Philly U's Najah Jacobs Winding Down Impressive Hoops Career

By Matt Leon

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) --- It has been a fine season for the Division II Philadelphia University women's basketball team. After a Wednesday night win over Georgian Court, the Lady Rams sit 13-3 overall and 7-2 in the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference.

One of the biggest reasons for this success is the play of senior guard Najah Jacobs. The Central High product has been wonderful for the Lady Rams this season. After pouring in a game-high 25 points in Wednesday night's 79-51 win, she has her scoring average up to a team high 20.1 points per game.

"It's a lot of fun," Jacobs tells KYW Newsradio. "We're really excited and we just really want to win a (conference) championship so we've got a lot of work to do, but I'm positive we'll get there."

Listen to the entire interview with Najah Jacobs

Jacobs has been a key member of the Philadelphia University squad since arriving on campus as a freshman, but her game has come an awfully long way during her four years with the Lady Rams.

"I told her when she was playing for Central," Philadelphia University head coach Tom Shirley tells KYW Newsradio, "she was first-team All-Public League and did all these things, but she made right hand lay-ups. That's what she really did. I think since she's come here, with a lot of hard work by her, she has developed a really admirable jump shot. She can get to the rim with her left hand, she can shoot the ball with her left hand. I think she's really developed her game."

Listen to the entire interview with Tom Shirley

As a freshman, Jacobs averaged 7.7 ppg and her scoring average has increased every year she has been on campus. That freshman season she only attempted seven three-pointers, making two. But thanks to all that work on her jump shot, she is now a force from behind the arc, hitting 42 of 89 threes (47%) over the last two seasons. That accuracy from deep, combined with a lightning quick first step, has made her a complete player on offense. She remembers when she started to realize she was becoming a legitimate threat from the outside.

"I remember it was a Holy Family game," Jacobs says, "because I took one shot and I didn't think about it. Next shot, I shot again and I really didn't think about it and it went in and that moment I realized sometimes I've just got to shoot with confidence and not think about it. I think that was a big factor for me, shooting with confidence and not thinking about it."

Jacobs scored her 1,000th career point earlier this season and the only thing that has slowed her down as a senior has been an injury which cost her a handful of games. Once her college basketball career is completed, law school is on the agenda, but right now the focus is taking advantage of every game before her days wearing a Philadelphia University uniform are over.

"I don't even want to think about it because it went way too fast," Jacobs says. "I was just a freshman and now I'm about to graduate and I know I'm going to miss it. So I just want to take it slow, game by game, and the goal here is to win the championship."

Jacobs and the Lady Rams will return to the court on Saturday afternoon at 1:00pm on the road against Bloomfield.

You can follow Matt on Twitter @mattleonkyw.