Former Loyola Coach Jacobs Suffers Stroke

Ron Jacobs, former basketball coach at Loyola Marymount, was listed in stable condition after suffering a stroke Sunday in the Philippines, where he is coach of the national team. Jacobs, who turns 59 today, has responded to simple commands but has not been able to open his eyes, said Rizabel Cloma-Santos, a spokesperson for St. Luke’s Medical Center in Quezon City.

“He seems to be doing pretty well,” Cloma-Santos said. Jacobs guided Loyola Marymount to an NCAA tournament berth in 1980, his only season as coach. After the season, he was forced to resign and Loyola forfeited 12 victories because of an ineligible player.

The Inglewood native coached Morningside High to the Southern Section 3-A Division title in 1974 before becoming coach at El Camino College. He has coached in the Philippines since the early 1980s and was preparing the national team for the Asian Games next year in South Korea.