Saskatoon, Sask. (Jan. 29, 2020 ) - The Saskatchewan Rattlers , member club of the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL), are excited to announce Chad Jacobson as the second head coach in Rattlers history. Jacobson brings a wealth of experience to the Rattlers as well as a familiar face — having served the inaugural season as an assistant coach with the organization.

Jacobson is currently the lead assistant coach with the University of Saskatchewan Huskies and has spent seven-plus years as an assistant with the program. He will remain in this role whilst taking the helm with the Rattlers.

Originally from Brandon, Man., Jacobson spent three years on the Minot State University men’s basketball team from 2001-04. Jacobson then returned back to Brandon where he played two years with the Brandon University Bobcats from 2005-07. In 2007, Jacobson was a member of the CIS (now U Sports) silver medal team. Upon graduating from Brandon University, Jacobson remained with the team as an assistant coach for the 2007-08 season. He went on to spend two years coaching the Junior Varsity Boys basketball team at his former high school before joining the Huskies men’s basketball team in 2013. Jacobson also served as the Head Coach of the U17 Saskatchewan Boys Provincial Team in 2018.

The announcement comes three weeks after Huskies head coach, Barry Rawlyk was introduced as the Rattlers general manager. The two have worked together for the last seven years with the Huskies. Jacobson and Rawlyk’s working relationship will be essential in the construction and deployment of the Rattlers 2020 roster. With the 2020 CEBL free agency beginning on Feb. 1, the tandem will be looking to bring back the core of the championship-winning 2019 team as well as exploring options to bring in new talent.

“I am thrilled to be working alongside Coach Jacobson with the Rattlers,” said Rattlers GM, Barry Rawlyk. “ I’ve been lucky to work with him over the past several years, including the championship winning season last year and I’m excited to see where his leadership takes us in 2020. Going through the hiring process and searching across the globe for a head coach, I felt it was important to have continuity in our coaching staff coming off our championship season last year. Returning players will have a familiar face on the bench and he is someone that our players greatly respected during the inaugural season. I have a great level of confidence having worked with Coach Jacobson in the past not only in his technical abilities, but also his ability to maintain a good relationship with players and build a strong team culture. Coach Jacobson has all the tools to lead this Rattlers team to another championship.”

The Rattlers enter the 2020 season as the defending CEBL Champions. They will open the season away from home on May 8 when they take on the Fraser Valley Bandits. The Rattlers home opener will take place on May 14 against the Bandits, when they will celebrate the 2019 season by unveiling the first-ever CEBL Championship banner. Season tickets are available on therattlers.ca, with group tickets, flex packs and single-game tickets expected to be released in the coming months.

-CEBL-

The Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) is a new basketball experience that features world-class professional basketball in a fan-friendly entertainment environment across seven cities in Canada. The 2019 inaugural season saw more than 100 Canadian and international players take to the court, culminating with the Saskatchewan Rattlers earning the first CEBL championship trophy. CEBL players come from NBA G-League clubs, top NCAA programs, the Canadian national program, U SPORTS and other Division 1 FIBA leagues. As the First Division Professional League partner of Canada Basketball, the CEBL is set to start its second season in May 2020. All games are live streamed on the CBC Gem app, CEBL.TV and the Island Sports Network. Head to cebl.ca or follow us on Twitter , Instagram , and Facebook to learn more.