After five straight losses to start the Canadian Elite Basketball season the Saskatchewan Rattlers and its head coach have parted ways. In a media release from the Rattlers, it was announced that Chad Jacobson would be stepping down as head coach.
The Saskatchewan Rattlers have announced that Chad Jacobson has stepped down from his position as head coach of the club. 2021 served as Jacobson’s second year as the team’s head coach, and his third with the team, after being an assistant coach during the 2019 inaugural season.
Rattlers lead assistant coach, Conor Dow has been named as interim head coach. His experience ranges from coaching, scouting, recruiting and basketball operations. Dow joined the Rattlers after spending the past two years as an assistant coach for the Texas Legends of the NBA G League. The Legends are the G League affiliate of the Dallas Mavericks. The Needham, MA-native previously worked as a player development intern with the Mavericks before joining the Legends. Before his time with the Mavericks, Dow spent two years as the Director of Basketball Operations at Lafayette College. Dow played college basketball at Clark University, where he got his start in scouting/recruiting as a student-athlete.
“First and foremost, it needs to be said that nobody wanted this team to succeed more than Chad. Unfortunately, many factors accumulated which led to the team’s present struggles. To his credit he recognized the need for a swift path to a fresh start for the team. We want to thank Chad for his contributions and tireless work for the Rattlers”, said Rattlers general manager Barry Rawylk. “In a short period of time over the past two season, Chad has created a strong culture within the locker room which we will look forward to seeing further develop. Chad is someone who is extremely committed and driven and it is sad to see him step away. With that being said, we are very excited to welcome Conor Dow as our interim head coach. Conor has tremendous experience and knowledge from working with many elite coaches in the NCAA, G-League, and NBA. Conor is already familiar with the team as the lead assistant coach and is somebody that is extremely passionate. We look forward to seeing what he does in this role.”
The CEBL is currently in its third season in 2021 which started on June 24, 2021 following the success of this past year’s CEBL Summer Series in St. Catharines, Ont., which saw millions of viewers across Canada and around the world tune in starting July 25 to watch 26 games played over 15 days in a single-site league competition. The CEBL became the first professional sports league in Canada to return to play after the outbreak of the COVID-19 virus in mid-March shut down sports across the country. For more information on the Rattlers, visit therattlers.ca.
