One of Stanford's all-time greats, Casey Jacobsen, returned to The Farm last year to complete the required courses and earned his undergraduate degree in the fall of 2016. He spent his time back on campus assisting Head Coach Jerod Haase and the men's basketball program during fall practices last season. The First Team All-American, is considered one of the most dangerous outside shooters in school history. He was inducted into the Stanford Athletics Hall of Fame in 2016 and the Pac-12 Hall of Honor in 2015.
Jacobsen played three years for the Cardinal, amassing 1,723 points, which ranks fourth all-time. He was named a consensus First Team All-American as a sophomore in 2001 and second-teamer as a junior in 2002. A three-time All-Pac-10 selection, Jacobsen was co-Freshman of the Year in 2000, and a Naismith Player of the Year finalist as a sophomore. He still ranks fourth in school history in three-point field goals made (222), sixth in scoring average (18.1) and three-point field goal attempts (.427), and eighth in free throws made (407). Jacobsen averaged 21.9 points in 2001-02, third most in Stanford history, and poured in 49 points against Arizona State, second-best in program history. As a sophomore in 2000, he banked in a 13-foot game-winner with 3.6 seconds left to lift No. 3 Stanford to an 84-83 upset against No. 1 Duke in the Pete Newell Challenge. The 22nd overall pick of the Phoenix Suns in the 2002 NBA Draft, he played five seasons in the NBA, then competed in Europe, where he was the German League finals MVP in 2007 and 2010. He is now a college basketball analyst for FOX Sports and Pac-12 Networks.
Stanford Athletics: Can you explain the importance for you and your family for you to return and get your college degree?
Casey Jacobsen: It's always been a goal of mine to graduate from Stanford. Now that I have three children of my own, I talk to them all the time about the importance of an education. These conversations motivated me to return to The Farm and finish what I started in 1999. Having my daughters be there to share in my graduation ceremony last spring was an experience I will cherish forever. I hope it doesn't take my kids 17 years to get their undergraduate degree!
SA: What did you take from your experience last fall in working with the men's basketball team while taking classes?
CJ: I truly missed this place!!! I have a love for Stanford and for the basketball program that will never diminish. Participating in practice with the men's team last year just reminded me of that. It also reminded me that I'm older (36) and college basketball is a young man's game. I also learned that Reid Travis is the strongest college kid in the universe when I tried to box him out. I won't be doing that again!
SA: During your time on campus last fall, what are your observations of Jerod Haase and the program?
CJ: I respect Jerod, Jeff, Adam, Jesse, and Tom so much. Those dudes work their tails off for this program. Jerod is the right man for this rebuild. He has simple, core values that he is building his program's foundation upon. Last year's team was scrappy. They couldn't shoot from the perimeter, but they were tough. That was a reflection of him. It's going to take time for this staff and the new recruits to grow together. But it will happen.
SA: Congrats again on being inducted into the Stanford Athletics Hall of Fame. How rewarding was that for you to come back and be honored and share it with your family?
CJ: That was an honor I honestly NEVER thought would happen. The best part about the ceremony was having my daughters in the audience. They never saw me play basketball at Stanford, so it helped me prove to my kids that dad used to be "cool" once upon a time!
SA: As a broadcaster covering the Pac-12, how exciting is it for you to travel to the different schools and cover the teams while catching up with a lot of close friends in the coaching world that you have known for a long time?
CJ: I love my job as a broadcaster. It keeps me connected to the game I love. Coaches are a paranoid bunch. Ha ha. They never tell me what I really want to know. The assistant coaches are the ones you have to talk to. They have all the dirt!
Special congrats to @cjacobsen23, who after a successful professional basketball career returned to school to earn his degree. pic.twitter.com/90q3BhWHtX
— Stanford Men's Basketball (@StanfordMBB) June 22, 2017
SA: What do you miss most about your time as a student at Stanford?
CJ: The private time with my teammates in the locker room right before we come onto the floor to a packed Maples Pavilion. There's no feeling quite like it.
SA: If you had to pick one, what was your greatest memory during your time as a Cardinal?
CJ: Meeting the woman of my dreams. We won a lot of games during my time on The Farm, but my greatest victory was convincing Brittney Blunt that I was worth marrying.