Casey Jacobsen Teleconference

Posted: June 26, 2002

Stanford guard Casey Jacobsen spoke with reporters by phone on Wednesday night, shortly after being selected by the Suns with the 22nd pick of the 2002 NBA Draft. The following is an excerpt from that media teleconference.

Question: Are you excited about joining the Suns?

Jacobsen: I’m grateful for the fact that I get to play for a team that I want to play for. I’m not sure other guys can say that. If you would have told me to rank the teams based on opportunity, location, management and being comfortable, Phoenix would have been No. 1.

Question: Did you have a good feeling about the Suns after your workout on Memorial Day?

Jacobsen: I had a really good workout. I had 12 workouts. The workout with the Suns really stood out. They made me feel so comfortable there. While I was there I was envisioning how great it would be to play there and how I would fit on their team. They have really exciting players. They have some really nice playmakers in Stephon Marbury and Penny Hardaway. They are guys that I’m hoping I can complement.

Question: We’ve heard a lot of comparisons of your game to Dan Majerle. What do you think of that?

Jacobsen: It’s hard to talk about comparisons and it’s hard to put people in the molds of other people. That’s a tremendous complement if people are saying I could be another Dan Majerle. I watched him when I was younger. I’m a little sad that he’s going to retire as I’m about to join the Suns. I’m hoping that we can meet and I can pick his brain a little bit more because he knows a lot more than I do.

Question: How do you think your game will translate to the NBA?

Jacobsen: There’ve always been things I needed to work on, whether while I was playing in high school or college. The NBA’s a little bit more one-on-one than I’ve been accustomed to at Stanford. We played a very structured system, more half court than getting out on the fast break. But one of my complaints at Stanford was we didn’t fast break enough. I can’t wait to get out and get some open looks and run. I’m not afraid to run at all. If you gave me the choice to be on a structured or a running team, I’d probably say running. It just so happens that in high school and in college I’ve succeeded in a more structured offense than an open-court game.

Question: Were you skeptical when the NBA invited you to New York for the draft?

Jacobsen: Yes I was, because I didn’t want anything to take away from what is now the best moment of my young 21-year-old life. I didn’t want anything to tarnish it. I didn’t want to be ashamed of being there if I wasn’t picked (in the first round). I didn’t want to be in the green room if I wasn’t sure, but the NBA assured me.