Duke basketball was having what Neal Begovich described as a “regular practice” on the Tuesday before the opening weekend of the 2025 NCAA Tournament.
During the Blue Devils’ 5-on-5 portion of preparation, freshman Kon Knueppel did something that made Begovich smile and chuckle as he reflected on the moment. After playing 114 minutes during an ACC Tournament MVP run in Charlotte, Knueppel didn’t show any signs of slacking in practice.
“He dove on the floor on a play where he could’ve probably just picked it up. I was like, ‘Man, that’s gotta hurt. You’re already hurting from last week.’ I think his hip was bugging him, too. He told me afterwards, he was like, ‘Man, why’d I do that?’ I was like, ‘You can’t control it, it’s just how you play,’ ” Begovich said in Raleigh, where the top-seeded Blue Devils (33-3) picked up a pair of wins to snag a spot in the Sweet 16.
“You either have it or you don’t, but it’s infectious for our whole team. That play against North Carolina in the first half, where all those guys are the first ones on the floor, I feel like that kind of just speaks to our style of play this year.”
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That play happened with Duke up 21 points on the Tar Heels in the semifinals of the ACC Tournament. In the final minute of the first half, a ball popped loose and rolled toward the sideline. Isaiah Evans hit the floor first, followed by Knueppel, who was parallel to the ground as he collected the loose ball.
“Whenever there’s a loose ball, he’s always the one in the middle of it,” Begovich said. “It speaks to how hard he plays, for sure.”
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Even former Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski raved about Knueppel on his Sirius XM radio show ahead of March Madness.
“I think (the ACC Tournament) showed the world how good Kon Knueppel is, which I’ve been saying all year. I can’t believe he’s not first-team all-conference,” Krzyzewski said.
“Outside of Flagg, the next best player in the (ACC) is Kon Knueppel. I really love that kid — his ability to get the loose ball, grab offensive rebounds, or get on the floor is incredible. He can really shoot it, he’s tough, plays defense, and I think he showed out even more.”
Larry Bird quote drives Kon Knueppel to dive for basketball
If you need photographic or video evidence of Knueppel’s knack for diving on the floor after a loose ball, there’s a good chance you’ll find an example in each of Duke’s 36 games.
“I just think, you take pride in getting the ball, you’ll get the ball. Not everybody takes pride in, ‘Oh, I’m gonna get a loose ball,’ ” Knueppel said.
“It doesn’t seem like it’s that important, but a lot of games come down to who gets the ball and who doesn’t. I try to, every chance, if there’s a ball on the ground, I’m gonna get it.”
It’s something Knueppel does better than anyone on Duke’s roster, even star player Cooper Flagg. It’s a skill Knueppel has mastered arguably better than anyone remaining in March Madness, sticking his nose into scrums, throwing his body into multiple players in an attempt to get extra possessions for the Blue Devils.
For Knueppel, the mindset goes back to his favorite Larry Bird quote: “It makes me sick when I see a guy just stare at a loose ball and watch it go out of bounds.”
The 6-foot-7 Wisconsin native has suffered his share of floor burns, bruises and bumps. But that’s just the way he was raised to play the game.
“The cool part, I was talking to Kon about it earlier this season, and he was talking about growing up, his dad (Kon Sr.) would never talk to him about scoring points, wouldn’t talk about making shots,” Duke coach Jon Scheyer said.
“It would be about rebounding and taking charges. Obviously that lends itself to putting your body on the line, and he’s got a knack for it.”
Cooper Flagg, Jon Scheyer, Mason Gillis discuss Knueppel’s ‘winning plays’
When asked if they’ve ever seen someone dive on the floor as much as Knueppel, Cooper Flagg, Mason Gillis and Scheyer discussed Knueppel’s exploits while sticking with the same theme.
“Nah, I don’t know that I have,” Flagg said. “I mean, Kon is always the first one to the floor, diving on it, making those winning plays. That’s just something that he does really well.”
Because of Khaman Maluach’s 7-foot-5 wingspan and 9-foot-8 standing reach, Gillis said the 7-foot-2 center has the length advantage, but Knueppel covers more ground.
“Kon has done a pretty good job of just flying around and having a nose for the ball. I think just being ready, being able to understand the game,” Gillis continued.
“Long shots, long rebounds. Shot on the left side is more than likely going on the right side. Understanding those little things is huge, but also just having a motor, being able to hustle every single possession, get extra shots for your teammates. He’s just doing everything he can to impact winning.”
For Scheyer, who mentioned Jared McCain as another player known for winning 50-50 situations to secure a loose ball, Knueppel is “up there” on the list. Like Flagg and Gillis, Scheyer mentioned how those hustle plays affect the overall outcome. Whether it’s a normal practice or a Sweet 16 game, the Blue Devils know what Knueppel is willing to do for a win.
“When there’s a scrum, you feel confident that Knueppel is going to come up with the ball. It’s fun to coach guys like that,” Scheyer said.
“Jared had a very similar things – McCain – with all those loose balls, broken plays, rebounds. Obviously the impact it has on winning is huge.”
Rodd Baxley covers Duke, North Carolina and N.C. State for The Fayetteville Observer as part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow his ACC coverage on X/Twitter or Bluesky: @RoddBaxley. Got questions regarding those teams? Send them to rbaxley@fayobserver.com.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: The thing Kon Knueppel does better than any player in NCAA Tournament
