by Craig Morgan
A loss to Marquette in the Legends Classic final in Brooklyn, New York on Nov. 24 was the kind of game Eric Jacobsen thought he had left behind.
He shed 15 pounds this offseason to improve his quickness and conditioning. He worked out all summer with former Sun Devil forward Jeff Ayres (formerly Jeff Pendergraph) at the Weatherup Center on his face-up game, his mid-range jumper and his leadership skills.
With center Jordan Bachynski having graduated, the 6-foot-10 post knew he needed to stay on the court for ASU to be successful. Instead, he played just seven minutes against the Golden Eagles before fouling out in a 78-73 overtime loss.
"I think that game was kind of an exception," Jacobsen said, choosing his words carefully.
His coach was more definitive.
"I reviewed all of Eric's fouls and I'm not sure he committed one," Bobby Hurley said. "I've never seen a player that potentially could have fouled out without committing a foul."
Hurley hadn't gone very deep into his bench before that game. That could change as his players grow into their roles, but at the moment, he needs Jacobsen on the floor to provide a variety of contributions, some of which go unnoticed in the box score.
"We get a lot smaller when he's out," Hurley said. "His presence around the rim, his communication on defense, his positioning -- he's always in the right position. He does a lot of little things that you appreciate as a coach."
Jacobsen's positioning was critical in Sunday's 70-68 win over UC Santa Barbara at Wells Fargo Arena. The Chandler Hamilton High School product put back a jumper from Kodi Justice at the end of regulation to help the Sun Devils improve to 4-2. Just as important, he played 23 minutes, grabbed 10 rebounds and had a block, a steal and an assist.
That do-everything ability hasn't changed since former Sun Devils assistant Scott Pera (now at Rice) recruited Jacobsen in 2011.
"We saw a big strong kid that hadn't reached his potential and could really get better and improve as his body got even bigger and stronger," Pera said. "He did all the little things that you're looking for in guys like playing physical, taking charges. You combine that with his character and work ethic and we were sold."
Jacobsen had foul troubles earlier in his Sun Devil career when he played at 255 pounds. This summer, he dropped to 240 in anticipation of the high pace at which Hurley likes to play.
"I felt like I was too heavy and out of shape, especially toward the end of the (2014-15) season," he said. "I was a step slow everywhere and I felt like I wasn't jumping as high or as quick and I definitely would get fatigued faster on the floor."
Jacobsen spent an hour and a half on virtually every morning this summer, working with Ayres to hone his game in anticipation of his final season in Tempe. The two have worked out for several summers together. Initially, Jacobsen said he invited himself, but this summer, the workouts were mutually beneficial.
"It was like big brother versus little brother," said Ayres, who won an NBA title with San Antonio in 2014. "There were days when I kicked his butt but there were plenty of days where he kicked my butt."
Throughout those workouts, Ayres kept hammering home a simple message.
"The idea was to put him in a position to be successful and grow the resume. You don't want to have any regrets after your senior year," said Ayres, who is playing with Idaho of the NBDL.
"The face-ups were a big point of emphasis because not everything is just back to the basket. Facing up allows you to see what the defense is giving you, see the double teams, see where you can go with the ball or with a move. There's nothing wrong with going into post move after that, but it creates some spacing with the defender and it's definitely a part of the game he's going to need."
Ayres and Jacobsen also worked on what Ayres calls the "Al Jefferson push shot where he shoots the ball with one hand. (The Charlotte forward) has a really good touch around the rim and that's important because not everything is going to be a dunk and you're not always going to shoot foul shots."
In a perfect world, Hurley envisions Jacobsen (9.3 points per game, 6.0 rebounds, team-high 63.6 field goal percentage) doing all the dirty work at the defensive end with the Sun Devils running the offense through him in the high or low post.
"He's a guy we can throw the ball inside to late in games that has a good shooting touch," Hurley said. "His free throw percentage (60.9) isn't great right now but I think that will go up. He can score in the lane and he's a good passer, too so he'll make the right play."
All of that is predicated on Jacobsen finding the fine balance between the hard-nosed player he wants to be and the responsible player Hurley needs him to be.
"I'm going to play the way I'll always play because it's just who I am, but it's tough because I know I have to be on the floor," he said. "That's where the frustration comes into play. I guess I just need to get better at knowing when and when not to."