Jacobson, Huskers make off-season gainsJacobson, Huskers make off-season gains
Men's Basketball

Jacobson, Huskers make off-season gains

By Brian Rosenthal / Huskers.com

Anybody who’s seen the pictures comparing Michael Jacobson now to the Michael Jacobson from the summer of 2015 shouldn’t be too surprised at this news.

Jacobson, a 6-foot-9, 240-pound sophomore forward, scored the highest of any Nebraska men’s basketball player during last week’s Athletic Performance Index testing at the Hendricks Training Complex.

His overall score of 1,664 points is significantly above average and is the team’s closest to the 1,800 threshold that Boyd Epley has said is considered exceptional, or that of All-America or perhaps professional status in any sport.

The Athletic Performance Index, developed years ago by Epley, the former longtime Nebraska football strength and conditioning coach, tests student athletes in the vertical jump, agility run and 10-yard dash.

Epley's formula takes into account an athlete’s size and weight, and athletes strive to score at least 500 points in each test.

Jacobson not only did that, he turned in the fastest 10-yard dash of anyone – a time of 1.71 that beat out sophomore guard Glynn Watson Jr., who ran a 1.73.

Jacobson, who was recruited as a football tight end by some schools, also had the team’s highest standing vertical jump of 34 inches and the second-best time in the pro-agility run. Watson had an approach vertical jump (with steps) of 41 ½ inches, best on the team.

Jacobson improved his bench press from 235 pounds to 275 pounds and also did 18 reps of 185 pounds.

“He really made some great progress,” Nebraska basketball strength and conditioning coach Tim Wilson said. “For a guy who’s a pretty good-sized kid, he did pretty good.”

Returning Nebraska players were last tested in the Athletic Performance Index in April, while newcomers were tested in June. The goal is for each player to improve his overall score by at least 100 points, and Jacobson, who improved his by 122 points, was among several Huskers to accomplish that feat.

Sophomore Jack McVeigh had the biggest improvement of 159 points, and junior forward Nick Fuller, who had the third-highest overall total in Wednesday’s testing, improved by 111 points.

“He’s worked his tail off since he’s been here. Physically, he’s improved a lot,” Wilson said of Fuller.

(Sophomore forward Ed Morrow, who last tested in September of 2015 because he was injured in April, improved 165 points in one year).

Of the newcomers, junior college transfer Evan Taylor scored 1,381 overall points, second-most behind Jacobson, and had the best NBA lane pro-agility run (an additional test). Transfer James Palmer Jr., who must sit out the upcoming season, improved by 132 points, and freshman center Jordy Tshimanga improved by 116 points.

Wilson said freshman wing Jeriah Horne “probably improved as much as anybody overall,” having scored 113 points higher than he did in June. He gained 4 inches on his standing vertical, gained six pounds of muscle and dropped eight pounds of fat.

Neither freshman wing Isaiah Roby nor Louisville transfer Anton Gill, who's eligible to play, tested last week because each is recovering from injury. But Wilson said Roby has gained nine pounds of muscle while improving his bench press from 185 pounds to 235 pounds, and that Gill has put on six pounds of muscle and increased his bench from 235 to 275.

Before his injury, Roby tested with the team’s highest standing vertical of 35 inches, and “I’m sure he could climb up to 42 if he was on the run,” Wilson said.

Wilson was also impressed with the 6-foot, 174-pound Watson benching eight reps of 185 pounds.

“You think about it, that’s like 10 or 15 pounds over his body weight, or close to it,” Wilson said, “and when you you’re doing that much more than your body weight, eight times is pretty good, strength wise.”

Nebraska held its first practice on Monday, and coach Tim Miles will address the media for the first time on Wednesday afternoon.

Reach Brian at brosenthal@huskers.com or follow him on Twitter @GBRosenthal.