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Duquesne guard Sincere Carry and Mikey Bekelja have been playing basketball together since the second grade. That was interrupted over the last two years when Carry joined the Duquesne Dukes, but it will resume again for the next couple of years.
Beklja, who is Carry's brother, announced on Tuesday that he's given a verbal commitment to play for Duquesne. The family connection between Bekelja and Carry is that Beklja's parents have been legal guardians of Carry since he was in sixth grade.
Courtesy of Mikey Bekelja
After graduating from Solon High School in Ohio, Bekelja committed to play at Fairmont State University but de-committed after head coach and former West Virginia guard Joe Mazzula left to take an assistant coaching job with the Boston Celtics. For the past year, Bekelja has been attending the International Sports Academy at Andrews Osborne in Ohio.
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Ironically, first committing to Fairmont State and then ending up at Duquesne is the same route that Carry took as well. Keith Dambrot and his staff are hoping to get similar results from Bekelja as they've received from Carry in his first two years with the Dukes.
Prior to making his commitment official, PSN spoke with Bekelja about joining Duquesne and the opportunity to once again team up with his brother on the basketball court.
"The Duquesne staff has been following me a lot during my post-graduate season," Bekelja told PSN. "What led me to decide on Duquesne is that I feel it's a great fit for me and I love the coaching staff. Coach Dambrot is a great coach and he's always been a winner and of course, Sin is there, which isn't a bad thing. It was really a no-brainer and I see myself really fitting in with their program.
"I'm extremely excited to get back playing with my brother. I think our games compliment each other nicely and the chemistry that we share can't be beat. I'm really, really excited about it."
In terms of his role with the Dukes, Bekelja says that nothing specific has been mentioned to him, just that the Dukes staff told him they wanted to add a good guard. He has the flexibility and skill to play either point guard or as a shooting guard.
"One of my biggest strengths is my basketball IQ," said Bekelja. "Knowing when to make plays and my decision making on the court. I can't wait to get on campus, I'm ready to work and ready to do all the dirty stuff necessary to win. I'm looking to help out the team in any way that I possibly can."
The addition of Bekelja puts Duquesne right at the scholarship limit of 13 players. He joins three-star forward Andre Harris, three-star guard Tyson Acuff and shooting guard Jett Roesing as members of Duquesne's Class of 2020.
Related Topics:Duquesne basketball, Duquesne basketball recruiting, featured, Mike Bekelja, Sincere Carry
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