BOYS ALL-STATE: Desert Pines’ Jacobs claims top honor

Desert Pines senior Julian Jacobs wasn’t the state’s most prolific scorer this season. He didn’t top the charts in rebounds or assists.

But there wasn’t a better leader among the state’s boys basketball players.

For his efforts, Jacobs, who guided the Jaguars to the Division I-A state title, was named the Review-Journal’s Player of the Year.

“Just being able to make the other guys so much better, believing in themselves and in their team, I think that was a great strength,” Desert Pines coach Mike Uzan said of his star point guard. “Guys were willing to run through walls for each other and for the team. He just made everyone better on our team, and it made it fun.”

The 6-foot-3-inch Jacobs was joined on the all-state first team by Centennial twins Marcus and Malcolm Allen, Douglas’ Hunter Myers, Hug’s Sam Williams and Bishop Gorman’s Stephen Zimmerman.

Jacobs, who has signed with Southern California, averaged 17.1 points, 6.0 rebounds and 6.9 assists this season. But his value went beyond the numbers.

“He definitely pushed the limits for kids that thought they had limits and made them exceed them,” Uzan said.

Jacobs is a high-flying athlete capable of putting on a dunking display in the open floor. He’s a slick passer, with the ability to wow a crowd with a pass. But more important, Jacobs was a leader who knew that he needed help to win a title.

“He put a lot of trust in his teammates,” Uzan said. “And by doing that, those guys by the same token didn’t want to let him down.”

That trust was apparent in the state title game against Clark. Jacobs had the ball with less than 30 seconds left, but instead of forcing a shot, he dropped a perfect pass to Trevion Turner for the decisive basket with 21.3 seconds left.

“Just having faith in his team and having faith in the system and just everybody made guys want to step up and play harder for him,” Uzan said.

Playing hard was a Desert Pines hallmark all season. The Jaguars consistently put forth maximum effort, regardless of the opponent.

“We have an expectation level of how to play,” Uzan said. “And playing hard is something that is expected regardless of the score, regardless of the situation.”

That intensity helped Desert Pines rally from a 17-point deficit against Clark in the state title game.

Jacobs picked up two quick fouls, and the Chargers took control early.

“It was ugly when we had him on the bench in the first quarter,” Uzan said. “He got two fouls, and we were getting drug through it.”

But Jacobs scored 17 points in the second half, including 10 in the fourth quarter, to help the Jaguars rally for a 59-57 win.

Jacobs was 4-for-5 from the field in the fourth quarter. And even though he won’t be described as a pure shooter from the perimeter, he hit clutch jumpers all season.

“Julian definitely doesn’t lack any confidence,” Uzan said. “That’s what he prepared for all offseason was to be that guy and step up and hit those big shots when it was necessary.”

And as he had all season, Jacobs led in the state final by putting forth maximum effort.

“Just watching how hard he’s playing, it fuels them,” Uzan said. “We all knew what Julian was capable of doing. But to actually watch him do it and encourage others and be that leader as far as staying positive and really encouraging guys on our team when they do something well, it just meant a lot. Because they were very quick to encourage him as well.”