Pete Trgovich played for arguably the best basketball coach of all time in John Wooden at UCLA in the early 1970s. Although one of the game's great minds taught him, there's still something he wishes he had taken away.
"I've always told my son that if I had a jump shot like he's got, I would still be in the NBA," Trgovich said.
His son is Pete Trgovich III, who, thanks to that jump shot, recently just became Indiana University Northwest's all-time scoring leader and finished his senior season leading the country in points per game at 27.9 in the NAIA.
"I wasn't a consistent outside shooter," said the elder Trgovich, who coached his son at IUN. "I was more of a guy that could get to the rim. They used to refer to me as a whirling dervish. Our offensive games were totally different."
The offensive game that Trgovich III displayed this season was pretty consistent. He scored in double digits in every game while showing plenty of flashiness.
On Feb. 8, he scored a career-high 47 points (with seven 3-pointers) against Indiana Institute of Technology.
"It was one of those days where the basket did look pretty big," said Trgovich III, a Munster native. "I still remember hitting a (3-pointer) that game and getting fouled, and I don't know if I could hit it again if I tried again 100 times."
He had five 40-point games this season, along with six 30-point games for the inexperienced RedHawks, who finished with a record of 6-24.
He added a new dimension to his already pinpoint outside range by getting to the hoop this season -- proved by his 175 free-throw attempts -- compared to 107 attempts in his two previous seasons combined.
"It was a great experience staying home and playing for my dad," said Trgovich III, a graduate student with an accounting degree. "I was able to stay around my family and friends, and they were able to see me play and that was a big thing."
His father was just as pleased with the experience.
"I've felt for the past three years I've had the best coaching job in the country," said Trgovich, who will take a month to decide if he wants to return to IUN next season. "His last night it hit me that I won't get to coach him anymore, but it was a great run."
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