John Jakus' basketball coaching path to Florida Atlantic was paved by son's autism diagnosis

John Jakus’ basketball coaching path to Florida Atlantic was paved by son’s autism diagnosis

Posted by Admin November 1, 2024 Basketball

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BOCA RATON — The diagnosis was painful and perhaps, at first, overwhelming.

But John and Sara Jakus knew their lives, their focus, was about to drastically change.

Forever.

The couple was living in Macedonia, a region of Southeast Europe. John’s mission at that time was to combine his faith with coaching basketball, which he was accomplishing by joining the staff of Athletes in Action, a sports ministry. His ambition was to coach overseas.

“I kind of was taught from them what it meant to use basketball to change people’s lives and not just make it transactional,” John said. “Instead, you make it transformational.”

But all of that was put on hold when in 2011 their middle child, Cal, was diagnosed with autism. Cal was 3, and was not speaking. The Jakuses were told he may never talk.

“Who he was at 12 was probably who would be long term,” they were told.

That day started a long journey that John and Sara believe led him where he is today, head basketball coach at Florida Atlantic University.

“I just remember feeling like we were on a time clock. So we had to make a change,” John said recently following practice as the Owls prepare for their season opener, and his first game as a college head coach, Monday against Indiana State in Dayton, Ohio. That game is part of the Athletes in Action Total Athlete Tip-Off.

The family packed for a move back to the U.S. and started a journey that would focus on Cal first, and then John’s coaching career. John and Sara have two other children, son Brady, 19, a freshman at the University of Arkansas; and 12-year-old daughter Harper. Cal is 16.

“There was a plan the whole time,” John said.

Cal becomes family’s priority

The signs were there but John and Sara were not sure if Cal’s behavior was a red flag or perhaps a result of the move overseas.

Others, mostly family members, had noticed the behavior earlier. But when Cal started talking that was no longer a worry. But then he stopped. He was regressing, and John and Sara became more concerned.

“I can vividly remember he started sitting in the corner and staring at the wall and then not engaging other people or other kids,” John, 49, said. “That’s when we went from, ‘OK, maybe he’s a late talker,’ to ‘there’s probably something more going on here.’ “

Sara flew back to the U.S. with Cal for appointments in Cincinnati, where the family lived before moving to Europe.

That autism diagnosis was a jolt and their journey was set on another path.

“Probably the most painful experience I have ever walked through with any of my kids,” Sara said. “Even though it’s been hard, and it’s not a journey I would ever wish on anyone to walk, I think God has used … one of the most painful things in our lives to give us some of the most amazing blessing in our lives.”

Specifically: “I don’t think John would be the head coach at FAU if Cal didn’t have autism.”

With a son who had to learn to speak and living in a country where English is a second language, the family moved back the U.S.

John took a year sabbatical from coaching.

That year, he said, was long. He had never been fired, but he said having to leave coaching almost felt that way.

Long, yes. Even difficult. But Sara knows John would never say it was a hardship on him.

“He would look at it that we shifted gears or moved in a different direction or stayed somewhere a little bit longer because it wasn’t going to be the right thing for our family at that time,” she said.

The Jakuses stayed with family and friends before settling in Orlando, headquarters for Campus Crusade (Cru), a Christian organization that helps people in transition.

They found therapy for Cal, attended sessions and meetings; and, of course, purchased Disney World passes. “We just did the best we could,” John said.

At 37, John Jakus becomes Baylor graduate assistant

While playing in a tournament in Macedonia, Jakus met Tim Maloney, the director of basketball operations at Baylor University. Maloney also coached six years under Billy Donovan at Florida. Years later, when Maloney learned of Jakus’ situation, he informed Baylor coach Scott Drew.

To land in Waco, Texas, would be the best of both worlds for Jakus. Baylor is home to a highly regarded Autism Resource Clinic so Cal could receive exceptional treatment. And he could return to coaching at the highest collegiate level, even if that meant as a 37-year-old graduate assistant.

Drew knew with Jakus’ experience he would be an invaluable addition to the staff. He offered him the position, and asked him to stay at least two years.

“That was the best decision,” Jakus said. “It gave (Sara) a home. It gave Cal therapy. Sara felt supported in that role for maybe the first time. And it gave her two years of peace of mind.”

John and Sara saw limited progress with Cal at the start. Cal’s tics — repetitive movements and sounds, a common symptom of autism spectrum disorder — were improving but he still was not talking. Now they realize that treatment led to a foundation of growth that was apparent in future years.

Jakus likes to say he was “carrying Scott Drew’s bags.” But, of course, he was much more to Drew than a typical grad assistant.

And getting back in coaching as a grad assistant led to a fulltime job with Mark Few at Gonzaga, thanks to a phone call made by Grant McCasland, then a Baylor assistant and now the head coach at Texas Tech.

Jakus was named Gonzaga’s director of basketball operations in 2014. He held that position for three seasons.

“I felt like what I cared about overseas I could get at Gonzaga,” Jakus said. “A third of the team was International. Cal could get what he needed, and I could still have the stuff I love as a part of my life.”

That job led to a return to Baylor, eventually being promoted to associate head coach.

John has said that Drew and Baylor saved his career, and Few and Gonzaga gave him a career.

In 2017, Jakus was part of the Gonzaga staff that reached the Final Four, losing to North Carolina in the championship game. Four years later, he was helping cut down the net after Baylor won the national title.

The school the Bears defeated in the championship game … Gonzaga.

Both coaches, Drew and Few, are a big reason Jakus is in South Florida and hoping to duplicate what Dusty May did at FAU in 2023, when he led the Owls to their first Final Four appearance. May left for Michigan in March, opening up the spot for Jakus.

Jakus says he could not have worked for two better mentors. One of those mentors said FAU Athletic Director Brian White could not have made a better choice to lead the program.

“The great thing is as good as a coach he is, he’s even a better person,” Drew told The Palm Beach Post when Jakus was hired at FAU. “He’s tremendous with relationships, players love him. They play extremely hard for him. He really has no weaknesses. He can coach offense, coach defense. He can recruit. He can mentor.

“There’s a reason we were so successful, Gonzaga was so successful. He was a big part of it in both places.”

Cal making progress ‘none of us saw coming’

Cal attends Boca Raton High School, where he is in the Exceptional Student Education program. He started talking at 5, and has made significant progress in the last few years that John says, “none of us saw coming.”

“I remember when he turned 12, 13, I thought, ‘Man, this is kind of who he is,’ ” John said. “I give my wife most of the credit, just not giving up, continuing to fight, find the right therapy and help. I mean, he’s really, really changed and grown recently.”

Sara believes Cal has benefitted greatly from interaction with others, especially family.

“Being around family the last seven years in Texas was really life-giving for my kids,” she said. “When you have people who are comfortable with you, and spend time with you, and encourage you, I think that plays into (Cal’s progress) as well.”

John and Sara live in Boca Raton, but briefly considered buying somewhere mid-county so Cal could attend therapy at Ernie Els’ autism center in Jupiter, the world renowned center for therapy, research and innovation created by the Hall of Fame golfer and his wife, Liezl.

But the decision was to settle close to FAU.

“We made all our decisions based on him,” John said. “Going to Baylor was him. Going to Gonzaga was him. Coming back to Baylor was him. And even (coming to FAU).

“We could have taken other jobs. I’ve had NBA offers, other interviews. We took this one because we felt like in this place we could take care of him.”

Tom D’Angelo is a senior sports columnist and reporter for The Palm Beach Post. He can be reached at tdangelo@pbpost.com.