Senior Begley matures with Quakers

He almost didn't come here -- few thought that he would and even fewer thought this was the "right" place. He was touted as the best player Penn men's basketball had recruited in years. He was supposed to be one of the greatest to ever put on a Quakers uniform.

Despite the hype, Tim Begley arrived at campus for the first day of New Student Orientation, just like the rest of his peers. And like them, he had no idea what to expect, especially as far as basketball was concerned. He had been in Hawaii just two days earlier soaking up the rays and splashing in the water. Now, he was preparing for classes and beginning his first workouts with his new team.

Begley had always been one of the best players on the court no matter where he played, but at pick-up games that first day he was far and away the worst player in sight. The memory still sticks out like a sore thumb even on a day when so many other things were happening.

Surprisingly, a few days later, Penn assistant coach Gil Jackson approached the freshman and explained to him that he had a good chance to be starting by January if he continued to work out and improve. Jackson saw the potential in Begley -- he was extremely talented and able to pick up quickly on the intricate concepts coaches were trying to institute. A jubilant Begley called home, boasting to his parents about the praise from his coach.

During the first few weeks of individual workouts, which consist mostly of one-on-one drills, Begley was getting lit up. Everyone else was getting past him with ease, and he could barely manage to put the ball in the net. It was the first time that he had played with junior stars Koko Archibong and Ugonna Onyekwe and, compared with former teammates, Begley thought the pair was a lock for the NBA.

"I was just getting absolutely killed by these guys. I guess I'm not the best one-on-one player in the world," he says today, smiling.

After a few days, Jackson pulled Begley aside. The freshman had no idea what his coach was going to say, but he knew it was not going to be good. Jackson told him that he had no chance of getting into a game, much less starting, unless he picked up his level of play.

"I was trying to motivate him by telling him he can't just take a back seat," Jackson said. "Sometimes freshmen just seem to float in the background. I didn't want him to do that because he was a very talented player, and at that point in the program, there was a place for him to come in and play right away."

The talk motivated the 6-foot-6 freshman to improve his skills, and when the whole team got on the floor, things began to change.

"I see the game a lot better with 10 guys on the court rather than me trying to use my lack of athleticism to go by somebody," Begley said.

Everyone, from coaches to former teammates, realizes that Begley is not the fastest, strongest or most talented player they have ever seen, but they all praise his court sense -- his ability to make his teammates better and create his own shot -- and his knack for winning.

At a recent practice, Begley filled in at power forward because several of his teammates were injured or banged up. He had never practiced at the position before, but managed to be at every place he was supposed to be on every play.

"He is the best basketball player we have on our team and has probably been the best basketball player we have had for a while," Penn coach Fran Dunphy said, referring to the senior's feel for the game.

In large part because of this ability, Begley ended up on the floor for the tipoff of Penn's 2001 season opener against Georgia Tech at the Las Vegas Invitational. Begley is still convinced that the only reason he started that game was because forward Adam Chubb went down with an injury one week earlier. The Quakers opted to go with three guards rather than deplete their depth at forward, and Begley was the logical replacement.

Penn came away with an upset over the ACC's Yellow Jackets and Begley played a big role. He logged the third-most minutes for the Quakers with 31 and had 11 points. The rookie also added two assists and three rebounds.

After his performance in the opener, it proved impossible for the coaches to remove Begley from the starting lineup. He was on the floor for the start of all 32 games the Quakers played that season, averaging 6.8 points, 4.7 rebounds and 3.0 assists per contest. Penn went on to win the Ivy League title and earned a bid to the NCAA Tournament. However, the Quakers fell to California in a hard-fought first round game, 82-75.

"The tournament is hands down the greatest thing in the world, and I hope the younger guys on the team get to experience it this year because I'll be telling stories about the dance until the end of my life," Begley said. "It was nuts. We had a police escort everywhere we went. Everywhere you go people are wishing you luck. Just knowing that for an hour or two that the whole country is checking out your score."

The entire first year had been like a dream for the Freehold, N.J., native. He was getting a ton of minutes and he loved his teammates. The relentless jokester was just having a great time at college. Unfortunately, Begley would soon have to learn how quickly life can change directions.

Only nine days following the end of final exams, Begley and his father Neil were planting trees in the backyard as a favor to Begley's mother, Lyn, on Mother's Day. After working for a bit, Neil began to complain of a severe headache. As a precaution, the family called an ambulance and Neil was taken to the hospital for tests.

"I sat with my father in the hospital for probably an hour cracking jokes with him and he just kept telling me that his head was really hurting him," said Begley, whose teammates describe him as always happy-go-lucky, always positive.

The doctors did not believe that Neil had any serious condition, but within seconds everything seemed to go wrong. Begley was escorted from his father's bedside and Neil went into surgery.

Neil had suffered a brain aneurysm and was fighting for his life. Doctors would soon relay the news to Begley, Lyn and elder brothers Matt and Neil that their father had little chance of surviving.

The family sat in vigil for three nights -- hoping, wishing, praying for something, anything, a miracle. Sadly, that miracle never came and on May 15, 2002 Cornelius G. "Neil" Begley Jr. passed away at the age of 48.

"It was one of the most trying times of my life, testing my faith, testing pretty much everything it could," Begley said.

Neil was his son's number one fan and one of his best friends. He and his wife Lyn attended nearly every one of their son's games during his freshman season, and the two had become a consistent presence for the Quakers, always there with an encouraging word or much needed advice.

"Mr. Begley was an unbelievable guy," said Begley's former teammate and 2003 Penn graduate Andy Toole. "He was at all the games; win or lose he always had a smile on his face. He just loved life and Tim's whole family is that way."

Like many fathers, Neil coached his sons in every sport when they were young -- basketball, baseball, soccer, anything. Begley learned the basics of most games by watching his older brothers at practice while fooling around on the sidelines. Accordingly, Begley knew most of the rules and understood many games before his friends. But even when he was little, he gravitated toward basketball.

"I had two little hoops in my basement I grew up playing on," Begley said. "I spent so much time down there it's bothersome."

Begley's older brothers, especially Matt, taught him the nuances of basketball -- how to shoot, pass and rebound. But his father, who was more of a football man, taught him more important lessons like how to handle success, failure and the people along the way.

Around middle school, Begley gave up other sports and began to concentrate on basketball. He played in the AAU, the premier league for young players, and often traveled to tournaments on the weekends.

Toole, who was a high school teammate of Matt Begley at Christian Brothers Academy in Lincroft, N.J., knew Begley long before they were teammates at Penn.

"I thought he was pretty cool because he was a good seventh- grade player," Toole said. "We used to have a summer camp he would come to, and he would think he was the man."

Begley would live up to his own billing, earning a spot on the junior varsity team at CBA as a freshman -- a big deal at one of the top basketball programs in New Jersey that constantly faces nationally ranked opponents. Like many CBA players heading for Division I college ball, Begley earned a varsity spot as a sophomore and actually garnered some playing time.

Begley helped to lead his team to a 52-2 record during his junior and senior campaigns. The only game ninth-ranked CBA lost during Begley's junior season was to the third-ranked team in the country in the New Jersey Parochial "A" state final. Begley's performance in the game earned him the attention and respect of recruiters.

"I can still tell you to this day, play for play, what happened in that game," Begley said. "That loss probably hurts worse than any loss I've ever had just because our team was loaded. We had four or five Division I guys."

In his senior season, as the only returning starter, Begley led CBA to the South Jersey Parochial "A" state championship, amassing a 25-1 record and far surpassing expectations. The high school senior received scholarship offers to Rutgers, Northwestern, North Carolina State and Boston College. But Begley was wary of the agendas of the bigger Division I schools.

"The coaches [at Penn] were a lot more honest and straightforward than any of the big schools," Begley said.

CBA ran the Princeton offense, and Begley's high school coach Ed Wicelinski was close with the coaches at Princeton. Begley's mother wanted to see him go to Princeton, which was closer to and much more well-known in Freehold, N.J.

However, Begley just felt he fit in better with guys like former Penn guard Jeff Schiffner and Toole, who played a large role in bringing him to Penn. Begley looked up to Toole, who, then a sophomore, chaperoned Begley during his recruiting trip. A lot of people told the budding star that he would fit into the basketball system at Princeton better, but he chose Penn because of the people.

And those people were there to help Begley in his time of need. Following the passing of his father, Begley received constant phone calls from teammates and coaches. Schiffner, Toole and former Penn guard Dave Klatsky, all of whom Begley keeps in close contact with today, picked him up when he was down and supported him in every possible way.

"I'd like to think that that's what good teams do," Dunphy said. "You're a family, that's what everybody wants to achieve. You want to be a family more than anything else and when times are tough for people you can be there in great support. He has been a great family member, there is no question about it, and it won't be easy when he has to move on."

Begley struggled to pull himself together throughout most of the summer before his sophomore year, and although he would give anything to have his father back, he is able to recognize the good that can come from a terrible situation. His family became closer, something Begley prides himself on, and he was able to discern his true friends.

"Everyone is there for you when things are really bad," he said. "But it's the people who a month later who are still calling and still there for you. Those are the people that really care about you."

When Begley returned to school for his sophomore year, he was still coping with the events of the summer. He didn't feel like hanging out with his friends, playing basketball or going out at night -- he didn't feel like doing much of anything. The time helped Begley to concentrate on his school work.

For many people, sports can be an outlet, but for Begley it was difficult to return to basketball. As he walked alone down to the Palestra prior to the Quakers' opener against Penn State, his father's memory weighed heavily on his mind.

"The walk down there was one of the toughest, longest walks I have ever made," Begley said. "I don't know why."

The sophomore had family and friends in the stands that day and the encouragement helped him to push through his pain. His mother and two brothers also tried to make it out to every game, both home and away, which meant a lot to Begley, who calls his mom his best friend.

However, Begley got off to a slow start.

"I always seem to play real crappy in the beginning of the season," he said. "I probably didn't make a shot for the first six or seven games."

As Begley struggled, so did the Quakers, losing four of their first seven contests. But Penn pulled things together and finished the season undefeated in the Ivy League. The Quakers were optimistic about their NCAA Tournament draw, but the Red and Blue fell to sixth-seeded Oklahoma State, 77-63, in the first round. Begley finished the season averaging 6.9 points, 2.9 assists and a career-high 4.6 rebounds.

Last season, as a junior, Begley picked up his scoring, averaging 13.9 points per game. But for the first time in his career, the Quakers did not win the Ivy League and did not go to the NCAA Tournament.

"We lost some games we should have won, especially in the Ivy League," Begley said. "It was kind of tough to come up short with a team that was good enough to get there."

Now, not only must Begley perform on the floor for the Quakers, but he must take on a leadership role as one of only two upperclassmen, along with senior Jan Fikiel, who have garnered significant playing time in the past.

"He is a leader in every sense of the word," Dunphy said. "He is not a real wordy guy, he's not going to be in-your-face kind of leadership. It is going to be one of accomplishing things and people respecting him. He has a great respect from all of his teammates, but he has got to be a leader for us this year, and I think he will do that without question."

When Begley arrived this season, he was sidelined with severe stress reactions in both his legs around his knees. It was frustrating for the senior to sit on the bench and watch others leading in practice when it was supposed to be his time. But Begley has already had a significant impact on some of the younger players who have begun to look to him for guidance.

"He helped me out with everything, you couldn't ask for a better leader on this team," freshman Mike Kach said. "He's so positive. If you mess up he'll just get you back up, pat you on the back and get out there. He is the kind of guy that leads by example and also keeps the guys upbeat and keeps them going."

Fikiel, who has come up through the Penn program with Begley, believes that he will be a great leader. Fikiel also recognizes that Begley makes the game fun.

"I always thought he was a big wise-guy" Fikiel said. "He still is, so that hasn't really changed."

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