Adam Eberhard (203-F-97, college: Bellarmine, agency: GoEmpire Group) is a 203cm forward playing his second professional season with Residence Walferdange (Luxembourg-Total League). This will also be his last season as he has announced he will retire after the season and join the coaching staff at Tennessee (NCAA). As a rookie he played with the MLP Academics Heidelberg (Germany-ProA) playng 28 games averaging 7.9ppg, 4.0rpg, 1.4apg, FGP: 66.7%, 3PT: 33.9%, FT: 80.5%. he began his basketball career at Francis Joseph Reitz Memorial High School and then played at Bellarmine University (NCAA2) from 2015-2019 playing 123 games. He spoke to germanhoops.com after his 46 point explosion against Amicale.

Miles Schmidt-Scheuber interviewing Adam Eberhard in 2019 during his rookie season in Germany with the MLP Academics

Adam thanks for talking to germanhoops.com Where are you at the moment and are these the best times of your basketball life with getting a job at Tennessee State and notching a triple double?

I’m currently at my coaches house just hanging out for the day. I’m definitely loving where I’m at right now in terms of basketball. I’m enjoying my final season while preparing to coach at the highest level of college basketball. The triple double was just a bonus!

After playing as a rookie I Heidelberg as a rookie, you are playing your second professional season with Residence Walferdange (Luxembourg-Total League). How have you experienced the pandemic in Luxemburg this season. What challenges did you have in a new country?

Luxembourg has handled the pandemic pretty well. There was a break for a couple months while cases went down but we were able to come back and play.

Residence is having a great season currently in first place. What kind of an experience is it playing with a team that just moved up from the second division?

It’s been an awesome experience playing with this team. We feel we have to do extra to prove ourselves but we are in the number one spot which we are happy about.

It has been said that the Luxemburg Total League is similar to the German fourth division Regionalliga. Is this league a lot better and competitive than what it is given credit for?

I don’t think the league is given enough credit. The Americans in this league are just as good as any other league and the Lux players are up and coming. I would compare it to in between Pro A and Pro B.

Your having a great season producing 19/14/3 stats . How much fun has it been playing in Luxemburg winning and just putting up amazing stats?

It’s been great to play a big role on a winning team. I didn’t play well enough to do that last year and to be able to do it again is great.

You recently put up a massive triple double of 46 points, 18 rebounds and 12 assists. Did you have any idea as the buzzer sounded that your stats were that good?

It was a crazy game. I knew that I had a lot of points and rebounds but I had no idea I had that many assists.

Did you eat something different before the game or what propelled you to really explode on the court showing your vast versatility?

I actually did eat something different from usual. I always get Linguini Scampi from my favorite restaurant but lately they have made it differently which forced me to switch to a Pizza Italia

You were averaging only 3,0apg going into the game and your most assists this season was 6. How high do you rate your 12 assists?

I’ve always loved to pass so the assists aren’t anything special to me. I have a larger scoring role on the team this year so I don’t get as many assists as usual.

You really have developed your three pointer this season. You once hit 5 three’s against Wisconsin-Parkside, but was never known really as being that high volume three point shooter. That changed this season. What has been your biggest attribute to your three pointer being much more of an option this season?

I learned quickly last year that with my limited physical abilities and weight, I would need to develop into an elite three point shooter to be successful.

You scored 46 points in a professional game in Europe. Guys scoring 40 plus points is rare anywhere in Europe. Doesn’t a performance like this give you another voice inside to continue your career?

The performance doesn’t make me second guess my decision. I’m still very happy about my coaching opportunity and now I’m very happy I was able to play a game like this before I retired.

You recently announced that you will further your basketball career as an assistant at Tennessee (NCAA) as an graduate assistant. Was this opportunity to big to continue your professional career? How tough was this decision?

For me it felt like an easy decision. I’ve always loved the tactical part of the game and it’s what I’m really good at. I feel like physically and athletically I am limited to the point where I won’t be able to move up to higher leagues in Europe, but my basketball IQ will allow me to coach at an extremely high level.

Some guys will play many years in Europe for little money before heading back to the States at age 30 and then not knowing what comes next. You played in the German Pro A and could surely have continued playing at a high level. Did you have some doubts about not earning the kind of money you would have liked to thus taking this opportunity to coach where you have a better fixed income?

My decision wasn’t about money. It was about how great of an opportunity Tennessee is and how I didn’t want to pass it up.

What are you looking forward to your new challenge with Tennessee (NCAA) and what do you know now will you miss most from strapping on the sneakers?

I’m looking forward to working with these high level athletes and teaching them the things I know about the game. Hopefully the tactical part of the game that I can teach them can help them reach the level I’ve played at or even higher.

Ending your professional career with a professional title would serve as a great ending to your professional playing career. How confident are you that Residence can be able to win it all?

Winning a championship is always the goal and I think we have a great opportunity to compete for the championship. We’ve shown through the first round of games that we can beat anybody and hopefully we can continue that.

Do you still follow your ex club MLP Academics who are competing for the title? What will you never forget from your rookie season?

I still follow MLP and root for them in their quest to reach the BBL. The experience in Heidelberg showed me what I needed to do to become successful in Europe.

Have you seen the Coming To America sequel? The reviews have been mixed. Shouldn’t they just have left the classic alone?

I haven’t seen the sequel but I would assume they should have just left the classic alone!

Thanks Adam for the chat.