« Men’s Basketball 2013-14

Jakob Gollon

School
Mercer
Position
Forward
Major
Educational Leadership - Graduate
PPG
7.2
RPG
4.7
APG
2.9

Classroom

Gollon is currently pursuing a graduate degree in educational leadership and holds a 3.888 GPA.  In his first two years at Mercer, Gollon was injured and received medical hardships from the NCAA.  He was granted a sixth-year waiver, therefore the 2013-14 season will be his final year of eligibility.  During that time, he’s completed his bachelor’s coursework in communications and will complete his master’s degree in December.  He’ll start PhD coursework for a degree in Educational Leadership in the spring semester.  As a part of his graduate coursework, he’s teaching an educational leadership class to undergraduates, focusing on the importance of finding a way to use your role in the community to impact the lives of others. Last year, he was a Capital One Academic All-District IV first team selection and also named to the Atlantic Sun Academic All-Conference team.  In each collegiate season, Gollon has been named to the A-Sun academic honor roll for maintaining a GPA of 3.0 or above.

Character

Gollon is part of a seven-member senior class, but has been the team’s unquestioned leader for three years.  Despite being sidelined in his first two seasons, he’s maintained the work ethic and determination to get back on the court.  He’s battled through an injury-plagued start to his career and become one of the team’s most consistent players, starting 74 straight games.  He’s also become the unofficial spokesperson for the team, eagerly grabbing the microphone whenever the team gets the opportunity to speak in front of a crowd.  Opportunities like this include yearly homecoming events and the numerous greeting parties organized by the student body during the team’s run to the 2012 CollegeInsider.com Tournament Championship and to the round of 16 in the 2013 National Invitation Tournament.  He’s also taken his public speaking to the Lion’s Club, where he’s been a keynote speaker.
In what little free time he allows himself, Gollon writes a column entitled “Gollon’s Journal” for his hometown paper, the Stevens Point Journal (Wisconsin).  The column details the daily life of a student-athlete from an inside perspective.  The idea behind the series is to provide insight about the benefits of sports and encourage young people in his home community to get involved in extracurricular activities.

Community

Gollon was a member of the 2012-13 Allstate Good Works team and recognized in an on-court ceremony during the Final Four in Atlanta.  His inclusion on the Good Works team was a celebration of numerous community outreach projects he’s pioneered.  As one of the most recognizable student-athletes at Mercer University, Gollon has used the pedestal of collegiate athletics to change the lives of countless others.  He’s been a part of numerous community service initiatives, becoming a welcome face in the local school system and the community.  With young students, Gollon jumps at the opportunity to participate in reading marathons - and with older students, he’s visited several classes to speak about the importance of test prepping.  In the community, Gollon is an active member of Rebuilding Macon, a foundation created to help rehabilitate the houses of low-income and elderly homeowners.  In similar efforts, he’s taken part in Macon Impact, a yearly community service drive that focuses on rebuilding the Macon community while also organizing food and blood drives.  He’s also partnered with Pastor James Moore, who mentors a group of children by offering friendship and helping with education.
  This past summer, Gollon partnered with teammate Kevin Canevari to host a leadership camp for local youths on campus.  Gollon arranged meals and housing for adolescents who visited the Macon campus for a few days.  During their stay, the attendees were treated to guest speakers, campus tours and team building activities – all arranged and secured by Gollon.

Competition

While balancing all of these endeavors, Gollon still manages to play a standout role on the court.  He’s started the last 92 games for the team and helped the Bears to a 64-28 record during that stretch.  He was a key contributor to the program’s first outright claim to the Atlantic Sun regular season championship in 2012-13, and the Bears are once again atop the league standings in 2013-14.  In the past two years, Gollon has led the team deep into March with the CollegeInsider.com Tournament Championship in 2012 and advancement to the National Invitation Tournament Round of 16 last year.  He’s also helped solidify Mercer as a giant killer, with wins over Ole Miss, Seton Hall, Tennessee, Alabama, Florida state and Georgia Tech in the last three seasons.  Prior to last season, he was named a Preseason All-Atlantic Sun Conference selection and captain of the team after finishing his junior year ranked among the top-11 A-Sun players in rebounds per game, assists per game, steals per game and assist-to-turnover ratio.  Last year, he led the team in rebounding and scored 10 or more 18 times, including 10 points, six rebounds, four assists, a steal and a block in the team’s win at Alabama (12/22/12).  This season, Gollon scored his 1,000th point and also registered a career-high scoring effort with 37 points against Valparaiso.