Kirkwood Community College - Cedar Rapids, Iowa

GoFundMe campaign begins for Jacobson

The GoFundMe campaign for Ben Jacobson began Tuesday with the goal of raising $10,000 to help cover his medical expenses.

Jacobson, an assistant men's basketball coach at Kirkwood Community  College, is battling Level 2 brain cancer. The tumor is inoperable due  to its location, but radiation, chemotherapy and drugs could reduce the size of the tumor over the course of time.

Jacobson, 34, was diagnosed with the brain tumor after suffering a seizure while driving home to Solon Oct. 19 and being involved in a car accident (see accompanying story).

Doctors are suggesting five weeks of radiation and a year of chemo. Treatments are scheduled to begin next week.

(CLICK HERE FOR GOFUNDME LINK)

Jacobson returned to work with the Kirkwood basketball team on Monday and was back on the bench Tuesday night when the Eagles defeated Black Hawk College at Johnson Hall.

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KCC coach Jacobson fighting brain cancer

Ben Jacobson wants to enjoy the normal pleasures in life, like seeing  his young children graduate from school and start families of their own some day. Grandchildren would be wonderful.

His professional dream is to become the head coach of an NCAA Division I men's basketball team, running his own shop after helping Kirkwood continue its winning ways as an assistant coach.

But Jacobson, 34, is facing the biggest battle of his life after being diagnosed with Level 2 brain cancer last month following a frightening car accident that could have ended his life right then.

Jacobson is determined to win this fight against a dreadful disease and the inoperable 2 1/2-inch tumor that's lodged in the frontal lobe of his brain. Doctors cannot remove the tumor because of its delicate location without serious risk of leaving him handicapped, but radiation, chemotherapy and special drugs could help reduce the tumor.

A delicate operation could leave him blind or deaf. "So that's kind of out of the question," he said.

The battle has just begun, however.

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No. 14 Eagles fall in final seconds

WEST BURLINGTON - Kourtney Ware hit a 3-pointer in the final seconds Saturday night to snap a 69-69 tie and give Southeastern Community  College a 72-69 victory over Kirkwood in a men's basketball game.

Kirkwood built a 13-point lead with 14 minutes left in the ballgame, but Southeastern rallied and made it a tight contest. The lead changed  hands several times in the final minutes before the Blackhawks snatched victory at the end.

Chris King made three 3-pointers and tossed in 27 points for Kirkwood  (4-2). Nobody else reached double figures for the Eagles. LJ Stansbury finished with eight points, seven rebounds and four assists.

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Robinson leads KCC women by Triton

Leah Robinson came off the bench to score 18 points Saturday afternoon as the top-ranked Kirkwood women's basketball team strolled by Triton College, 96-59, in the second round of the Kirkwood Classic at Johnson  Hall.

Robinson, a 6-foot-1 freshman from Evanston, Ill., hit 8 of 11 shots and also had three rebounds, three blocked shots and two assists.

Olivia Usher contributed 12 points, five assists, four rebounds and four steals for the Eagles. Awal Ajak finished with 10 points, eight  assists and five rebounds. Megan Axcell collected 11 points, four  rebounds and three assists.

Mariah Henry poured in 36 points for Triton.

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Mensen breaks loose for No. 1 Eagles

Brianna Mensen could be playing basketball for a strong Iowa Conference school like Wartburg right now, but she'd like to play for an NCAA Division I team some day.

That's why she came to Kirkwood Community College, to work on her skills and try to help the top-ranked Eagles win another NJCAA  national title.

It looks like she's headed in the right direction.

Mensen came off the bench Friday night and poured in 19 points to help  Kirkwood whack McCook, 94-36, in the opening round of the Kirkwood Classic at Johnson Hall.

Mensen, a 5-foot-11 freshman from Maquoketa Valley, scored only 15 points in Kirkwood's first five games for a modest average of 3.0  points per game, but she showed plenty of potential Friday.

"She has a chance to go Division, I think, after another year," said Kirkwood Coach Kim Muhl. "She can play three positions. And she's  going to get better.

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6 KCC baseball players heading to DI schools

Six members of the Kirkwood Community College baseball team signed national letters-of-intent with NCAA Division I schools Wednesday  during a ceremony at Johnson Hall.

Shortstop Korry Howell, who was drafted in the 19th round by the  Kansas City Royals this past June, signed with the Iowa Hawkeyes to lead the parade of Eagles to major colleges.

Howell hit .394 with six homers and 43 stolen bases for Kirkwood as a freshman. He returned to the Eagles this season despite being selected in the MLB draft.

Second baseman Cal Clark, a Cedar Rapids Prairie grad, signed with Houston Baptist University. Clark hit .294 with three homers last season for Kirkwood and committed only five errors in 47 games.

First baseman Spencer Wiskus, a sophomore from Iowa City West, and outfielder Ellison Hanna, a sophomore from the Bahamas, both signed letters with Indiana State. Wiskus, who is also a catcher, hit .279  with four homers at Kirkwood last season. Hanna hit five homers for the Eagles as a freshman.

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King nets 31 as Eagles knock on Wood

Chris King did not change any diapers for the young Kirkwood Eagles Wednesday night, but he did everything else with an impressive performance at Johnson Hall.

King poured in 31 points as the 14th-ranked Eagles topped John Wood Community College, 79-64.

King, a 6-foot point guard from Des Moines, popped in four 3-pointers, made strong drives to the basket and rescued the Eagles after a  21-point lead had shrunk to five points in the second half.

He scored 10 points during an 11-2 run as Kirkwood raised its advantage to 60-46 and took it home from there.

There are 12 new players at Kirkwood this season and it's been King's job to help Coach Bryan Petersen mold a cohesive unit.

"These guys are coming to work every day, so it's not really that hard to lead them," King remarked.

The Eagles opened a pair of 21-point leads in the first half at 35-14 and 41-20, but John Wood pulled within 49-44 early in the second half  and forced Kirkwood to call a pair of timeouts.

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Kirkwood women sail by John Wood

The top-ranked Kirkwood women's basketball team used a balanced  scoring attack to dunk John Wood, 75-36, in a junior college game at Johnson Hall Wednesday night.

Tinee'sha Coleman, a transfer from the University of Cincinnati, led the Eagles with 10 points off the bench.

Coach Kim Muhl used 14 players in the game and all of them dented the scoring column, although none of the starters reached double figures.

Tay Wilson, Megan Axcell and Leah Robinson scored nine points apiece. Olivia Usher added eight points.

Wilson also had seven assists, three rebounds and two steals for Kirkwood.

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Mayhew commits to Iowa softball

Kirkwood slugger DoniRae Mayhew has committed to the University of Iowa softball team and plans to sign a national letter-of-intent with the Hawkeyes today, Kirkwood Coach Joe Yegge said Tuesday morning.

Mayhew hit .440 with 18 home runs and 83 RBIs for Kirkwood last season  as a freshman. She also compiled a 5-0 record and 2.19 ERA in 12 appearances, mostly as a relief pitcher.

Mayhew was Kirkwood's regular first baseman in 2017 and also is a good third baseman.

"She's got tremendous power. She's athletic. She's a multiple-position  kid," said Yegge. He also praised Mayhew's dedication and commitment to the sport, including her work in the weight room.

Mayhew will become the first Kirkwood player to sign with Iowa during  Yegge's 11 years as head coach. "They've tried, but this is the first one," he said.

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