Eve Engler may remind people of Deerfield’s other recent freshman phenoms.
Engler certainly recalls Lexi Kerstein, Nikki Kerstein and Aubrey Galvan, who led the Warriors to fourth place in Class 3A in 2023 in the program’s first trip to the state semifinals.
Lexi Kerstein now plays at Vermont, her younger sister Nikki is a Montini senior who has signed with Missouri, and Galvan is a senior for defending Class 4A state champion Loyola and has signed with Vanderbilt.
“I would go to Deerfield games and watch them play,” Engler said. “I remember the electricity between all three of them, watching them warm up before games, hitting shot after shot and moving the ball so quickly. It was really inspiring.”
With two freshmen, two sophomores and a junior in the starting lineup, Deerfield (5-20, 0-9) is in rebuilding mode, especially in the talented Central Suburban South, but Engler has been a ray of light. The 5-foot-10 freshman guard is averaging 15.5 points, 4.7 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.2 blocks and 1.9 steals.
“Being a freshman star player on varsity requires a balance, and you need support for the challenges that come with that and accountability to ensure her development as a player and teammate can be there,” Deerfield coach Nicole Keith said. “We put a lot on her shoulders. I draw a lot from my experience coaching Nikki and Aubrey. They were special players, and now we’re adding Eve to that.”
Engler, who has started since the season opener, made 5 of 11 3-point shots and scored 22 points against Fenton in the second game of her career. She scored 21 points on seven 3-pointers against Glenbrook North on Jan. 10 and hit six 3-pointers while scoring 24 points against Lake Forest on Jan. 27.
Engler has been shooting like that all season. She has hit 101 3-pointers, a single-season program record, at a 35% clip. She said she gets up early each day for a 6 a.m. shooting session with her father.
“She’s a hands-down shooter who works at it,” Keith said. “She wants to be good at basketball and play at the next level and is doing things to put herself in a position to go there.”
Engler also played varsity golf in the fall. Her mother is a former walk-on golfer at Indiana, where she played for Sam Carmichael.
“Coach Carmichael had my mom rebuild her swing after years of inefficient form,” Engler said. “That’s a big reason why my parents wanted me to receive private coaching on my shooting form when I began to show a lot of interest in basketball. My mom said if I was going to be spending so much time practicing, it needed to be with correct form.”
Engler has impressed Deerfield forward Chloe Connell, the only senior on the roster.
“Offensively, Eve is an amazing 3-point shooter with great range,” Connell said. “She makes it seem so effortless.
“She has unreal court vision, ballhandling and passing skills, and she moves great without the ball. Defensively, Eve is quick on her feet and has great on-ball pressure.”
Deerfield junior point guard Chloe Cooper credits Engler’s dedication for her success.
“She’s one of the hardest workers I know,” Cooper said.
Engler hasn’t figured everything out yet, though.
“One of the biggest things is we are teaching her to embrace pressure and adversity,” Keith said. “It’s a learning process. You have to do the extra things to be great. You can’t coach that. You have to want it.”
Engler said she has experienced some growing pains, notably in losses to Glenbrook South and Maine South, and is making adjustments.
“It’s really pushing me to become a better player,” she said. “I’m enjoying the pressure actually. Teams have been guarding me heavily, making me run more and work harder.”
Engler believes the experience will benefit the Warriors in the long term.
“We have a young team,” she said. “We’re all getting better and learning. This season will help all of us improve. I know I have to keep pushing myself harder to be a better player.”
Bobby Narang is a freelance reporter.
