HANOVER, N.H.
After breaking the 1,000-point mark in a 68-44 thrashing of Dartmouth on Saturday, Penn senior Tim Begley reflected upon the first points of his Penn career, which came nine seconds into his first game against Georgia Tech.
"I remember running down the court and [former teammate] Andy Toole screaming 'I can't believe you shot that shot,'" the guard said.
Begley was in the unique position that year of being a true freshman starting the first game in which he wore a Quakers uniform. But during his first three seasons, the Freehold, N.J., native had older players to take control when the game was on the line.
Now, in the last stretch of games of his collegiate career, Begley has fallen into the leadership role. The senior captain was able to take control of both games over the Harvard-Dartmouth weekend and ensure two Ivy League victories during the road trip.
And it was fitting that after all his hard work, he was able to complete a few personal feats as well.
Begley hit two separate milestones, one in points and the other in three-pointers, cementing himself as one of the best players in Penn history.
But what Begley will truly be recognized for is what made him a starter so early in the first place -- his ability to jumpstart his team.
Just over three minutes into Friday's contest against Harvard, Begley swished a threeball that moved him past former teammate Jeff Schiffner into second place on Penn's all-time three-pointers list.
"Jeff's a good buddy of mine, so any time I get ahead of him in the record books, it's pretty cool," Begley said.
But while Begley earned his record mark early on against the Crimson, his play in the second half was much more crucial for the Red and Blue.
After Harvard started the second half with six unanswered points to tie the game at 35, Begley sparked an 11-0 Penn run with two jumpers and a layup.
When the team needed him the most, Begley delivered, and put the game out of reach for the Quakers.
"It's my last go-around; if I have a shot ... I'm more than willing to step up and make it," Begley said. "Anything to help the team out."
Begley would finish with his third double-double of the season, and Penn coach Fran Dunphy could not deny that the captain's play in the second half was vital to Penn's victory.
"There was a stretch in the second half where I thought Begs took over the game a little bit, which we needed him to do at the offensive end," Dunphy said.
Begley culminated his prodigious weekend by becoming the 32nd Penn player to surpass the 1,000-point plateau.
And the way he did it was typical Begley -- a three.
With 16:28 remaining in the second half, Begley missed a three. But got the ball back in the open and drained his second chance, pointing to his mom and brother sitting in the stands as he rushed back on defense.
While the Quakers did not need their captain to rally the offense against the Big Green, his 14 points still led all scorers. And his two second-half threes made a Dartmouth comeback all but impossible.
"When we get to this point where guys are looking around for other people to step up, I just saw myself doing that today," Begley said after the Dartmouth game.
"I'm really happy that we got the two wins," he added.
As for his personal achievements, Begley approached them with great modesty. He needs 20 more three-pointers to tie Penn's all-time leader, Matt Maloney.
Beating the record "is the last thing on my mind right now," Begley said. "I don't think Matt's record is in any trouble the way I've been shooting."
But Dunphy believes that Begley's importance to the team lies far beyond his ability to make threes.
"As I remember his career, I won't think of him as a three-point shooter, I'll think of him as a very good basketball player," Dunphy said.
Even if his three-point shot is a little inconsistent, Begley's ability to take control of the game is what should be remembered most.
But the milestones will always be there, just in case.
Michael Gertner is a junior biological basis of behavior major from Bellmore, N.Y. His e-mail address ismgertner@sas.upenn.edu.
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