When Eric Eberz (‘96) touched down at the Philadelphia International Airport for his Villanova basketball recruitment visit, an assistant coach picked him up.
It was Jay Wright, a little-known name at the time.
“With Rollie [Massimino] recruiting me, Jay was one of the lower assistants,” Eberz said. “So, he’s the one who drove me through campus, showed me around and stuff.”
Eberz, 51, is a former Villanova basketball player who was a part of two NCAA Tournament appearances. Originally from Buffalo, NY, he graduated from Villanova in 1996 and headed overseas to continue his basketball career professionally. He currently helps operate family businesses: Sam’s Brick Oven Pizza and multiple JD McGillicuddy’s.
His professional basketball career kicked off in France for about a month before the Korean Basketball League (KBL) was created. Eberz decided he wanted a part of the newly created league and headed to South Korea.
“So it ended up being like a blessing in disguise,” Eberz said. “It was great. It was NBA rules. And it really took off. I was over there for the whole time. And it was neat because one of the teams had played for LG, which is obviously a huge company now. But, you know, we would go to Australia for the preseason for a month. And it was just neat. The people over there were great.”
He last played for the Korean Tender Busan.
When Eberz returned to the United States, he decided to settle down near his alma mater. That was because his wife, former Villanova basketball standout Michele (Thornton) Eberz, grew up in Havertown, PA.
Since then, Eberz has been managing the businesses created by his father-in-law, Thomas Thornton, who is an entrepreneur. JD McGillicuddy’s opened its first location in 1994 in Ardmore, PA.
“One of [Thomas Thornton’s] friends back in the day was, like, ‘You have all these restaurants, and you never named them after me,’” Eberz said. “So his name was John D. McDonald, and then his nickname was McGillicuddy. That’s how it all started. And that’s how it just kind of took off.”
McDonald passed away in March 2001, but his namesake restaurant still lives on across the Philadelphia Tri-State Area.
JD McGuillicuddy’s has operated restaurants in Havertown, Upper Darby, Essington, North Wildwood and Manayunk throughout the last 30 years.
“We do all the catering lunches for 10 or 11 grammar schools around the area,” Eberz said. “So, we do those lunches Monday through Friday every day, which keeps us busy, and it’s great.”
Villanova women’s basketball head coach Denise Dillon also calls Eberz to put in catering orders. Dillon will soon be the head coach of Eberz’s daughter, Alexis. In June, Alexis, a current senior at Archbishop John Carroll High School, verbally committed to Villanova.
“We were ecstatic,” Eberz said, of his daughter’s college choice. “It’s cool to keep the tradition going. I was even joking around with Alexis [and my wife] that now you guys can come together to the alumni reunion games. The biggest thing is getting a good education.”
A passion for basketball runs in the Eberz family. Alexis currently plays alongside her sisters, Kelsey and Kayla, at Archbishop Carroll.
Eberz’s ties to the present era of Villanova basketball do not end with his daughter. During his playing days, Eberz faced off against Villanova men’s basketball head coach Kevin Willard and his father, Ralph Willard, Pitt’s head coach, while he played at the University of Pittsburgh.
“I remember the battle you used to have against Pitt,” Eberz said. “In that old field house at Pitt, and the games we had. It’s just funny when they started talking about how Kevin Willard should be the coach. It’s like a full circle again.”
