Jacobson Stands Tall When It Counts Most

Just over 2 1/2 minutes had ticked by in the Southern California Regional Division II championship game Saturday, and sophomore Alex Jacobson, Santa Ana Mater Dei’s 7-foot-1 center, had already blocked four shots.

Some in the Sports Arena were probably wondering if the Compton Dominguez shooters would ever get the ball over Jacobson’s outstretched hand.

About a minute later, the Dons finally made a basket -- a three-pointer -- but Jacobson’s presence had already paid quick dividends as Mater Dei had taken an 8-0 lead.

When Dominguez tried to penetrate, the players were reduced to passing the ball back out to the perimeter, trying to shoot over Jacobson or attempting to draw a foul.

Nothing worked well, and the Dons eventually lost, 68-61, for only their second defeat in nine regional final appearances. Afterward, Dominguez Coach Russell Otis was quick to credit Jacobson.

“He changed the complexity of the game,” Otis said. “He’s big and he’s disciplined. You weren’t getting him off his feet by pump-faking him.”

The Dons, forced to stay outside, missed 26 of 30 three-point attempts.

Jacobson finished with a career-high eight blocked shots and stayed out of foul trouble until late in the game. Mater Dei will play Oak Ridge for the state title Saturday at Arco Arena in Sacramento.

“He just alters a lot of shots,” Mater Dei Coach Gary McKnight said. “He causes havoc in there.”

Not bad for a player who averages a modest 6.2 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.6 blocks.

Because Jacobson was not exposed to a high level of athletic competition until his family moved to Southern California from Minnesota while he was in eighth grade, he is still considered a work in progress.

Jacobson was always tall for his age. When his father, Richard, a traffic engineer, moved the family to Brea to be closer to his new job, Jacobson was already two inches taller than his dad at 6-8.

He played half of his freshman season at Bellflower St. John Bosco before transferring to Mater Dei, where he said he learns something “every day” from its coaching staff.

“Mostly defensively ... rotating and sliding over and just helping out my teammates,” he said.

He was just beginning to get a feel for the new system when the Monarchs were upset by Inglewood in last season’s Division II-A semifinals, marking the first time since 1998 that they did not reach a section final.

Jacobson grew another inch in the off-season and continued to develop his basketball skills. Because he was still growing doctors advised him to lay off weight-training during the season, but people have noticed his improved physique.

“He looks physically stronger,” said Kerdt Elisaldez, a former teammate and sophomore at St. John Bosco. “He could have helped us big time this year.”

Jacobson had a season-high 13 points in a 75-72 win over Seattle Rainer Beach in December. Last month he had a season-high 10 rebounds in consecutive playoff games.

“I started off kind of slow,” Jacobson said. “But then I got comfortable and I felt like I was doing things.”

And recruiters have noticed. Jacobson said he has received the most interest from Arizona, which also happens to be his current favorite.

“Alex, down the road, will be as highly a recruited player as anybody around,” McKnight said. “He’s a 7-1 kid that will probably stay in college four years and be a major, major college player.”