HOME COURT: Princeton University senior Jacob Eisenberg, far left, enjoys the moment after coaching the Baldino & Brothers to a 43-33 win over University Orthopedic Associates in the championship game in the 6th/7th grade boys’ division of the Dillon Youth Basketball League along with classmate Shaun Stojak. Eisenberg, a Princeton native, played in the Dillon League from 2003-2008 before starring in soccer and baseball at Princeton Day School.

For Jacob Eisenberg, playing in the Dillon Youth Basketball league from 2003-2008 left him with a slew of pleasant memories.

“I started whenever the youngest age is, I think it is 4th grade, and I played through eighth grade,” said Eisenberg, reflecting on the program that is a partnership between Princeton University and the Princeton Recreation Department, open to local boys and girls from grades 4-9 with University students serving as coaches.

“I loved it a lot because you knew everyone you were playing against, they were all local kids but at the same time, it was a different environment than the more competitive leagues you might be playing in. It was just a lot of fun. Having college students coaching was great, they seemed old and mature. I remember when I finished playing thinking that was a great part of my life for four or five years but you have got to move on.”

After moving on to Princeton Day School, where he starred in soccer and baseball during his high school career, Eisenberg stayed home for college, heading across town to Princeton University.

By his sophomore year, Eisenberg was back in the fray at Dillon, coaching a team in the 6th-7th grade boys’ division.

“Having the opportunity to do that again from a coaching side was
awesome,” said Eisenberg.

Eisenberg ended up coaching the last three years and helped make the 6th-7th grade division into a friendly rivalry.

“It was great because I got some of my other friends to coach in the same age division; I have done the 6th-7th division all three years,” said Eisenberg, whose classmate, Shaun Stojak, was his co-coach.

“This past year, there were six teams in the division and four of them were coached by me or one of my really good friends. It was a lot of fun to practice with them and coach against them.”

Drawing on his experience in the league, Eisenberg focused on making things fun for his players.

“I think the biggest thing is that when I was a kid, I had a great time and I cared a lot about it and I tried to bring similar enthusiasm to it,” said Eisenberg, who wore a suit to each game, emulating one of the student coaches he had had when he was playing.

“I tried to make sure that everyone is playing and everyone is having fun and hopefully try to teach them something.”

Enjoying a great finish, Eisenberg helped lead the Baldino & Brothers team to the title this season, his first Dillon crown as a player or coach.

“It was really good to finally get that,” said Eisenberg. “I knew in the first practice this year, having coached for a few years, that we definitely had a chance looking at the kids. We had a good group. We had some taller kids and some quick kids who could handle the ball pretty well. They all wanted to be there. It was nice to come full circle and go out on that note.”

As Eisenberg goes into the real world, he will miss his days at Dillon. “It is hard to think of a more pure form of sports than a league like Dillon, it is so local, everyone is there to have fun and maybe learn a few things,” said Eisenberg, an Operations Research and Financial Engineering (ORFE) major who will be working at a consulting firm in Washington D.C. doing data analytics.

“Dillon is an unbelievable league. It is great for the town and everyone involved in it deserves a lot of credit. It is run really well. It serves a really important purpose for the community. I wish I could keep doing it honestly.”