 4th canto, the crowd erupted seeing the Big J with a bandage on his upper lip. The Big J entered the game, his team behind 15 points. The crowd was already in a frenzy by then, and every Ginebra shot was punctuated by heavy cheering matched only by every NCC missed shot. The game ended with Ginebra winning and Jacobs shaking his head in disbelief.
However, this did not stop Jacobs' wards in their drive for the championship. Having topped the semifinals round, they earned the first seat in the finals and waited for the winner of the
Manila Beer-
Ginebra series. They dethroned Great Taste Coffee in the semifinals. Jacobs secretly longed to have Manila Beer in the finals, knowing fully well how difficult to go up against a Ginebra team with the crowd behind them. Similarly, Jacobs had difficulty finding an antidote to Michael Hackett, unlike Manila Beer's Francois Wise who Still can dominate one-on-one. Manila Beer beat Ginebra in sudden death to barge into the finals. It was a rout - Jacobs led a 4-0 sweep, including a 32-point victory in the last game, 138-106 - regarded as the most lopsided finals ever in PBA history.
In December 1985, the
ABC Championship was held in
Kuala Lumpur
, anthem = '' Maju dan Sejahtera''
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, pushpin_map = Malaysia#Southeast Asia#Asia
, pushpin_map_caption =
, coordinates =
, su ...
,
Malaysia
Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...
with the Philippines as favorites to win the championship alongside
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
. In the semifinals, the Philippine team demolished China to earn the right to meet South Korea in the finals. The team finally regained its ABC Championship, last won in 1973 when the tournament was in Manila, on January 5, 1986, with Samboy Lim and Allan Caidic leading in the scoring end.
As early as 1985, Jacobs was already mapping out a grand plan to ensure continuity with his system. Knowing fully well that Still and Moore were already in their 30s, he eyed
Benjie Paras
Venancio Johnson Paras Jr. (born October 2, 1968), better known as Benjie Paras, is a Filipino actor, comedian, and a retired professional basketball player who played for Shell Turbo Chargers and San Miguel Beermen of the Philippine Basketb ...
and
Alvin Patrimonio
Alvin Dale Vergara Patrimonio (born November 17, 1966) is a Filipino retired professional basketball player from the Philippine Basketball Association and is the current team manager for the Magnolia Hotshots.
Patrimonio holds several PBA re ...
to take over the slots left by Still and Moore. Engelland, on the other hand, was relatively younger and was already honing Allan Caidic,
Naning Valenciano and Pido Jarencio's shooting skills. Jacobs was also expecting Jojo Lastimosa to take over the slot to be vacated by Engelland in the future.
Then the
People Power Revolution
The People Power Revolution, also known as the EDSA Revolution or the February Revolution, was a series of popular Demonstration (people), demonstrations in the Philippines, mostly in Metro Manila, from February 22 to 25, 1986. There was a ...
took place in February 1986 that forced the departure of Cojuangco. Jacobs suddenly found himself without a job as the BAP under Puyat regained control of Philippine basketball fiefdom. Jacobs left for the US but later returned sometime in 1994.
PBA (1994-2002)
In the
1994 Asian Games
The 1994 Asian Games ( ja, 1994年アジア競技大会, ''Senkyūhyakukyūjūyon-nen Ajia kyōgi taikai''), also known as the XII Asiad and the 12th Asian Games ( ja, 第12回アジア競技大会, Daijūni-kai Ajia kyōgi taikai), were held from ...
held in
Hiroshima
is the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture in Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 1,199,391. The gross domestic product (GDP) in Greater Hiroshima, Hiroshima Urban Employment Area, was US$61.3 billion as of 2010. Kazumi Matsui h ...
, the Philippine national team was composed mainly of players from the 1994 PBA All-Filipino champions San Miguel Beer. Coach
Norman Black
Norman Augustus Black (born November 12, 1957) is an American former professional basketball player who played in the CBA, NBA, and PBA. He's the current head coach for the Meralco Bolts.
He has since settled in the Philippines. He is also ...
backstopped a team featuring
Allan Caidic
Allan Vito Flores Caidic (born June 15, 1963) is a Filipino former professional basketball player in the Philippine Basketball Association. He is considered by many to be the greatest shooter the country has ever produced, thus, earning the mon ...
,
Ato Agustin
Renato Guilas Agustin (born August 1, 1963) is a Filipino former professional basketball player, politician, and current assistant coach for the San Miguel Beermen. He played college basketball for the Lyceum of the Philippines before moving on ...
, Dong Polistico,
Alvin Teng
Alvin L. Teng (born March 4, 1965) is a retired Filipino professional basketball player who spent 14 seasons in the PBA, mostly with the San Miguel Beermen.
Collegiate career
A native of Davao, he was a latebloomer in basketball, having only st ...
,
Hector Calma
Hector Calma (born March 2, 1960) is a Filipino former professional basketball player. At 5 feet and 8 inches, he played at the point guard position and was most notably associated with the San Miguel Beer team of the Philippine Basketbal ...
plus three players from
Purefoods (
Alvin Patrimonio
Alvin Dale Vergara Patrimonio (born November 17, 1966) is a Filipino retired professional basketball player from the Philippine Basketball Association and is the current team manager for the Magnolia Hotshots.
Patrimonio holds several PBA re ...
,
Jerry Codinera
Jerry may refer to:
Animals
* Jerry (Grand National winner), racehorse, winner of the 1840 Grand National
* Jerry (St Leger winner), racehorse, winner of 1824 St Leger Stakes
Arts, entertainment, and media
* ''Jerry'' (film), a 2006 Indian fil ...
,
Rey Evangelista
Rey Evangelista (born December 28, 1971) is a Filipino retired professional basketball player who played for Purefoods franchise in the Philippine Basketball Association during his entire career. He was a one-time Best Player of the Conference a ...
), 1 player from Alaska (
Johnny Abarrientos
Johnny Abarrientos (born July 17, 1970) is a Filipino retired professional basketball player in the Philippine Basketball Association. He was also a many-time member of the Philippine National team, and was the 1996 PBA Most Valuable Player, bec ...
) and 2 topnotch amateurs (
Marlou Aquino
Marlou Bucao Aquino (born October 7, 1972) is a Filipino former professional basketball player and assistant coach for the Bacoor City Strikers of the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL). During his prime he was known by fans as "The S ...
and
Kenneth Duremdes
Kenneth Celera Duremdes (born January 31, 1974) is a Filipino retired professional basketball player in the Philippine Basketball Association and the current commissioner of the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League (MPBL). Nicknamed as "Captain ...
). Jacobs was sent by Cojuangco to provide advice to Black. Jacobs was seen in one game in the semifinals, where Jacobs and
Quinito Henson
Joaquin M. Henson (born October 14, 1950), also known as Quinito Henson, is a Filipino sports analyst and television color commentator. His newspaper column, ''Sporting Chance'', has appeared in the ''Philippine Star'' since the 1980s. Self-dubb ...
almost came to blows with Norman Black as the latter despised the two's incessant interference in his coaching. Eventually, this team ended up 4th place and out of the medal race in the tournament.
Black was then eased out of the
San Miguel Beer
San Miguel Beer refers to San Miguel Pale Pilsen, a Filipino pale lager produced by San Miguel Brewery (a subsidiary of San Miguel Corporation). Established in San Miguel, Manila in 1890 by the original San Miguel Brewery (renamed San Miguel Cor ...
bench to give way to Jacobs, who was given the reins in 1997. Jacobs handled a moribund San Miguel team that had only
Nelson Asaytono
Nelson Asaytono (born January 25, 1967) is a Filipino retired professional basketball player who played for Purefoods, Swift/Sunkist/Pop Cola, San Miguel Beer, and Red Bull in the PBA during his 17-year career.
Collegiate / Amateur career
Asa ...
as his offensive weapon. In that only season as head coach, Jacobs piloted SMB to two third-place finishes - an outstanding feat especially considering the lineup that the Beermen possessed.
In 1998, the Basketball Coaches Association of the Philippines (BCAP) under Chito Narvasa petitioned to the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) that Ron Jacobs had no right to coach a PBA team, being a foreigner. The DOLE agreed and Jacobs was made a consultant and gave the coaching job to his protege
Jong Uichico
Joseph Enrique Uichico (born July 15, 1962), better known as Jong Uichico, is a Filipino professional basketball coach who last coached the Bataan Risers in the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League. Uichico is a former Philippine national team Y ...
. A few weeks after, Jacobs was being contemplated upon by then PBA Commissioner
Jun Bernardino
Emilio "Jun" Bernardino, Jr. (November 9, 1947 – March 24, 2007) was the fifth commissioner of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). He was elected as commissioner of the league in 1994 and retired in 2002. He served as the commissioner ...
to handle the 1998 Centennial team that was tasked to win the gold at the
1998 Asian Games
The 1998 Asian Games (), officially known as the 13th Asian Games and the XIII Asiad, was an Asian multi-sport event celebrated in Bangkok, Thailand from December 6 to 20, 1998, with 377 events in 36 sports and disciplines participated by 6,554 ...
in
Thailand
Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...
. Again, the BCAP stepped in and protested Jacobs' pending appointment. Bernardino instead appointed Alaska coach Tim Cone to handle the reins of the national team, who copped a bronze medal.
Philippine men's national team (2002)
In 2002, Bernardino formally appointed Jacobs to handle the national team to play in the
2002 Asian Games
The 2002 Asian Games ( ko, 2002년 아시아 경기대회/2002년 아시안 게임, Icheoni-nyeon Asia gyeonggi daehoe/Icheoni-nyeon Asian Geim), officially known as the XIV Asian Games ( ko, 제14회 아시아 경기대회/제14회 아시안 ...
. Armed with a blueprint designed to earn the gold medal, Jacobs proposed having two national team selections made up of 24 of the most outstanding PBA players to go up against PBA teams with import reinforcements. While many questioned Jacobs' preference to play in the PBA (which was to revert to amateur rules during the time), no one doubted what Jacobs had in mind for he was the only one who understood what he was doing. But Jacobs suffered a near-fatal stroke, and the coaching mantle was eventually turned over to Uichico who was earlier appointed as Jacobs' chief second and scout. The fourth place standing in the Asian Games ended up as being one of the biggest disappointments in Philippine sports in year 2002.
Protégés
Today, several of Jacobs disciples are coaching or occupying front office jobs in Philippine basketball:
*
Binky Favis
Vincent Kenneth Marasigan Favis, better known as Binky Favis, is a Filipino people, Filipino former professional basketball head coach and politician.
Coaching career
He was also a former player of the UST Growling Tigers and was an assistan ...
- former assistant coach of
Barangay Ginebra Kings
A barangay (; abbreviated as Brgy. or Bgy.), historically referred to as barrio (abbreviated as Bo.), is the smallest administrative division in the Philippines and is the native Filipino term for a village, district, or ward. In metropolitan ...
and former head coach of
Coca Cola Tigers
The Powerade Tigers were a professional basketball team that played in the Philippine Basketball Association from 2002 to 2012. The franchise was owned by Coca-Cola Bottlers Philippines, Inc. (CCBPI) when the company acquired Cosmos Bottling Co ...
.
*
Siot Tanquincen
Bethune "Siot" Tanquingcen is a Filipino professional basketball head coach. He is currently an assistant coach for the Benilde Blazers.
As coach, Tanquingcen has won three PBA championships: two with Barangay Ginebra San Miguel ( 2004 Fiesta Co ...
- former University of Santo Tomas guard and Jacobs scout who won two titles as Ginebra San Miguel coach and one title with his former team, the San Miguel Beermen. Formerly served as an assistant coach for
De La Salle Green Archers
The De La Salle Green Archers (also known simply as the Green Archers) are the men's varsity teams representing De La Salle University in the Philippines. The women's varsity teams are generally referred to as the De La Salle Lady Archers. The s ...
of the UAAP.
*
Eric Altamirano
Frederick "Eric" Altamirano (born August 8, 1966 in Davao City) is a former Filipino basketball player and he formerly the assistant coach of the Alaska Aces. In the present he is the commissioner of Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas 3x3
He was part of th ...
- former head coach of the
National University Bulldogs
The National University Bulldogs are the collegiate men's varsity teams of National University in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines. The collegiate women's varsity teams are called the ''Lady Bulldogs'' while the high school ...
in the UAAP which he led to a championshin in Season 77 in 2014. He is the former lead assistant coach of the
Alaska Aces in the PBA.
*
Allan Caidic
Allan Vito Flores Caidic (born June 15, 1963) is a Filipino former professional basketball player in the Philippine Basketball Association. He is considered by many to be the greatest shooter the country has ever produced, thus, earning the mon ...
- former assistant coach and former head coach of the
Barangay Ginebra Kings
A barangay (; abbreviated as Brgy. or Bgy.), historically referred to as barrio (abbreviated as Bo.), is the smallest administrative division in the Philippines and is the native Filipino term for a village, district, or ward. In metropolitan ...
, also briefly served for DLSU Green Archers as an assistant coach.
* Tonichi Yturri - current assistant coach of Adamson Soaring Falcons; former head coach of the
Cebu Gems
The Cebu Gems also known as Cebuana Lhuillier Gems were a professional basketball team in the now-defunct Metropolitan Basketball Association from 1998 to 2002.
The team was owned by Jean Henri Lhuillier. The team played its home games at the Cebu ...
(
MBA
A Master of Business Administration (MBA; also Master's in Business Administration) is a postgraduate degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration such as accounti ...
), the
Benilde Blazers
The College of Saint Benilde Blazers are the National Collegiate Athletic Association (Philippines), NCAA senior varsity team of De La Salle–College of Saint Benilde.
The Blazers were formerly a member National Capital Region Athletic Associat ...
(
NCAA
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...
) and
Harbour Centre
__NOTOC__
Harbour Centre is a skyscraper in the central business district of Downtown Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada which opened in 1977. The "Lookout" tower atop the office building makes it one of the tallest structures in Vancouver an ...
(
PBL.
*
Hector Calma
Hector Calma (born March 2, 1960) is a Filipino former professional basketball player. At 5 feet and 8 inches, he played at the point guard position and was most notably associated with the San Miguel Beer team of the Philippine Basketbal ...
- former team manager and star player of the
San Miguel Beermen
The San Miguel Beermen are a professional basketball team in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). It is one of three PBA clubs owned by the San Miguel Corporation group of companies along with the Magnolia Hotshots and Barangay Ginebra ...
.
*
Samboy Lim
Avelino Borromeo Lim Jr. (born April 1, 1962), better known as Samboy "The Skywalker" Lim, is a retired Filipino professional basketball player of the Philippine Basketball Association and many time national player in the 1980s and 90s.
As a ...
- former player of the San Miguel Beermen and team manager of the
Barangay Ginebra Kings
A barangay (; abbreviated as Brgy. or Bgy.), historically referred to as barrio (abbreviated as Bo.), is the smallest administrative division in the Philippines and is the native Filipino term for a village, district, or ward. In metropolitan ...
.
*
Pido Jarencio
Alfredo Lorenzo Mendoza Jarencio (born September 5, 1964) is a Filipino basketball coach and former professional basketball player who is the head coach for the NorthPort Batang Pier of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA).
He was the h ...
- champion coach of the UST Tigers in the 2006 UAAP and current head coach of
NorthPort Batang Pier
The NorthPort Batang Pier is a Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) team that first played in the 2012–13 PBA season. The team took over the franchise of the Powerade Tigers in 2012 after it was sold to Sultan 900 Capital, Inc. Besides Nor ...
.
*
Franz Pumaren
Franz Santos Pumaren (born December 5, 1963) is a Filipino former professional basketball player and coach. He played college ball for De La Salle University before playing professional basketball in the Philippine Basketball Association. He is ...
- Former head coach of the DLSU Green Archers (UAAP), Adamson Soaring Falcons (UAAP) and
Magnolia
''Magnolia'' is a large genus of about 210 to 340The number of species in the genus ''Magnolia'' depends on the taxonomic view that one takes up. Recent molecular and morphological research shows that former genera ''Talauma'', ''Dugandiodendro ...
(
PBL). Led the Green Archers to 4 straight UAAP titles.
* Jun Tan - head coach in the Cebu ranks and the former of the Granny Goose Tortillos (
PBL).
*
Jong Uichico
Joseph Enrique Uichico (born July 15, 1962), better known as Jong Uichico, is a Filipino professional basketball coach who last coached the Bataan Risers in the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League. Uichico is a former Philippine national team Y ...
- former head coach of the
Talk N' Text Tropang Texters. He also led the
San Miguel Beermen
The San Miguel Beermen are a professional basketball team in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). It is one of three PBA clubs owned by the San Miguel Corporation group of companies along with the Magnolia Hotshots and Barangay Ginebra ...
to six titles from 1999-2006 and
Barangay Ginebra San Miguel
The Barangay Ginebra San Miguel is a professional basketball team in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). The most popular team in the league, it is owned by Ginebra San Miguel, Inc. (formerly, La Tondeña Distillers, Inc.), a subsidia ...
to two titles from 2006-2008. Currently, the lead assistant of
Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
.
* Louie Brill - team captain of RP Youth and tournament MVP 1982. Commissioner and founder of the Fil-Am Basketball League (FABL) of Maryland. Trains Filipino American youths to compete in yearly Inter-State Basketball Tournament. Played for Ron Jacobs with NCC. Won two championships with the San Beda Red Lions 1977-78.
Coaching record
PBA record
Later life and death
On December 22, 2001, Jacobs suffered a stroke while driving home to his apartment in
Pasig
Pasig, officially the City of Pasig ( fil, Lungsod ng Pasig), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the National Capital Region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 803,159 people.
It is located along the ...
. Jacobs became bedridden, unable to speak and walk. For the remainder of his life, he continued to live in the Philippines with his wife, Menen.
Jacobs died on the evening of December 24, 2015, in
Makati
Makati ( ), officially the City of Makati ( fil, Lungsod ng Makati), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the National Capital Region of the Philippines.
Makati is the financial center of the Philippines; it has the highest concentration ...
, three days short of his 73rd birthday from complications of the stroke he suffered 14 years prior.
References
Note
References
Further reading
Where Are They Now? Ron Jacobs - Los Angeles Times - September 2, 1990
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jacobs, Ron
1942 births
2015 deaths
American expatriate basketball people in the Philippines
American men's basketball coaches
Basketball coaches from North Carolina
Loyola Marymount Lions men's basketball coaches
People from Marion, North Carolina
San Miguel Beermen coaches
Philippines men's national basketball team coaches