Richard L. Jacob (born September 24, 1958, in

Niagara Falls, New York Niagara Falls is a City (New York), city in Niagara County, New York, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a total population of 48,671. It is adjacent to the Niagara River, across from the city of Niagar ...

), is an American

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

coach and educator. He is head coach of the

Buffalo eXtreme The Buffalo eXtreme are a basketball team based in Buffalo, New York. The team competes in the American Basketball Association (2000–present), American Basketball Association (ABA) as a member of the White Division of the East Region. Darren ...

of the

American Basketball Association The American Basketball Association (ABA) was a major professional basketball league that operated for nine seasons from 1967 to 1976. The upstart ABA operated in direct competition with the more established National Basketball Association thr ...

, and also

sport management Sport management is the field of business dealing with sports and recreation. Sports management involves any combination of skills that correspond with planning, organizing, directing, controlling, budgeting, leading, or evaluating of any organiz ...

consultant for

Villa Maria College Villa Maria College is a private Catholic college in Buffalo, New York, United States. It was founded in 1961 by the Felician Sisters. History The college was initially a teacher-training center for sisters in the education apostolate and wa ...

. Jacob won an NEAC championship at the collegiate level, and has been awarded Coach of the Year honors by both NEAC and

NJCAA The National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) is the governing association of community college, State college (disambiguation), state college, and junior college athletics throughout the United States. Currently the NJCAA holds 24 sepa ...

. For his work at

Medaille College Medaille University was a private university, private college in Buffalo, New York. The Sisters of St. Joseph founded Medaille in 1937, naming it after their founder, Jean Paul Médaille. It later became nonsectarian and coeducational. The colle ...

, he was named

NSCAA The United Soccer Coaches (formerly known as the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA)) is an organization of American soccer coaches founded in 1941. It is the largest soccer coaches organization in the world, with more than ...

Athletic Director of the Year. At the high school level he captured the New York State Class A championship, multiple CHSAA championships, and was awarded Centercourt Coach of the Year. Jacob was head coach of New York State's Western Region team, leading them to a

silver medal A silver medal, in sports and other similar areas involving competition, is a medal made of, or plated with, silver awarded to the second-place finisher, or runner-up, of contests or competitions such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, ...

in the

Empire State Games The Empire State Games were a set of annual Olympic-style competitions for amateur athletes from the state of New York, encompassing several divisions and allowing athletes of all ages to compete. It was a member of the National Congress of St ...

Early life

Richard L. Jacob was born on September 24, 1958, in

, son of Angeline (née Pullo) and

restaurateur A restaurateur is a person who opens and runs restaurants professionally. Although over time the term has come to describe any person who owns a restaurant, traditionally it refers to a highly skilled professional who is proficient in all aspe ...

Joseph Jacob. He graduated from

Niagara Catholic High School Niagara Catholic High School was a private, Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It i ...

in 1976, where he played basketball and was teammates with

Scott Layden Scott Layden (born 1959) is an American former general manager for the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is the son of former coach and general manager of the Jazz, Frank Layden, and a graduate of Saint Francis University in Loretto, Pe ...

. Jacob graduated from Niagara County Community College with an

associate's degree An associate degree or associate's degree is an undergraduate degree awarded after a course of post-secondary study lasting two to three years. It is a level of academic qualification above a high school diploma and below a bachelor's degree. ...

in arts and social sciences, playing for their 1977–78

men's basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

team which fell one game shy of a

perfect season A perfect season is a sports season, including any requisite playoff portion, in which a team remains and finishes undefeated and untied. The feat is extremely rare at the professional level of any team sport, but has occurred more commonly at th ...

after losing the 1978

NJCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship NJCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championships is held annually in March at the Hutchinson Sports Arena in Hutchinson, KS. The first official NJCAA National Championship was in 1948 in Springfield, MO at the Southwest State College Fieldhouse. The ...

. Jacob then graduated from

Eisenhower College Eisenhower College was a small college named after U.S. President Dwight Eisenhower, located on Cayuga Lake in Seneca Falls, New York. History Ground was broken on September 21, 1965, in a ceremony that featured President Eisenhower and his frie ...

with a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ...

psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Its subject matter includes the behavior of humans and nonhumans, both consciousness, conscious and Unconscious mind, unconscious phenomena, and mental processes such as thoughts, feel ...

, later obtaining master's degrees in educational counseling and

physical education Physical education is an academic subject taught in schools worldwide, encompassing Primary education, primary, Secondary education, secondary, and sometimes tertiary education. It is often referred to as Phys. Ed. or PE, and in the United Stat ...

Niagara University Niagara University (NU) is a private Catholic university in the Vincentian tradition in the census-designated place Niagara University, New York, in the town of Lewiston near Niagara Falls. It is run by the Congregation of the Mission and ...

and

Canisius College Canisius University is a private Jesuit university in Buffalo, New York. It was founded in 1870 by Jesuits from Germany and is named after St. Peter Canisius. Canisius offers more than 100 undergraduate majors and minors, and around 34 ma ...

, respectively. He went on to receive his

Doctor of Philosophy A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of Postgraduate education, graduate study and original resear ...

in counselor education from

University at Buffalo The State University of New York at Buffalo (commonly referred to as UB, University at Buffalo, and sometimes SUNY Buffalo) is a public university, public research university in Buffalo, New York, Buffalo and Amherst, New York, United States. ...

Coaching career

Jacob began his basketball coaching career as head coach of the

junior varsity A varsity team is the highest-level team in a sport or activity representing an educational institution. Varsity teams train to compete against each other during an athletic season or in periodic matches against rival institutions. At High school, ...

squad at La Salle High School. He began his college coaching career at

graduate assistant A graduate assistant serves in a support role at a university, usually while completing post-graduate education. The assistant typically helps professors with instructional responsibilities as teaching assistants or with academic research resp ...

coach under Pete Lonergan in 1981. He was head coach of

Daemen College Daemen University is a private university in Amherst and Brooklyn, New York, United States. Formerly Daemen College and Rosary Hill College, the now-nondenominational school was founded by the Sisters of St. Francis in 1947. As of fall 2020, ...

for their 1982–83 campaign. Jacob then served as assistant coach for

under Dan Bazzani from 1983 to 1987. Jacob returned to

as head coach in 1987, replacing Nate Bliss mid-season. He left that job to become

athletic director An athletic director (commonly "athletics director" or "AD") is an administrator at many American clubs or institutions, such as colleges and universities, as well as in larger high schools and middle schools, who oversees the work of coaches a ...

and head coach of

, where he was named

Penn-York Conference Coach of the Year for 1989–90 after leading the team to a 12–6 record. Jacob was head coach for the Western Region team of the

from 1987 to 1990, leading his 1989 squad that included

Duke University Duke University is a Private university, private research university in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present-day city of Trinity, North Carolina, Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1 ...

star

Christian Laettner Christian Donald Laettner (, ; born August 17, 1969) is an American former professional basketball player. His college career for the Duke Blue Devils men's basketball, Duke Blue Devils is widely regarded as one of the best in National Collegi ...

to a

. In 1993, he became head coach at Niagara County Community College. Jacob was hired as

in 1995, and was named 1996–97

Athletic Director of the Year after expanding their program from one sport to twelve. Jacob coached

from 1996 to 2004, with his 2003–04 team claiming the NEAC championship. He was consequently named 2003–04 NEAC Coach of the Year. Jacob served as assistant coach of

Buffalo State College The State University of New York Buffalo State University (colloquially referred to as Buffalo State University, SUNY Buffalo State, Buffalo State, or simply Buff State) is a public college, public university in Buffalo, New York. It is part of ...

under Dick Bihr during their 2004–05 season. In their inaugural season, Jacob coached the 2005–06

Buffalo Rapids The Buffalo Sharks were a basketball team based in Buffalo, New York. The team competed in the American Basketball Association (ABA) as the Buffalo Rapids in 2005–06 and as the Buffalo Silverbacks in 2006–07 before suspending operations. ...

to an

playoff berth. He left before their second season to focus on his teaching career at

. Jacob returned to the Rapids organization in 2008 (now renamed the

Buffalo Sharks The Buffalo Sharks were a basketball team based in Buffalo, New York. The team competed in the American Basketball Association (ABA) as the Buffalo Rapids in 2005–06 and as the Buffalo Silverbacks in 2006–07 before suspending operations. ...

) and coached the team to an exhibition victory over the

Italy men's national basketball team The Italy men's national basketball team () represents Italy in international basketball tournaments. They are administered by the Italian Basketball Federation (FIP). Italy has qualified for 38 EuroBasket tournaments, winning two gold medals ( ...

. After being named head coach and general manager for the

Buffalo Stampede The Buffalo Stampede were a basketball team based in Buffalo, New York. The team competed in the Premier Basketball League (PBL) for two seasons in 2009 and 2010, and in the Atlantic Coast Professional Basketball League (ACPBL) for the 2010� ...

of the

Premier Basketball League The Premier Basketball League (PBL) is an American professional men's basketball minor league that began play in January 2008. The league folded after the 2017 season. It was announced that the league would be revived under new management for t ...

, he resigned before their 2009 season began. He served as assistant coach for

Erie Community College SUNY Erie is a public community college with three campuses in western New York that serve residents in and near Erie County. It is part of the State University of New York (SUNY) system and has locations in Williamsville (North Campus), Bu ...

under Alexander Nwora from 2010 to 2017, winning consecutive

Region III championships in 2010–11 and 2011–12. Jacob was head coach of

The Park School of Buffalo The Park School of Buffalo is a private, co-educational, college preparatory school located in Amherst, New York (north of Buffalo). Founded in 1912 during the American country day school movement, the institution features lower, middle, and up ...

from 2017 to 2021, with his 2017–18 squad winning the New York State Class A championship, and consecutive CHSAA Class A titles in 2017–18 and 2018–19. He was named 2017–18 Centercourt Coach of the Year. In their inaugural season, Jacob coached the 2023–24

to an

playoff berth.

Personal life

Jacob is married to educator Rebecca Frandina and they have two children. His brother Matthew Jacob is a member of the Niagara Sports Hall of Fame. He has worked as a

special education Special education (also known as special-needs education, aided education, alternative provision, exceptional student education, special ed., SDC, and SPED) is the practice of educating students in a way that accommodates their individual di ...

counselor for

BOCES ''Boces'' is the second album by Mercury Rev, released in 1993. It was their final album with frontman David Baker, who was asked to leave shortly after the supporting tour concluded. The title is derived from the Boards of Cooperative Educati ...

and as a volunteer for the

Special Olympics Special Olympics is the world's largest sports organization for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, providing year-round training and activities to 5 million participants and Unified Sports partners in 172 countries. Special Ol ...

. Jacob is godfather to

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

player

Jordan Nwora Jordan Ifeanyi Nwora ( ; born September 9, 1998) is a Nigerian-American professional basketball player who play for Crvena zvezda of the ABA League and the EuroLeague. He played college basketball for the Louisville Cardinals. He plays internati ...

. He serves on the Board of Directors for the Jordan Nwora Foundation, a

nonprofit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...

dedicated to teaching children the game of basketball. In 2017 he authored ''

John Tavares John Tavares (born September 20, 1990) is a Canadian professional ice hockey forward (ice hockey), forward and Alternate Captain (ice hockey), alternate captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League (NHL). In the 2009 NHL ent ...

: Soul to the Goal'', a biography of the

National Lacrosse League Hall of Fame National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...

inductee.

Head coaching record

ABA

, - , style="text-align:left;",

, style="text-align:left;", 2005–06 , 28, , 11, , 17, , .392, , style="text-align:center;", 3rd in Connie Hawkins, , 2, , 1, , 1, , .500 , style="text-align:center;", Lost in

Quarterfinals A single-elimination knockout, or sudden-death tournament is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of a match-up is immediately eliminated from the tournament. Each winner will play another in the next round, until the final match-up, w ...

, - , style="text-align:left;",

, style="text-align:left;", 2023–24 , 19, , 15, , 4, , .789, , style="text-align:center;", 2nd in White, , 2, , 1, , 1, , .500 , style="text-align:center;", Lost in Division Finals , - , style="text-align:left;",

, style="text-align:left;", 2024–25 , 19, , 18, , 1, , .944, , style="text-align:center;", 1st in White, , 5, , 4, , 1, , .800 , style="text-align:center;", Lost in League Semifinals , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career: , 66, , 44, , 22, , .667, , , , 9, , 6, , 3, , .666

College

High school

Coaching tree

Assistant coaches under Jacob who became collegiate or professional head coaches * Alexander Nwora – ECC (1999–present),

Cape Verde Cape Verde or Cabo Verde, officially the Republic of Cabo Verde, is an island country and archipelagic state of West Africa in the central Atlantic Ocean, consisting of ten volcanic islands with a combined land area of about . These islands ...

(2009–2013),

Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...

(2017–2019) * Pete Lonergan – Medaille women (2003–2014) * Dick Hack – Medaille (2004–2006), SUNY Maritime (2010–2012) *

Trevor Ruffin Trevor Ruffin (born September 26, 1970) is an American former professional basketball player who played briefly in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The point guard played at the University of Hawaii from 1992 to 1994. While leading th ...

–

Buffalo Silverbacks The Buffalo Sharks were a basketball team based in Buffalo, New York. The team competed in the American Basketball Association (ABA) as the Buffalo Rapids in 2005–06 and as the Buffalo Silverbacks in 2006–07 before suspending operations. ...

(2006–2007)

References

External links

*
Villa Maria College profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jacob, Richard 1958 births 20th-century American educators 21st-century American educators American Basketball Association (2000–present) coaches Basketball coaches from New York (state) Basketball players from New York (state) Buffalo Bulls men's basketball coaches Canisius University alumni Eisenhower College alumni High school basketball coaches in New York (state) Living people Medaille University Niagara Purple Eagles men's basketball coaches Niagara University alumni Point guards Sportspeople from Niagara Falls, New York University at Buffalo alumni