As the chants of ‘Daddy’s Boy’ cascaded down upon Patrick Beilein, he looked up into the crowd to see his father, John, calmly looking back at him. Beilein, then a guard at Benedictine High School, proceeded to silence the crowd by knocking down a 3-pointer, the shot that has since become his trademark.

Beilein, now a sophomore at West Virginia, does not have to look quite as far for his father these days. In fact, he only has to look over to the Mountaineer bench, where his father is calling the plays.

The Beileins’ situation is a unique one, but one that they are enjoying. The father-and-son tandem will lead West Virginia against Syracuse tomorrow night at 7 in Morgantown, W.Va., at The Coliseum.

‘You look over and see your father,’ Beilein said. ‘It’s pretty neat.’

For some people, it isn’t so neat. Beilein has had to answer to many critics who say that he only plays for the Mountaineers because his father is the coach.

‘I’ve earned my respect,’ Beilein said. ‘I’m not playing because he’s the coach. A lot of people had questions about me, and I have answered them this year.’

Beilein is used to having critics, though. Throughout his high school career at Benedictine in Richmond, Va., he was the favorite subject for hecklers.

‘He was a target, but it made him better,’ Benedictine head coach Bruce Croxton said. ‘It put him in a hostile environment. It’s helped him at the next level. Patrick always stepped up to the challenge. You’ve got to be above and beyond everyone because of that.’

Even Beilein’s father had doubts as to whether his son could compete in the Big East. After almost two seasons of coaching his son at West Virginia, most of John’s doubts have been erased.

Now that Beilein has proved that he can be an asset to the Mountaineers, both the father and son are enjoying their experience together.

‘I’m enjoying it more now than I did last year,’ John said. ‘Last year, he had to convince me each day that he was capable of helping us in games. He doesn’t have to convince me anymore.’

Patrick Beilein has always dreamed of an opportunity to play collegiate basketball under his father. Although he was a McDonald’s All-America nominee, Beilein did not receive many recruiting offers. He declined the offers he did get, though, instead deciding to attend Richmond, where his dad was coach.

‘He got recruited, but he didn’t get the complete feel he should have because his dad was a Division I coach,’ Croxton said. ‘Everyone figured that he was going to play for his dad.’

When his father announced that he was leaving to go to West Virginia in 2002, Beilein followed suit.

Since then, the Beileins have taken advantage of any opportunity to spend time together. Despite the demanding schedule of a Division I basketball coach, John Beilein attended as many of his son’s high school games as he could make. But he couldn’t attend all of his son’s games because, as a coach, John’s attendance at the games could have been misconstrued as scouting, and the NCAA limits the number of high school games a coach can scout. But their relationship has grown closer since the two arrived at West Virginia, with the two working side by side.

While at his son’s basketball games, John Beilein stayed in the background and let his son take the spotlight. He was not there to be basketball coach but to support his son as any father would.

‘I went to see a few of his games and his dad didn’t really get too involved,’ Richmond senior Mike Skrocki said. ‘He understands the difference between being a coach and being a father.’

‘He wasn’t a crazy father like you expect a basketball coach to be,’ said Richmond senior Reggie Brown. ‘He sat back and enjoyed the game. He did a good job balancing it out.’

The Beileins’ ability to leave basketball on the court and family matters at home has helped ease any tensions that once appeared in the Mountaineers locker room.

‘We’re all equal,’ Beilein said. ‘He may try to use me as an example, but that’s it. Once we’re off the court, we’re just father and son.’

The separation of the two worlds has created an enjoyable experience for both of the Beileins. While the Mountaineers continue to improve, John continues to watch his son become a leader on his team.

Beilein is averaging 10.6 points, third on WVU.

‘I’m starting to realize now that his college career is about half over,’ John said. ‘I better sit back and enjoy the moments, whether it’s eating a pregame meal with him or just talking to him after the game as a father would instead of walking and getting on the bus as a coach would.’

Published on February 29, 2004 at 12:00 pm