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Health & Fitness

Beeman Named Head Women's Basketball Coach at the University of Hawaii

Former Mountie's head women's basketball coach named new head coach at the University of Hawaii on Friday.

HONOLULU – Former Mt. SAC head women’s basketball coach Laura Beeman was named the head coach of the University of Hawaii women’s basketball team Friday. 

UH Athletic Director Jim Donovan made the announcement at a press conference at the Les Murakami Stadium.

Beeman, who recently completed two years as the assistant coach of the women’s basketball team at the University of Southern California under Michael Cooper, boasts over 20 years of coaching experience at the highest level, at the university, junior college and professional ranks.

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"We are very pleased to hire a coach that has the vast experience and success that Coach Beeman has achieved,” says Donovan. “Not only does she have a personality that will fit well in Hawaii and a proven track record, Coach Beeman has extensive recruiting contacts in California which will be a huge plus for us as we head into the Big West Conference next season.”

Prior to her short stint at USC and the WNBA’s Sparks,  Beeman was the head coach of the Mt. SAC women’s basketball team who won four California state championships, including three in a row from 2006-2008. Mt. SAC made the post season all 15 years she was at the helm, including 10 conference championships. While at Mt. SAC she also picked up three South Coast Conference Coach of the Year honors, as well as a California Coach of the Year in 2000.

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“It was kind of like the stars aligned a little bit and I felt this was the right
position for me,” Beeman said. “We’d definitely like to make a name for
ourselves immediately in the Big West and try to get into the NCAA Tournament.
We want to play a level of basketball that’s enjoyable to watch, that people
want to come to see us play and fans want to support these young women.”

Longtime assistant coach Brian Critchlow took over for Beeman last year and continued where she left off as Critchow led his Mt. SAC Mounties to this year’s California state championship.

"It’s the same system that we ran even since when Laura (Beeman) was here,” Critchlow said. “It’s just a different person at the end of the bench.”

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