The Mountaineer

Issue date: 3/25/08 Section: Feature

Media Credit: Aldo Padilla Women's basketball coach Laura Beeman is all smiles after winning three consecutive state championships, her fourth in the last five years.

"Throughout my entire life I was a sports junkie," Laura Beeman said.
Mt. SAC's women's basketball head coach calls herself a "local girl" who hails from San Bernardino.
"I played everything; softball, soccer, a little bit of tennis, baseball, football. I have an older brother and we were just out on the street playing football all the time."
Beeman received a bachelor's degree in business administration from Cal State San Bernardino. She transferred to University of Redlands where she earned a master's degree in education with an emphasis on counseling. After attending Redlands, she went to Azusa Pacific University to earn a master's degree in education with an emphasis in physical education.
In high school, Beeman joined volleyball and basketball but focused mainly on playing basketball when she attended San Bernardino.
While at Redlands, Beeman handled her first coaching job as an assistant coach for basketball.
In 1995, she started teaching part-time at Mt. SAC and in the 1995-1996 seasons, her team went to the third round of the Southern California Regional Championship. Since then, she has had the distinction of coaching her teams into winning Mt. SAC's first women's South Coast Conference Championship, as well as many more South Coast Conference Championships. Her students have celebrated over 200 game wins under her coaching.
"The game changes, and the women are becoming more and more talented," she said. "Being a part of the growth of the over-all sport is very exciting...seeing where community college basketball is going from 10 years ago to today is very exciting. Every year brings a new challenge."
Beeman also had the pleasure of coaching Anetero Uiagalelei and Laura Irving as the only two Kodak All Americans in Mt. SAC history. Beeman said that Irving will "probably get signed to the WNBA draft this march."
Assistant Coach Brian Crichlow, who worked with Beeman for the past nine years, has nothing but kind words to say about Beeman and his career coaching with her.
"I wouldn't want to get my jump to the next level under anyone else…I think the world of her," he said. "I think that she's one of the best things that could ever happen to women's basketball…great teacher, great motivator and truly a student of the game."
Beeman continually receives e-mails from past students and is pleased with the outcome of teaching.
"Head coach, assistant coach; it doesn't matter," she said.
"When your kids call you back and say 'Thanks, I was a real pain in your butt…I didn't get it then, but I get it now.' That's what keeps a lot of coaches coming back year after year after year."

Page 1 of 1

Article Tools