Schuckman: Knox, Begeman linked by free throws and unwavering support and belief they both received in crunch time

CAMP POINT, Ill. — Brad Begeman calls it his Al Bundy moment.

Caroline Knox doesn’t know who Al Bundy is.

Yet, the Unity girls basketball coach and his senior guard are forever linked by the memory of the clutch free throws they made in the same gym at the same basket sitting on the same bench, albeit 30 or so years apart.

With 3.7 seconds remaining in Thursday night’s semifinal of the CSE Classic in the old Central gym, Knox made a pair of free throws to lift the Mustangs to a 46-45 victory over Brown County and a spot opposite Illini West in Saturday night’s championship game.

“I was very nervous,” Knox said. “But I knew I had to make them in order for my team to succeed. They worked very hard the whole entire game. I just wanted to not let them down.”

After she made the first free throw to tie the game, Brown County coach David Phelps called a timeout. In the ensuing huddle, Begeman made it clear he had faith in Knox.

“I stopped and said, ‘After Caroline makes the next one, I’m going to call timeout and we’re going to talk about how we will set up our defense,’” Begeman said. “Then i said it again, ‘After she makes it, here’s what we’re going to do.’”

She was somewhat oblivious to that.

The only thing on her mind was the looming free throw.

“He told me to relax and stuff,” Knox said. “I don’t really remember the rest of the huddle. I was just trying to focus on my next free throw. Everybody was talking to me, but I was trying to focus up.”

The nerves were ever present.

“I was shaking, so I took a deep breath,” Knox said. “As soon as it released from my hands, I knew it was going in.”

It earned her a hug from Begeman when a timeout was called.

“It was such a great feeling,” Knox said. “Everybody was cheering. Everybody had a smile on their face. Brown County is a tough team to beat, so it was a huge moment for all of us.”

It left Begeman remembering the spot he had been in as a seventh grader.

Playing Central in the same gym while sitting on the same bench, Begeman was fouled with five seconds left and Unity trailing by one.

“I was about ready to tear up because I had never been in that situation,” Begeman said. “We just played basketball in P.E. None of us had ever been in that situation. I remember shooting that free throw and I think it hit every side of the rim and the backboard and went in.”

The Central coach called timeout, very similar to how Brown County approached this latest situation.

“I was like, ‘Why is he calling timeout? Now I have to wait.’ I really thought I was going to start crying,” said Begeman, who referred to those free throws as his “Al Bundy moment,” referencing the character in “Married … with Children” who talked about his four-touchdown game in the city championship for fictional Polk High. 

“Then (Unity junior high coach) Rex Truebe put his hand on my knee and he goes, ‘After Brad makes this next free throw, here’s what we’re going to do.’ I told that story in the locker room and I said to Caroline, ‘Maybe I didn’t need to say anything to you, but maybe Coach Truebe was looking down tonight.’”

Truebe passed away in 1986, but his grand-daughter, Hayden Frankel, comes off the bench for the Mustangs, who are ranked No. 5 in Class 1A and have a legitimate chance to make some noise in the postseason.

And Knox knows why.

“It’s all of the friendships that we have,” Knox said. “Not one single player on the team is left out. I just love how close we are. That just helps give us the edge against other opponents.”

Plus, there’s the unwavering support, trust and belief Begeman has in his players.

It’s something he learned from Truebe. And it’s something neither he nor Knox nor any of the Mustangs will ever forget.

“That’s the stuff you remember as you get older,” Begeman said. “I told them after the game that I was just so proud of them. They never gave up and they never gave up. They gave us all a memory to share.”