UMBC men’s basketball sophomore Riley Jacobs recently chatted with PressBox about last season’s America East championship, taking on a leadership role this season and more. The 6-foot-10, 220-pound forward averaged 4.3 points and 3.8 assists per game for the Retrievers in 2025-26. Jacobs is a native of Woodbridge, Va., and graduate of St. Stephen’s & St. Agnes.
PressBox: How did you first become interested in basketball?
Riley Jacobs: I became interested in basketball from watching my older brother, [Darrell], when I was young. I used to have to go to all of his tournaments. When I came of age, I really wanted to play basketball.
PB: Who was the biggest influence on your game growing up?
RJ: The biggest influence on my game growing up is honestly LeBron James. He was probably the first basketball player I watched in the NBA. Another influence is my older brother, but he’d watch [James], too. He’s always been my favorite player.
PB: Why did you choose to go to UMBC?
RJ: I chose UMBC because the coaches were all-in on me. Throughout the recruitment process, they pursued me hard. They told me they wanted me. They actually showed it, too. They didn’t just say it. I also appreciated how close it was to home. It’s about an hour and 15 minute drive to home, never too far away from family if I ever need to go home. My family can always come up to games if they want to.
PB: When you know that last season had a chance to be special?
RJ: I don’t want to say I knew early because it was my first season. I didn’t know what a championship college team looked like, but I want to say I definitely knew around the October-November mark when we actually started playing [games]. You could see it in practice, but it didn’t really make sense until I saw it against another team and how dominant we [could be].
PB: What was it like to be part of a 12-game winning streak late in the season?
RJ: Honestly, it was surreal. Teams were kind of afraid of us. We won 12 straight. There were three games going into the playoffs where all of them were 20-[plus]-point wins. That was the most dominant team I’ve ever played for. It was just night-in, night-out not even thinking about a loss. It was like losing wasn’t a thing.
PB: How cool was the America East championship game against Vermont?
RJ: It was probably a top-three experience in my life thus far. The whole bottom section of the arena was packed out. People were all the way up top, too. The gym was loud. I can admit I was a little nervous going into the game — nervous throughout the game, to be honest.
PB: How did you grow as a player last year?
RJ: I definitely got a lot stronger. I had to put on weight and [gain] strength to compete with the older guys. I definitely feel like I’ve taken that jump. I’ve put on about 20 pounds since I’ve been on campus. Definitely the mental side of the game, I feel like the game has slowed down a lot for me now.
PB: Why did you choose to stick around with head coach Jim Ferry this offseason?
RJ: I chose to stick around because I really believe in Coach Ferry. I know he believes in me, too. I feel like the loyalty that’s shown [by] sticking around is not too apparent that much in college basketball anymore. I went to two different high schools. I started at a public school and then transferred to a private school, and I stayed there the rest of my high school career. I played for the same AAU team my whole high school career, so I’m really big on being somewhere that’s comfortable instead of chasing something better.
PB: With so many new players on this year’s team, do you take on a leadership role as a returner?
RJ: My coach is asking me to take a huge step in leadership just because I was one of the returners that played on last year’s championship team, so I know what it looks like. I know what it feels like to play with it. They just lean on me every day on the court, off the court.
PB: How can you take a step forward in your game this year?
RJ: I feel that I just need to keep working on my own skill set and then just keep affecting the game in ways other than scoring, whether that’s rebounding, defense, facilitating, anything I have to do to help our team win.
PB: What’s your favorite thing about UMBC?
RJ: I like our on-campus food options. We have a lot of options. It’s very diverse in food. You can get whatever you want, to be honest.
PB: Who’s your best friend on the team and what’s a story that underscores your friendship?
RJ: My best friend on the team is Devin Ceaser. I don’t have a direct story, but I do have a little background knowledge between me and Devin. We went to the same high school, but he graduated before I transferred in. I always knew who Devin was, but I didn’t know him personally until I committed to UMBC and then he transferred here, so we ended up meeting here.
PB: What advice would you give to younger players looking to play in college?
RJ: I would say to not overlook anything. If you want to get to a certain level but you only have opportunities to play at lower levels, then don’t overlook that because you never know where that could take you.
PB: What are your goals for after basketball, whenever it ends?
RJ: I want to pursue a job through finance because I’m majoring in financial economics, but at the moment I’m looking at accounting, something in that area.
Photo Credit: UMBC Athletic Communications
Issue 301: October / November 2026
Originally published Oct. 14, 2026