Jacob Jaacks
Jacob Brian Jaacks, also known as Jacob Crane after a name change following a divorce, is a former American basketball player from Iowa. Born on April 24, 1977, in Rapid City, South Dakota, he is 6 feet 10 inches tall and played as a power forward/center.
He attended Ankeny High School for his first two years, then Cedar Rapids Jefferson High School for his senior year. He began college at the University of South Dakota but redshirted his first season. He then played at Marshalltown Community College, earning JUCO All-American honors, before finishing his college career at the University of Iowa. As a Hawkeye, he averaged 12.2 points and 7.3 rebounds per game as a senior.
Undrafted in 2000, Jaacks briefly joined the Toronto Raptors during the preseason before starting his professional career in Europe. He signed with Limoges CSP in France, helping them win the French League in 2001 and earning the league rebounding title. Over the next decade, he played for teams in France, Spain, Italy, Ukraine, Israel, Turkey and Germany, including Saint-Quentin, Lauretana Biella, Edimes Pavia, Farho Gijón Baloncesto, Snaidero Cucine Udine, Kyiv, Teramo Basket, Hapoel Afula and Telekom Baskets Bonn. He also spent time with the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA’s summer league and won the Ukrainian SuproLeague title in 2008. Jaacks retired from professional basketball in 2011 after an 11-year European career.
Now living in Iowa, he works in financial services with the 801 Group at Morgan Stanley.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 15:58 (CET).