Head Men’s Basketball Coach Ben Jacobson is officially king of the Valley. Following the Panthers’ 61-57 victory over the Southern Illinois Salukis on Saturday, Jacobson secured his 188th win in the Missouri Valley Conference, making him the all-time wins leader in the league. He surpassed former Oklahoma State coach Henry Iba for the title, a record that had been held for 68 years.

After the game, Jacobson was honored with a video compiling congratulations from colleagues and a commemorative ball given by Interim Athletics Director Bob Bosley. 

For Coach Jacobson, the honor didn’t sink in right away.

“That wasn’t the first thing I thought of,” he said. “What I thought about was the game — and it was a heck of a ball game — and going in and being with the guys… Once we figured out we weren’t going back there, then it started to sink in a bit.”

This is Jacobson’s 18th season with the Panthers, and he has led the team to four NCAA Tournament appearances and four NCAA Tournament wins. He is also a five-time MVC Coach of the Year.

“It’s been emotional, and it’s that way because it means so much to me, that our program is in this place,” he said. “I just love what the guys have done.”

“It’s the thing that I think about the most. The players that come here, they come here because they believe in what you’re doing… They’ve done some pretty remarkable things, so it’s cool to be a part of it,” he said.

Jacobson was also quick to thank the other coaching staff and people behind the scenes who made this achievement possible. 

“There’s some really close friends that have made this happen, and they know who they are… They’re people I talk to all the time, they’re people that love our guys and love our program, and we would not be even close to here without them.”