By Tom Nader

Publisher and Editor

Josh Jakacki’s difficult decision was followed by an unexpected one, with neither connected to each other.

After allowing his heart to come to the realization that it was right for him and his family to step down as the Crestwood boys basketball head coach, the same position suddenly opened at Kenston, where he was the head coach from 2007-2015 and has taught at for the last 17 years.

In truth, they were two separate decisions that just happened to align at the right time for the right reasons for Jakacki.

“The direct transition was not something we were looking to do initially,” Jakacki said. “I had talked at length with my family about the idea of feeling like I was getting closer to stepping away so that I could be more present for our family and their athletic events. Even if that meant stepping down from Crestwood and not coaching at all, which was a very difficult decision. The fact that the opportunity arose at Kenston, with our daughters in school there, it was so much like the decision I made to return to Crestwood back in 2015.”

Jakacki’s career path began at Crestwood, his alma mater as a 1990 graduate, coaching from 2001-2006 before moving on for his first stint at Kenston. He ended his eight-year stint with the Bombers by winning four consecutive league championships.

His announcement to return to Crestwood came on May 20, 2015, and it was layered with many of the same family heart waves that has now pulled him back to being the leader of the Bombers.

At that time, he and his wife Alisha’s sons Mason and Trent Jakacki were preparing to age into the high-school program.

This time, the move to Kenston coincides with their daughters Calli and Lexie Jakacki.

“Calli will be a senior and Lexie will be a freshman — not missing their experiences was a huge part in both decisions,” said Jakacki, who has 323 career wins. “It allows me the opportunity to be close to them and be part of making memories with them. All of this for me was a strong family decision. Our staff invests a lot in preaching family to our teams, and I feel like I have to live that in truth, too.”

That includes bringing much of his coaching staff with him to Kenston.

Longtime best friend (of 28 years) and assistant coach Bob Lieberth will be part of the Bombers’ staff. Additionally, varsity assistant Jake Lieberth and middle-school coach Mason Jakacki will also make the transition from Crestwood to Kenston alongside Jakacki. Also part of the team’s staff will be Crestwood’s Jeff Fromwiller, along with Kenston graduates CJ Maynard and Brandon Hillman, who both were connected to Jakacki’s previous stint at Kenston. New to the staff will be Jakacki’s other son Trent, who recently completed his historic career at Hiram, finishing as a 1,000-point scorer for the Terriers.

With the Jakacki and Lieberth families all removed from the Crestwood basketball program, it will be the end of a long era that included only four seasons since 1977 that at least one of the two families was associated with the program in some coaching capacity.

In total, Jakacki and Lieberth have won seven titles together at Crestwood: 1998-99, 1999-2000, 2016-17, 2019-20, 2023-24 and 2024-25.

“To have the opportunity to share in so many seasons with Bob has been so special,” Jakacki said. “I have been really lucky, honestly. I got to coach Jake (Lieberth) at the end of his career, I got to coach my sons, my nephews (Cole and Ty Fannin) and made so many relationships with so many special players that became an extension of our family. Watching them win on the court was special, but watching them all win off the court is an entirely different level and means so much more. It has truly been a dream come true.

“And, for me, my relationship with the Crestwood players does not end here,” Jakacki added. “I am hoping that the way we coached them will still help provide them with lifelong lessons that they can rely on. This is a new chapter for me, but it doesn’t close the door at Crestwood. We live here and will stay connected to the community. We bleed red and gray.”