More than two months after it occurred U.N.I. basketball coach Ben Jacobsen is still being asked about the Panthers stunning upset of top ranked Kansas in the NCAA Tournament wherever he goes. The latest was an appearance in Marshalltown where Jacobsen said the late three pointer by Ali Farohkmanesch will be one of the lasting images of the tournament.
Jacobsen says it has taken awhile for it to sink in and now they are back to work with summer school and workouts. But he says it will be something that comes up every year at tournament time. The Panthers made it to the “Sweet 16” before falling to Michigan State and Jocobsen says he and the coaches started working on next season as soon as the Final Four was over.
Jacobsen says they had a lot of recruiting things to get in line and now they are getting ready for July recruiting. There were some key losses from last year’s team but Jacobsen is still excited about the potential. He says they will be different, but 7 of the 10 guys who played in the tournament will be back.
Jacobsen says a number of things need to fall into place to have a season like the Panthers just enjoyed, as they had depth and size and got some luck too.
By Lance Renaud KFJB Marshalltown