Jacob Holmen

Jacob Ervin Holmen (born August 17, 1991) is an American former professional basketball player.

He played four years of college basketball for North Texas, but his time on the court was restricted due to injuries, including his senior year where he sat out the entire second half of the season after sustaining a third concussion in just over a year.

Upon turning pro, he played in Australia and Bulgaria, making a name for himself in the State Basketball League (SBL).

He averaged 17 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks per game in leading Whitehouse to the 2008 Regional semifinals.

On November 19, 2008, Holmen signed a National Letter of Intent to play college basketball for the University of North Texas.

As a senior in 2008–09, Holmen averaged 20 points and 11.5 rebounds per game in earning All-East Texas MVP honors.

A versatile athlete, Holmen also lettered in football and track at Whitehouse.

Specializing as a sprinter, Holmen took first place in District 14-4A in both the 400-meter dash and the 4x400-meter relay, and won his heat in the 400 at the Region II 4A Track Championships.

As a freshman at North Texas in 2009–10, Holmen played a career-high 31 games with eight starts, and averaged 4.8 points and 2.4 rebounds in 13.5 minutes per game.

On December 28, he hit a 15-foot jumper with three seconds remaining to lift North Texas to a 71–69 victory over Texas Southern.

He was a member of NT's Sun Belt tournament championship, which saw them move onto the 2010 NCAA tournament where they lost in the first round of the West Regional finals.

Holmen saw six minutes in the NCAA tournament game against Kansas State.

As a sophomore in 2010–11, Holmen missed the final seven games of the season after suffering a broken hand in a loss to Louisiana-Monroe on February 19.

In 26 games, he averaged 5.8 points and 3.0 rebounds in 14.7 minutes per game off the bench.

He had gradually ascended late in the season, having scored in double figures in three of his final six games and posted a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds in a loss to Louisiana-Lafayette on January 27.

As a junior in 2011–12, Holmen played 22 games and made a career-high 14 starts.

He subsequently averaged a career-high 7.0 points with 3.3 rebounds in 20.8 minutes per game.

He suffered two concussions during the season and missed 10 games.

On February 11, he scored a then career-high 20 points in an 86–81 double-overtime win over Florida Atlantic.

He was held scoreless in the first half, but scored 12 of NT's 16 points to open the second half.

In the semifinal of the 2012 Sun Belt tournament, he scored a career-high 21 points in a 76–72 win over Arkansas State.

In the final, he scored 11 points in a 74–70 loss to Western Kentucky.

He was subsequently named in the Sun Belt All-Tournament Team.

As a senior in 2012–13, Holmen appeared in just 15 games, with his final college appearance coming on January 12, 2013, against South Alabama.

He was ruled out for the rest of the season after sustaining a third concussion in just over a year.

He had seven starts in his final season and averaged 5.6 points and a career-high 3.5 rebounds in 15.7 minutes per game.

Deprived of turning pro upon graduating from North Texas, Holmen began a youth coaching career.

On December 22, 2014, Holmen signed a professional contract in Australia with the Goldfields Giants of the State Basketball League (SBL) for the 2015 season.

He joined the Giants vowing to bring a winning attitude to the struggling club.

In his professional debut, he had 22 points and six rebounds in a 114–76 loss to the Willetton Tigers.

After the Giants started the season 0–8, Holmen helped them get their first win with 43 points and 15 rebounds against the East Perth Eagles.

The Giants won 14 of their final 18 games to finish the regular season in seventh place with a 14–12 record.

They went on to defeat the second-seeded Geraldton Buccaneers 2–0 in the quarter-finals, with Holmen scoring 29 points in game one and 14 points in game two.

In game one of the semifinals, Holmen had 35 points, 15 rebounds and six assists in a 116–111 overtime loss to the South West Slammers.

The Giants went on to lose game two 100–95 despite Holmen's 26 points.

He was named the SBL MVP in 2017 and won an SBL championship in 2018, but two knee injuries in less than a year saw his playing career come to an end.

Holmen was born in Whitehouse, Texas.

He attended Whitehouse High School and played for the school's basketball team.

As a sophomore, he was named the 11-4A Newcomer of the Year.

As a junior, he was the District 11-4A Defensive Player of the Year and a First-Team All-East Texas selection by the Tyler Morning Telegraph.