Jack Eggleston is a 24 year old 203cm power forward from Noblesville, Indiana that is playing his third year as a professional for the Bayer Giants Leverkusen in the German Pro B. He played at  Pennsylvania (NCAA) from 2007-2011. He played a total of 125 NCAA games. In his senior year he played 28 games: 13.2ppg, 8.0rpg, 2.1apg, FGP: 50.4%, 3PT: 45.1%, FT: 73.5%. As a rookie  for Leverkusen he played  23 games: 14.0ppg, 6.0rpg, 2.1apg, FGP: 49.5%, 3PT: 37.1%, FT: 71.2%. Last season he played 33 games: 15.3ppg, Reb-2(11.1rpg), 3.4apg, 1.6spg, FGP: 51.2%, 3PT: 34.1%, FT: 74.7%He spoke to German Hoops after the 84-83 win at home against the MLP Academics Heidelberg.

 

 

Leverkusen, Duesseldorf, Indianapolis in only 24 hours. Did you feel like a basketball jet setter last weekend?

 

Haha jet setter might be a little strong, but I am definitely happy to the chance to come home and see my family for a bit. I was at the Pacers game. My brothers and I went nuts when lance got his triple double.

Congrats on the big 84-83 win against the MLP Academics Heidelberg. After a slow start, could this nerve wracking win be what will propel the team to have a better second half of the season?

I really hope so, Miles. Slowly but surely, we have been improving over the first half of the season. I think this win demonstrates that. But we need to continue to improve if we want to be successful in 2014.

The Bayer Giants Leverkusen won the game with a last second shot from Goetz Twiehoff. Run through that last play and what did Achim Kuczmann want to be done on that play?

We were actually out of time outs so we didn’t get a chance to sit down with coach and talk it out. We wanted to get one of our shooters free for a good look, but Goetz read the defense and made a great cut to the rim to get open.

The Bayer Giants Leverkusen had problems containing Shy Ely, but overall what do you feel was the biggest strength of the team over the full 40 minutes?

I think our biggest strength was our sustained effort throughout the whole game. We’ve had issues this year when we get down big early or fall off late. I really thought we fought hard for 40 minutes on Saturday.

How important has Goetz Twiehoff been this season? A club needs guys like him and Marc Sonnen to take some of the load off the shoulders of you and Tony Watson.

Just like last year, Götz has been huge for us. Playing center at his size in the Pro A is no easy task, but he has figured out how to be effective around the basket and give us a big lift inside.

How happy are you with your own game? After your injury, you are putting up great Pro A stats with 16,4ppg, 9,0rpg and 4,2apg. Besides winning what is your main goal in your game for the second half of the season?

I’ve played ok so far. My outside shooting is the thing that jumps out as the most obvious need for improvement in the second half of the year. I also would like to do a better job of taking care of the ball.

The Bayer Giants are 3-12 at the moment. On what things does the club need to improve on to get higher up in the standings?

Offensively we have a tendency to get stagnant for long stretches. When we get ball and body movement I think we are a tough team to guard. Defensively we need to do a better job communicating and eliminating silly mistakes.

How important was the signing of American Jake Koch? How will he help the team best and what has been your impression of him?

Hopefully Jake will give us a big lift. I think he is a very smart, skilled player who can come in and do all the little things necessary to help the team improve.

You saw the 106-79 drubbing of the Indiana Pacers against the Boston Celtics. When you watch a game like this was there anything that you could take with you that you will remember and could help you in your game?

One thing that Josh Parker and I actually incorporated last year was a little late clock action that the Indiana Pacers run. I’m always on the lookout for sets or quick actions that I like.

What was your impression of the Rajon Rondoless Boston Celtics? Where do you see them finishing this season?

The Celtics are just ok right now. Obviously without Rondo it has been a bit of a struggle. In the Eastern Conference you never know though. They could win 35 games and probably still make the playoffs.

On December 21st is always the anniversary of when basketball was invented by James Naismith. What has been the most important thing in basketball over the last 122 years that you will always remember?

Man that’s not a very easy question to answer. I think you could make the argument that widespread racial integration in the 1950s and 60s was the most socially important thing that has happened in basketball. From a gameplay standpoint though, the addition of the three point line and the shot clock were the two biggest factors in changing basketball into the game that is played today.

What present do you really want for Christmas?

I’m an easy guy to please so I’ll be very happy just to hang out with the family and relax for the next few days.

What was the last DVD movie that you saw?

I just watched Bachelorette. I love that movie.

 

Thanks Jack for the chat.