Northern Iowa promotes Jacobson to coach

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CEDAR FALLS, Iowa -- Northern Iowa promoted associate coach Ben Jacobson to head coach Wednesday, replacing Greg McDermott.

UNI handed the job to Jacobson a day after McDermott became coach at Iowa State. Jacobson was offered a five-year deal, with a base salary of $150,000 plus a bonus and incentive package.

It's the first head coaching job for the 35-year-old Jacobson, who spent the last five years as the Panthers' associate coach. He followed McDermott to Cedar Falls after serving one season as an assistant at North Dakota State.

McDermott led Northern Iowa to three straight NCAA Tournaments in five seasons. The Panthers finished 23-10 this year -- the third straight season they've won at least 20 games -- and lost to Georgetown in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press

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