Hawaii Tribune-Herald ADVERTISING Hawaii Tribune-Herald Rainbow Wahine basketball coach Laura Beeman’s hometown is San Bernardino, Calif., where she grew up playing ball, first at San Bernardino High, then two years at UC Riverside before two more at Cal State San
Hawaii Tribune-Herald
Hawaii Tribune-Herald
Rainbow Wahine basketball coach Laura Beeman’s hometown is San Bernardino, Calif., where she grew up playing ball, first at San Bernardino High, then two years at UC Riverside before two more at Cal State San Bernardino.
On Friday, the fifth-year UH coach was inducted into the CSU San Bernardino Hall of Fame Class of 2017, another honor among a laundry list of accomplishments.
She earned NCAA Division III honorable mention All-American honors in 1990 after helping the Coyotes reach the national tournament.
Beeman played two seasons for the Coyotes (1989-91) after transferring from UC Riverside. She remains second in career assists (379) and second and third among season assists in school history. She also played softball for the Coyotes in the spring of 1991.
She just completed her fifth season as coach at Hawaii and has enjoyed success at every stop in her coaching career that began in 1992.
At Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut, Calif., she won four state titles. Her Rainbow Wahine have made four postseason trips, including the 2016 NCAA tournament, the program’s first appearance in 18 years.
Coaching college basketball wasn’t at the top of Beeman’s career choices when her Coyote career came to an end.
“I wish I had that much direction at that age,” Beeman said. “I had no idea what I wanted to do. To be honest, when I was in school it was about playing basketball.”
A phone call from the University of Redlands offering a graduate assistant position with its women’s basketball program made all the difference in the world to the Highland native.
She eventually landed at Mt. San Antonio College, where her teams won 10 South Coast conference titles. She then served as an assistant coach with the WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks and at USC before becoming UH coach in
Not bad for someone who admits she was more of a soccer player in her youth. In fact, she did not begin playing basketball until entering San Bernardino High in the early 80s.
During her stint with the Coyotes, Laura was known for her philanthropic activities within the department and for the university. That commitment to helping others began by observing her parents (Jerry and Judy) at the family pharmacy in San Bernardino.
Her UH coaching staff and players are involved in multiple service opportunities such as free youth basketball clinics and helping at Waikiki Health’s Youth Outreach (YO!) program working with local at-risk and homeless youths.
“I am so fortunate to have a complete family that is committed to service,” she said. “I watched my parents help those who were in need on a daily basis. Our basketball program encompasses involvement in various outreach programs in Honolulu and the island of Oahu.”00120
