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Assistant coach shoots, scores in UT's off-season with the WNBA |
| By
Deanna Woolf |
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Nov 17, 2005 |
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She might seem like a mild-mannered assistant women's basketball coach, but Amber Jacobs lives a double life.
Jacobs, in her second year at UT, calls Toledo home during fall and spring semesters. But when the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) season begins in May, she's off to the "Land of 10,000 Lakes" to play point guard for the Minnesota Lynx.
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| Amber Jacobs drives past an opponent. |
The Lynx drafted Jacobs in 2004 after she led the Boston College women's basketball team to their first Big East Tournament Championship. "The whole process was crazy," she said of the draft. "My season ended in the middle of March; three weeks later was the draft. One week after that, I left for Minneapolis [where the Lynx are based]."
Jacobs still had to try out for the team, a process that lasted about two weeks. She made the cut. "At that point, I didn't care if I was the 12th person off the bench," Jacobs said with a laugh. "Just the fact that I can say I played in the WNBA."
As for the average day of a player, "the way I could describe it makes it seem simple," Jacobs said. From 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., players practice, then lift. After that, "the rest of the day is yours." WNBA players often use that free time to do a required number of public relations events, which include visiting hospitals and teaching clinics.
Game days consist of a shoot-around session in the morning and afternoon free time, with players reporting to the arena two hours before tip-off. After the game, players are free to visit family or friends in the area or unwind.
Jacobs said this contrasts with her collegiate experiences. "With college, everything was very organized, and everyone was on the same schedule. You ate meals together, for example," she explained. "In the pros, all the free time is yours — you're just able to live your life. As professional athletes, we've already built our lives with work and family."
Professional athletes spend a lot of time on the road and in the air. Jacobs and other Lynx players travel commercial. "Like everyone else, we sit in the security lines and go through screenings. It takes a toll on your body, especially with the time changes."
Jacobs's favorite place to visit has been Seattle because "they have a great crowd and a team we want to beat." She also cites San Antonio, New York City and Indianapolis as beloved travel destinations.
Jacobs said a misconception about players is that they don't get along well. "For my team, all of us get along great. We have great team chemistry. For my team, you do have some who are more stars than others, but no one's a diva. We all have our own place," she said. "It's nice to be around 11 other girls who love the game, to compete and to win."
Her WNBA experiences also have strengthened her coaching mindset. During the 2005 WNBA season especially, "it was really cool the way my mind was working on the court," she said. "I was thinking through a situation as a player and then as a coach." Jacobs said UT Head Women's Basketball Coach Mark Ehlen asks her opinion as an "expert" player as much as a coach.
Playing professionally also has given her a perspective on what college athletes need to advance to the pros — a desire to continue learning. "You see a lot of athletes who think they're 'the stuff,' a know-it-all who doesn't need any help," Jacobs said. "But those craving to learn more — those will make it to the top."
After finishing the 2005 season with an average of 3.7 points and 2.1 assists per game, Jacobs said she plans to play in the WNBA "as long as my body holds up and I make the team."
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