Laura Beeman announced the first two additions to a revamped University of Hawaii women’s basketball coaching staff on Friday.
Courtney Locke and Berry Randle join the Rainbow Wahine program to fill two of three vacancies left by the departures of last year’s associate and assistant coaches.
“You want to get coaches on staff as early as possible so you have the summer to develop your chemistry, the kids have an opportunity to meet them and it’s nice that we’re off and running,” said Beeman, who is entering her sixth year as head coach.
Locke spent the past three years as the associate coach at Lipscomb and will also serve as recruiting coordinator with the UH staff. She’s also coached at Central Florida, UC Santa Barbara and Texas-San Antonio in a 10-year collegiate coaching career.
Locke, who played for Rutgers’ 2006 sweet 16 team, started her UH duties early this week and Beeman said she’s already “contacting coaches and players.”
“I knew of her prior to the hiring process, just saw her out on the road and was already impressed with her professionalism and her intensity while she was doing her job,” Beeman said. “When this process came up, her name was dropped in my lap by a couple of people who I have the utmost respect for and it was just a no-brainer at that point.”
Randle will focus on player development in his first collegiate coaching job and began work on Thursday.
He coached at La Jolla Country Day (Calif.) High School for the past eight years and with the Waves Basketball Club. Among the players he coached was Kelsey Plum, who set the NCAA’s all-time scoring record at Washington and was the top pick in this year’s WNBA draft.
Beeman watched Randle coach in practices while scouting some of his players and was “unbelievably impressed by him and what he does and more than that how he treats the kids.
“He’s just a class guy and I am shocked that this is his first (collegiate) opportunity.”
The Wahine begin their summer workout program next week and Beeman said she hopes to have the third assistant coaching position filled by the end of the month.
Alex Delanian, UH’s associate coach last season, accepted the same position at UC Santa Barbara after four years with the Wahine. Assistants Calamity McEntire and Brad Langston both spent one year in Manoa before taking jobs at Dayton and Grand Canyon, respectively.
