The way Ean Chambers looked at it, he had to learn to play defense if he ever wanted to play offense.
“I used to play with my older brother (Ethan) a lot and guard him; he was a year older than me and a lot taller and I wouldn’t get the ball,” Chambers said. “So I had to play defense to get it off him.”
Thus, the Notre Dame High senior worked hard on his defensive game. He didn’t realize it at the time, but his attempts to guard his brother would make him a valuable player for the Irish years later.
“He’s the best defensive guard that we have and just an easy kid to coach,” ND coach Rich Roche said. “He’ll always guard the other team’s best scoring guard. We’ve had games where he’s been in double figures offensively, other games where he’s giving kids fits defensively.
“Council Rock North has a really good guard, Bernie Parent (the Philadelphia Flyer legend’s grandson). And Ean really gave him a hard time, following him all over the place. So we like him defensively, and we look at the scouting report and see who their top offensive guard is and say ‘OK you got him.’”
Chambers relishes the responsibility. It’s hard to find many kids who feel that way; or many adults, for that matter. But the Ewing resident embraces it.
“It’s my favorite part of the game,” he said. “Once you start with defense, the offense will likely come. Good defense gives you energy, it brings the whole team up. We focus on that at Notre Dame and it’s really fun.”
When he is given an assignment against someone like Parent, who is tearing up the Bucks County (Pa.) League in scoring, Ean doesn’t get intimidated.
“I try to think of them as just another player,” he said. “Just someone I know I can guard and I know if I do it right they’re not gonna get many points.”
The 6-foot guard feels the key to being a good defender is to remain calm, move his feet and stay in front of his man. But he admitted that most good defense is a group effort.
“It’s really not a one-person thing,” Chambers said. “It’s a team thing, and it’s good I can rely on my teammates for some help if I’m not there.”
Like most Ewing kids, Chambers began playing at Moody Park in the first grade, shooting around with his father and brother. He played CYO ball for St. Ann’s and also had a year of AAU with the New Jersey Connection.
Due to a surplus of talent on Notre Dame, Ean played for the JV team his first two years of high school. Last year was a little up and down for the junior.
“Going into the first scrimmage, he was one of the eight guys in our rotation,” Roche said. “Then we had the two-week school shutdown and we missed two weeks of practice and games. When we came back, he wasn’t the same guy so he asked if he could go down to the JV and get some reps and continue to practice with the varsity.
“Towards the end of the 12 games we got to play, he came back up and he was a little more himself and he contributed. This summer he really blossomed.”
Chambers said the trip down to JV “Just made me want to work harder.”
Over the summer he worked hard on developing both his body and a positive mindset. His strong performance in the Morrisville Summer League has carried over to this season, as witnessed by the praise he gets from teammates. Junior Stesher Mathelier, ND’s leading scorer and rebounder, marvels at Chambers’ skills and personality.
“He’s probably the best defender in the CVC, and especially on our team,” Mathelier said. “He has a lot of defensive intensity.
“He’s also a great mentor for us, very much a leader. He’s not a yelling guy, but very understanding and gives you little tips here and there. He’s a great leader during practice and is also great at communication, but he’s never too forceful.”
Roche calls Chambers “a lovable guy, he’ll do anything for you.” He’s also a guy who can score points when the opportunities present themselves. Ean was averaging a modest 6.5 points through Notre Dame’s 6-2 start, but he had double-figure outings against Lawrence and Moorestown.
“Offensively I tell him to get all of his stuff in the flow of the offense and to score on the break because he runs well,” Roche said. “He’s had a lot of fast break points because he out-runs a lot of people down the floor. He’s a capable three-point shooter, one of those guys you don’t want to leave alone. But he’s not a guy who’s gonna shoot over somebody. He also became a pretty good slasher on the break.”
The running game is something Chambers enjoys.
“I love to get out on the break and to always be the first one down the court,” he said. “And (in a halfcourt offense) I try to find an open spot and get some open shots.”
Mathelier feels his teammate can flash some offensive skills at times.
“He can shoot a little bit,” the Irish center said. “And on the court he has a high motor, he’s always the first one down when we’re doing a fast break. You just have to appreciate a guy like that.”
No one is more appreciative of Chambers than Roche.
“He never gets in trouble in school, so it’s easy to coach him,” he said. “He’s a good basketball player but it’s not the driving force behind everything he does. In my mind, he’s probably the most improved player we’ve had during all this time.
“He has a willingness to be coached and willingness to do the dirty work. He’s not afraid to dive on the floor for loose balls. He’s only 6-foot but he’s a rebounder. We have guys coming off the bench who are better offensive players, but with a guy like Ean we have someone who can do a lot of different things well.”
One of those things is the ability to be a lockdown defender, which Chambers knows is necessary.
“Oh yeah,” he said. “Every team needs one.”
And the Irish have one of the best.
Notre Dame High School senior Ean Chambers, a Ewing resident, plays tough defense for the team.(Photo by Rich Fisher.),
