Episode 14 - Simon Jacob - Oakwood University's men's head coach discusses USCAA championships, pitfalls of competition, and recruitment of non-Adventist players.
Oakwood University's men's head coach started his basketball journey with OU as a student in the 1980's playing on a touring team that visited churches and conferences, playing host teams as a recruiting tool. From his days with that original Ambassadors team to becoming an assistant and eventually head coach of the men's team in 2015, Simon has sought to keep the spiritual and personal development of his players at the forefront of his teams. For most of his head coaching tenure, OU played in the USCAA (United States Collegiate Athletic Association), and throughout the 2010's made three championship appearances, including two USCAA national championships. That success led to OU joining the NAIA in 2022.Simon talks about the transition to a higher level of competition and how he responds to criticisms about pitfalls of competition and Adventist athletics in general, as well as the recruitment of non-Adventist players. He comments on the annual matchups with Washington Adventist University and how the schools have come to a place of great rapport after an initially contentious matchup. As head athletic director, Simon shares the difficulties of balancing both jobs, and reflects on how recruiting has changed since he first started. The guys talk about the transfer portal, how it is changing college basketball, and may negatively affect opportunities for high school seniors.Thank you for listening! Make sure to rate, review, and subscribe to help us grow this community!Follow AdventistHoops on Instagram: www.instagram.com/adventisthoops Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.