Former Saginaw Valley State University basketball coach Dr. Robert Pratt calls Chris Jacobi a “scholar” on the court and a “silent leader” outside.
Jacobi, a former Saginaw Heritage and SVSU alumnus, died in Cleveland, Tennessee on Sunday when a Ford F150 he was a passenger in pulled off the road and struck a tree. A life ceremony is scheduled for 6 p.m. Friday at the Companion Funeral Home in Cleveland, where Jacobi has lived for the past nine years.
“It was just awful,” Pratt said. “Everyone who knew Chris is kind of in shock. It’s been a sad two days.
Jacob graduated from Heritage in 1990, starting for three seasons and winning Saginaw Valley League honors.
“To start with, he was very talented and extremely easy to train,” said former Heritage basketball coach Terry Boswell. “As good a player as he was, he was a better person.
“He was a kid who never stopped working on his game. He had a problem with his shoulder at one point and couldn’t play for a little while. It was his right shoulder, so he spent the time working on his left hand. He never stopped working.
Jacobi, a 5-foot-11 point guard, signed to play for SVSU, where he became a four-year-old starter from 1990 to 1994. He ranks second at SVSU in career assists with 448 and seventh in interceptions. in career with 154. In his last season, Jacobi started all 25 games, averaging 9.4 points and 3.7 assists per game.
When he graduated, Jacobi placed second in SVSU history with 88 career 3 points.
“He had a very special talent for seeing the pitch and knowing what was going to happen, where his teammates were going to be and how the ebb and flow of a game worked,” said Pratt. “He was a scholar. He knew where everyone was going to be and when they would be there.
“It’s a very unique skill in basketball. Few people have it. As a coach, I always felt like he was ahead of the game.
Pratt admits Jacobi wasn’t the tallest, strongest, or fastest point guard who played for him.
“He wasn’t physically strong or tall, but he was quick enough and tall enough to hold on,” said Pratt. “But he was a really good shot, and it worked well with his passing ability. He was more than adequate as a defender.
“In my 24 years as a coach at Saginaw Valley we’ve had some great playmakers, but he was one of the best. He was a quiet leader.
Jacobi, 49, is survived by a wife, Morgan Jacobi, four children – Titus, Lucy, Livie and Jack – parents Daniel and Mary Ann Jacobi, brother Brian Jacobi, sister Kathy Anderson and sister Kim Shurdut.
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