With the advent of the internet and the technological revolution in the past few decades, multitasking has become the norm in society. On the basketball court, multitasking players who can defend, dribble, pass, rebound, and score will make life easier on their coaches and garner more floor time. Exhibit 1: Jalil Eppenger of Berkeley High.
Eppenger considers himself to be a combination guard but has had to do a little of everything for an undersized Berkeley team. As a junior last year, Eppenger averaged 15.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 4.2 assists as the team went 17-9 but were unable to go the playoffs due to a previous school suspension. In his senior year, he is averaging 18 points, 5 rebounds, and 4.5 assists as the Yellowjackets are 20-4 and preparing for a playoff run.
At 6-foot-3 and 185 pounds, Eppenger has that desired height and size for a combination guard who can run 4.80 seconds in the 40-yard dash, can bench press 200 pounds, squat 185 pounds, and has a vertical of 38 inches. He is a slasher as he has a quick first step and an explosive jumping ability.
Eppenger compares himself to former North Carolina Tar Heel Wayne Ellington as he has a good mid range game and is an athletic guard. Eppenger has been playing basketball since he was 9 years old and works hard on his mid-range game, explosiveness, and footwork.
During this past summer, he played for his NorCal Supreme club team. At the Double Pump tournament in Anaheim at the end of summer, he exhibited those multitasking skills as he was fearless in going after rebounds against bigger players, comfortable running the fast break, and able to finish at the rim or with a pull up jumper.
And more recently in his senior season, Eppenger's Berkeley High team has been undersized in the interior due to injuries. As a result, junior Langston Morris-Walker and he have had to man the interior. Despite being a combination guard, Eppenger has had to be a Swiss Army Knife type of player for the Yellowjackets.
The versatility has definitely caught the attention of colleges. Cal Poly SLO, Chico State, Metro State, Nevada, Oregon State, Pennsylvania, Pepperdine, San Francisco State, Sonoma State, UC Davis, UC Irving, UC Riverside, and San Diego have been in contact with Eppenger. His preference is to be on the west coast as he would like to be close to home but not too close.
Eppenger wants to play for a winning program where he can contribute immediately. He wants the program to have strong academics as he is academically qualified. He plans to major in Business or Sports Management.
The Yellowjackets will be hungry as they return to playoff action. Expect Eppenger to pull out his Swiss Army Knife set of skills to drive these Yellowjackets. And watch for Eppenger on the next level in the fall.
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