Former York Catholic Star Jacob Iati Transfers To University of Albany - UAlbany Sports 2009

Following an older brother, Jon, who scorched nets and smashed scoring records at York Catholic, Jacob Iati wanted to make his own way on the basketball hardwood for the Fighting Irish.

So how did he carve his own niche? He merely became the York-Adams League's all-time leading scorer, adding a District 3-AA title along the way.
Now, with Jon's five-year career at the University at Albany over, Jacob is again faced with cementing his own legacy in a path traveled by his sibling. Jacob Iati committed to NCAA Division I Albany recently, opting to leave Division I High Point (N.C.) after head coach Bart Lundy was fired after the season.

Felt need for a change: Iati went through three weeks of spring practice with High Point's new coach, Scott Cherry. Ultimately, though, he felt a change was needed.

So what better place to head than to the program that his brother helped reach the NCAA Tournament? Even if Jacob Iati is foregoing the warm comfort of North Carolina for the never-ending winters of upstate New York.

"It's tough to play for the coach that didn't recruit you and if coach Lundy was there, I'd still be (at High Point) today," said Iati, who scored 2,388 points in his high school career and will have to sit out a season because of NCAA transfer rules. "I felt comfortable (at Albany) more than a lot of other schools. I'm still playing Division I with a coach I'm comfortable with."

That coach is Will Brown, who led the Great Danes to a 15-16 record in the 2008-09 season. Brown guided Albany to the program's first back-to-back 20-win seasons and two NCAA Tournament appearances recently.

Seeking the right fit: Jacob Iati, meanwhile, said he looked at several Division I and Division II programs in his search for a new school. He said that sitting out a season was not the deciding factor that one might imagine.

"I would've gone D-II if I saw somewhere I was really comfortable with," said Iati, who will be on a full scholarship at Albany and said he has already been accepted to the school. "(Sitting out) didn't play into my decision as much as a lot of people might think."

Iati, who will enter his sophomore year in the fall, will have to prove himself all over again, though, after earning some consistent minutes at High Point toward the end of last season.

He saw some time at point guard and shooting guard for the Panthers -- Iati was more of a scorer, slasher-type in high school -- and averaged 1.8 points and 11 minutes per game last season.

Establishing himself for a new coach and teammates, plus living in his brother's shadow again, may be a daunting task. But it's one Iati is ready for.

"I'm going to take it as a challenge, to live up to what he did with how hard he worked," Jacob Iati said of his brother. "I want to be respected (the same way) for how hard I work. That's all I can ask."

By JEFFREY A. JOHNSON