UNI has extended the contract of men’s basketball coach Ben Jacobson that will extend his stay in Cedar Falls through the 2012 season. Jacobson signed a five-year contract when he was hired last March. Athletic Director Rick Hartzell says the new deal extends Jacobson’s contract for one year, and adds an annual rollover clause each April, to always keep the length of the contract at five years.
Hartzell says there are several reasons for extending the contract, including the way Jacobsen has held the program together in the transition to a new coach. And Hartzell says Jacobson cares more about the athletes doing well in school and graduating, and recruiting quality kids, than about winning games.
The new rollover contract does not change what Jacobson earns. His base of 150-thousand dollars plus bonuses and incentives, remains the same. Hartzell says it’s well deserved, shows the stability of the program, and they’ll worry about the salary in the spring.
The 36-year-old Jacobson has guided the Panthers to an 18-12 record, the most wins for a first-year UNI head coach since Norm Stewart won 19 games in the 1961-62 season. Jacobson posted victories over Iowa and Iowa State earlier this season, marking just the second time ever UNI has defeated both the Hawkeyes and Cyclones in the same season.
Jacobson is thankful for the support he’s been given by Hartzell and UNI’s administration. He says the change in the contract means a lot to him and the basketball program. The Panthers take on Bradley Friday in St. Louis in the opening round of the Missouri Valley Conference tournament.