ROCKFORD, Ill. – [RU News Release] — Rockford University head athletic director Jess Stanek has announced that Aaron Jacobs will be leading the men’s basketball program as its new head coach.
“I’m excited to welcome Aaron Jacobs to our staff as our next head men’s basketball coach,” Stanek said. “His Division III experience, work ethic and Rockford ties set him apart during the interview process. Aaron is ready to take over and lead his own program. We feel confident that his hard work and dedication will translate into continued success in the men’s basketball program.”
Jacobs arrives at Rockford after serving as head assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at North Park University, where he helped guide one of the most successful stretches in program history. North Park opened conference play 4-0 for the first time since the 1982-83 season and secured back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since 2016-17. The Vikings also earned consecutive CCIW Tournament appearances for the first time in program history and hosted a conference tournament game for the first time.
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During his tenure, Jacobs helped lead North Park to consecutive top-four finishes in the CCIW for the first time since the early 1990s. He played a key role in player development, mentoring four all-conference selections, a preseason All-American, and a professional player overseas. The program also set multiple records, including most three-pointers made in a season (246), most points in a game (138) and most assists in a game (39), while recording a conference-best 68 percent shooting performance in a single game.
Prior to North Park, Jacobs served as an assistant coach at Wabash College from 2022-24, helping the program capture back-to-back conference championships, post consecutive 20-win seasons and earn NCAA Tournament berths in both seasons. The Little Giants developed two conference players of the year and five all-conference selections during his tenure, while also producing the eighth-leading scorer in program history with 1,525 career points. Wabash led the conference in field goal percentage, assist-to-turnover ratio, and three-pointers made per game, while ranking third nationally in fewest turnovers per game (9.1). The team also recorded the highest GPA in program history (3.40).
Jacobs began his collegiate coaching career at Wisconsin Lutheran College during the 2021-22 season, helping the program reach its third consecutive conference tournament appearance. The team developed two all-conference players and ranked 21st nationally in turnover margin, while leading the conference in scoring margin, offensive rebounds per game, and turnover margin.
As a student-athlete, Jacobs competed at Holy Family College from 2017-20, where he was an athletic scholarship recipient and earned the Laker Award for outstanding character and leadership. He helped lead the program to the best record in school history and its first national tournament appearance in 2020. He later attended Lakeland University, earning a bachelor’s degree in business administration while serving as a student-athlete and SAAC member.
Jacobs is currently pursuing a Master of Science in leadership from Waldorf University, with an expected completion date of August 2026.
“I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity to serve as the next head men’s basketball coach at Rockford University, and I want to thank Jess Stanek for trusting me to lead this program forward,” Jacobs said. “My wife and I are thrilled to be back home and part of the Rockford community. Our program will look to compete in the classroom, in the community and on the court. Go Regents!”