Walter Eberz

Shooting Guard

Offensive Game:

Walt's game is a game of deception, driving, and hitting open shots.  He moves with a purpose, and plays a very complementary game;  he's not the "go-to" scorer, but teaming him with a go-to scorer makes the go-to scorer more productive.  His outside shot is somewhat streaky, but should be respected.  His preferred spot is along an angle toward the wing;  that's the shot you absolutely cannot give him.

On his cuts, he can be forced into difficult, athletic finishes at odd angles, which he struggles with.  He's not going to beat you with sheer speed, or athleticism, but with precision and method.  Finally, Walt isn't a big guy, and is going to have a few of his interior looks turned back by a good shot-blocker.

He's a capable, although not masterful, passer, and is willing to take the time to set things up and get a good shot.  He'll take a questionable shot every once in a while, but not often.  Expect him to set his game up off of a teammate.

 Defensive Game:

Defensively, Walt can best be described as an alert pest.  He's not going to turn in big numbers in terms of steals or blocks, but his man isn't going to have an easy time, either.  If you're very, very big, or very, very fast, he's going to go down, but he's not going to go down easily.  On a drive, he'll use his body and move you in your drive, but he's generally not going to be in a position to take a charge.

Walt is more liable to break up a play and force a reset - e.g. knock the ball out of bounds, etc. - than he is to turn a defensive stand into an offensive possession.

The Mental Game:

Expect a team-oriented, subtle approach from Walt.  He knows his game, and he plays his game, and you're not going to take him out of his game.  But in a critical situation, he's not going to be the take-charge type to stop the bleeding either, although his approach might make you think he'd be the perfect person to do that.

He'll stick to his role, and can patiently watch a team cough up a lead without losing his calm, cool demeanor.  A late-in-game play, to Walt, is pretty much no different than an early-in-game play, and you can expect him to make the same play.  However, you're not going to see him "ramp up" in response to tighter, more aggressive and competitive defense down the stretch, meaning that as the game gets tight, limits of his skills become more obvious.

Walt's game is loaded with intangibles, and his consistent approach puts him in the ultimate state-of-mind and place to use them.

At his best:

...he's a critical glue-type player who can contribute in small but significant ways to a team's offensive game with scoring and ball-movement, and a team's defensive game by breaking up plays.

At his worst:

...he'll either try to do too much as a scorer or in making athletic plays, and take himself out of his game - or he'll get ignored entirely because of his quiet on-court nature.

Strategy for playing with him:

I adore Walt's game.  He's my current favorite target.

If you want to play successfully with Walt, there's one thing that you MUST do:  give Walt touches.  When Walt has the ball, he's not going to do anything utterly stupid, although he'll have a turnover here and there, especially on post-entry passes.  But to play with Walt and use him successfully, you've got to involve Walt - and sometimes, it's easy to overlook him.

Strategy for playing against him:

Keeping Walt out of the game is reasonably easy;  just don't allow him touches.  A lot of the time, his teammates may do this for you.  If he gets touches, use high pressure, threaten the shot-block, and try to get him in a one-on-one game.  Under high pressure is when he'll make the most damaging of turnovers.  Also, if you can get him to stand along the perimeter, a big part of your job has been done.

You'll be tempted to sneak away from him and play help defense on the lane.  If his team is ignoring him, you can get away with this just a bit.  But you have to be ready to recover, because once he gets going, he's more likely to be noticed by his teammates.  Don't let him get going on outside shots;  make him drive into the teeth of the defense - especially towards the shot-blockers.

Comparable Pro:  Matt Harpring

Last updated:  November 12, 2008