Making the transition from high school to the college level can sometimes feel daunting to players. An increase in speed, size and basketball IQ is needed to be successful.
It sometimes takes years to make an impact on a team, but freshman forward Beyonce Bea is on her way to be a key piece for Idaho women’s basketball.
“It’s been going really well,” Bea said. “It has been really fun so far. I’ve loved it.”
The 6-foot, 1-inch Bea was recruited from Washougal, Washington, playing at Washougal High School.
As a member of the Panthers, Bea received offers from several Big Sky schools, including Montana, Northern Arizona and Eastern Washington, even getting consideration from Fresno State in the Mountain West Conference.
But she ultimately decided to come to Moscow for the coaching staff, team atmosphere and the small-town feel.
It took Bea until the start of the season, but she now realizes she is playing at the next level.
“It didn’t really hit me at first until we really started playing games,” Bea said. “It was definitely a shock, but now I’m getting used to playing Division I basketball.”
When looking at the stats, it is easy to see how much of an impact she has made.
Looking at the per-game averages for the team, Bea is first in rebounds, three-point percentage and made field goals, and second in points, field goal percentage, blocks, minutes played and assists.
“Overall, I am really happy with Bea’s progress so far,” Idaho Head Coach Jon Newlee said. “She is just so versatile in the things she can do offensively and the amount of positions she can guard defensively.”
Bea has already come through in big moments in her first year.
At Seattle University on Nov. 20, Bea had her career-best game, scoring 27 points which included a last-second 3-pointer to send the game into overtime.
Bea had 12 rebounds as well for her first career double-double.
“That was an awesome feeling for sure,” Bea said. “Just to be able to be there for my team and knocked down the shot that we needed in order to get us to overtime so we can get the win.”
The confidence to come into those moments and knock down the big shots is something the team admires about her.
Senior guard Lizzy Klinker described Bea as a player with quiet confidence.
“She is kind of like of a silent killer,” Klinker said. “One of those that lead by example, works hard, that for sure and all the sudden she’ll back me in and get a layup. She’s been great and really fun to have her on the team.”
One of the things that brought Bea to UI was the family culture among the team.
There has been no shortage of support from the upperclassmen, doing whatever they can to elevate the newcomers.
“I would say everyone has really taken me under their wing honestly,” Bea said. “The upperclassmen have done a great job with helping us freshmen out. They just all want everyone to be successful and they care about you.”
This support has led to Bea improving her overall game and becoming more involved in the offense.
With two games left before the conference schedule starts, Bea, along with her teammates and coaches, know that a run at the NCAA tournament is a reachable goal and the opportunity of a lifetime.
“That would be an amazing experience, honestly, as a freshman to get to do that and to get to play and make it to the NCAA tournament is awesome,” Bea said. “Honestly, I would love to experience that and I really think we can do it.”
Zack Kellogg can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @kellogg_zack