The senior from Bellevue Marquette was named Monday as the player of the week in the Missouri Valley Conference, a result of a dominating second-half effort in the Panthers’ 63-60 victory at Iowa State last week.
Eglseder scored 10 of his 20 points during a 4-minute stretch in the game’s final 10 minutes, complementing a 14-rebound effort.
“I missed a lot of bunnies in the first half, something that has happened a lot early this season. Coach (Ben Jacobson) told me to keep shooting, that he trusted me to get the job done,” Eglseder said.
“He told me he had all the faith in the world in me and that he would never tell me not to shoot. All he wanted me to do was play, so that’s what I did.”
Jacobson, the UNI coach, wants Eglseder to build on that effort when the Panthers host Iowa tonight.
“At times since he’s been here, he’s allowed missed shots to take him out of his game,” Jacobson said. “He cares so much and feels like he is letting the team down. In the second half, he showed what he is capable of doing when he puts his mind to it.”
Fully healthy entering the season for the first time in his collegiate career, Eglseder said he is better prepared to deal with the challenges he faces.
Some of it has to with being able to condition throughout the offseason instead of focusing on rehab, but the 280-pound post player also benefits from what he learned while attending the Pete Newell Big Man Camp in Hawaii in August.
“I really didn’t know what to expect. I went there wanting to soak up everything I could and I learned more than I ever imagined,” Eglseder said. “The competition was incredible, and I gained a lot playing against guys my size. It’s helped me already.”
Eglseder has added a couple of drop-step moves to his repertoire that he picked up at the camp, and he believes he returned with improved rebounding and defensive skills.
He leads the Missouri Valley in rebounding, averaging 9.3 per game, but considers that one area of his game that continues to evolve.
“There are a lot of balls that I am getting my hands on that I should be rebounding. My numbers are OK, but I should be getting a lot more,” Eglseder said. “I’m in the best shape of my career. I can go 30 minutes with no problems, and if I do that, I should be putting up good numbers.”
Teaming with preseason all-conference forward Adam Koch in the starting frontcourt that averages 28.3 points and 14.1 rebounds per game, Eglseder is preparing to face familiar competition.
Iowa and Northern Iowa players participate in the Prime Time League each summer, leading to a familiarity factor when the teams meet during the regular season.
“We know each other pretty well,” Eglseder said. “Iowa has some good big guys. (Jarryd) Cole, (Brennan) Cougill, they’re good players. We play with and against those guys all summer, but we all know this game is the one that matters.”
