Brock Jacobson’s heart told him to keep going, but his knees told him to stop.

The Cyclone guard’s head had the final say as the junior decided to leave the men’s basketball team due to injuries.

“The day-to-day grind of being a Division I basketball player – my mind kind of told me I need to respect myself, respect my body, and it might be time to move on,” Jacobson said.

The 6-foot-2-inch, 195-pound guard from Webster City battled knee injuries for most of his career at Iowa State. After undergoing surgery on his right knee to remove scar tissue, Jacobson returned to the court this season after doctors informed him that, despite the operation, they could not prevent future pain.

“The doctor told me it was going to be tough to do at the start of the year, but I wanted to see if I could do it – see how bad it was going to be to try and play with all these knee pains and just give myself a chance to try,” he said. “I just wasn’t able to cut it.”

As a walk-on, Jacobson played in 10 games for the Cyclones this season, averaging 0.6 points per game, while pulling down a career-high three rebounds against North Dakota Jan. 5.

He said he spent the entire season playing through the pain that had eventually built up in both knees.

“I just had a hard time running, jumping and doing all the stuff that you figure a basketball player could do,” he said.

Jacobson is the second player to leave the Cyclones this off-season, giving up two years of eligibility after redshirting his first year under former Cyclone coach Wayne Morgan. Last week, sophomore forward Cory Johnson announced he was departing due to a lack of playing time. Coach Greg McDermott was unavailable for comment Sunday.

“We’re going to have some holes to fill,” said Jacobson, who graduates in May.

Despite playing through pain this season, he says he has no regrets.

“It was a very rewarding experience,” he said. “I wouldn’t trade it for the world. I had great times at Iowa State – nothing but positive things.”