Reserve forward has had a unique view from Duke’s bench this season
There is an extra coach on Duke’s bench.
Far away from Jon Scheyer and his assistant coaches sits Neal Begovich, the Blue Devils’ reserve forward who’s played 45 minutes over the past two seasons.
Begovich is part of the group that comes in for blowouts — unlikely in Saturday night’s Final Four game against Houston.
It doesn’t mean his role is finished.
From the end of Duke’s bench, Begovich constantly calls out what he sees during games. After timeout huddles break, Begovich positions himself where he can get a word or two of advice into the ears of Blue Devils returning to the court.
In Newark, N.J., last week during Duke’s win over Alabama, that meant making a point to freshman Cooper Flagg.
“He was settling for mid-range jumpers when I know Nate Oats was telling them, ‘We’ll give him those shots,’” Begovich said. “So, he’s telling me at the beginning of the game, ‘They’re giving it to me.’
“I’m like, ‘Yeah, on purpose! Because they don’t want you to get in there and play off two feet and get fouled or whatever.’”
Begovich is the oldest player on Duke’s roster, a sixth-year graduate student. He left Stanford after four years with a major in economics.
The 24-year-old is a valuable resource for Duke’s youngest player, racking up national player of the year awards this week and soon to be the No. 1 pick in June’s NBA draft.
“What’s so cool about our relationship, too, is just his humility and eagerness to learn,” Begovich said. “He’s the best player in the country, he’s going to have a phenomenal career. But whatever I say or our coaches, he always wants to get better and improve.”
After Duke’s 20-point dispatching of Alabama in the Elite Eight, and the post-game handshake, Flagg found Begovich before the celebration was full-fledged.
“The first thing he said to me was, ‘Man, we have so much more,’” Begovich said. “He’s psycho in that way. Like, who else is thinking that? Before we even got the hats and stuff, that’s what he was saying to me.”
If all of this gels into thinking Begovich is headed for a future in coaching, think again.
This weekend is likely Begovich’s last on a bench in any capacity. He wants to be in basketball, but straying toward a front office role — reminder, he has an economic degree — following this season.
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