In the middle of her fourth season of college basketball, Frankfort High School graduate Abby Beeman approached a significant and rare career milestone. Ideally, she would have preferred that nobody knew about it.
Entering last Saturday’s home game against Coastal Carolina, Beeman had scored 1,983 points in her college career.
“If you know me, you know I don’t like attention for that stuff. One of my family friends texted me and was like, ‘Are you going to get 17 points on Saturday’? I was so confused. He said, ‘You need 17 points to get to 2,000’. I said, ‘I don’t even want to think about that. I just want to win the game’, Beeman said.
“Then I texted our DOBO [Director of Basketball Operations], ‘Hey, can they not announce this during the game if it happens’. I did kind of know but I didn’t want there to be any attention on it because it was a big game for us. I wanted our team to get the win and not focus on me or getting me the ball more because something might be coming up.”
Beeman scored 22 points in Marshall’s 97-85 win over CCU.
“After the game, they did a good job of celebrating me. I am thankful for the people around me.”
What a career it’s been for #4️⃣
Congratulations to @abbycbeem on her 2000th career point.#WeAreMarshall pic.twitter.com/HvLdIZmQTA
— Marshall Women’s Basketball (@HerdWBB) January 20, 2024
“Abby is not the type that wants a lot of attention. 2,000 points is crazy. What a career she has had and I am very, very thankful that I get to coach her,” said first-year Marshall head coach Kim Caldwell.
It is perhaps appropriate that Beeman chose to approach a significant career benchmark with little fanfare surrounding it. From 2015-2019, Beeman scored 2,217 points in a decorated four-year career with the Frankfort Falcons. In her years at FHS, the Falcons posted a record of 81-33. Beeman also racked up 540 assists, 404 steals, 547 rebounds and 245 3-point field goals.
Despite those lofty numbers, the 5-foot-4 point guard did not receive significant attention from Division I programs. Beeman enrolled at nearby Shepherd University.
“I have just kind of carried that chip on my shoulder, whether that be at Shepherd or here where I have had plenty of people think I am not good enough or not big enough,” Beeman said. “I just really love the opportunity I get now just to prove everyone wrong. I am not really upset about it. I think everyone has their own journey and their own story and this is just mine.”
While at Shepherd, Beeman became an All-American during her sophomore season in 2021-2022. She scored 1,258 points in 65 career games with the Rams.
When head coach Jenna Eckleberry departed Shepherd to lead the program at Frostburg State, Beeman entered the transfer portal. At the time, Beeman wasn’t certain that her days at Shepherd were done.
“I loved Shepherd and I loved Shepherdstown and the small-town environment. But once my coach left, I kind of owed it to myself to see what opportunities may be out there for me,” Beeman said. “I still had intentions of possibly going back to Shepherd or going to another Division II. I just wanted to win games wherever that would be. I thought everything out and figured Marshall would be the best option and the best place to go and I am so thankful for how it worked out.”
Beeman transferred to Marshall to play for head coach Tony Kemper. Beeman made an immediate impact for Thundering Herd. She started all 31 games and finished second on the team in scoring at 13.8 points per game. Beeman also led the squad in rebounds, assists and steals. The adjustment to the Division I game was a smooth one.
“For the most part, it is just basketball,” Beeman said. “It is five-on-five. The courts are the same length. The hoops are the same height. Once you get it in that perspective, you realize I just have to go out there and play and do what I do.”
While the basketball adjustments took care of themselves, Beeman said the perks of Division I basketball were greatly appreciated after spending three seasons at the Division II level.
“People who come straight to Division I, this is just normal for them,” Beeman said. “This is what they expect. But the travel is certainly different with chartering and flying pretty much to all of our away games. It is something I never take for granted.”
Shortly after the 2022-2023 season ended, Kemper left Marshall. Once again, Beeman would find herself playing for a new head coach. Ironically, Beeman’s last opposing head coach while playing at Shepherd would become her new head coach in Huntington.
En route to the school’s first national championship, Caldwell’s Glenville State Pioneers defeated Shepherd in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. In that game, Beeman dished out a season-high 15 assists.
“I remember watching her the first time. We were scouting the game and we were going to play the winner. She was just unbelievable,” Caldwell said. “Then we played them the next game. I remember seeing her after the game, ‘You’re one of the best basketball players I have ever seen’. When she left Shepherd, I recruited her pretty hard and I didn’t get her. She didn’t come to me. I came to her.”
In their first season under Caldwell, Marshall posted a 6-5 record in non-conference play. Since starting Sun Belt Conference play, Marshall has won nine consecutive games. Beeman leads the Thundering Herd in scoring at 16.8 points per game and rebounding (6.2 per game). She is also the Sun Belt Conference leader in assists (6.2 per game).
“From the beginning, I always felt we had the talent and the ability to do it. It is just putting those pieces together and having the patience that it would all come together at one point or another,” Beeman said. “Coach was obviously preaching that to us that it takes a while to adapt to her style and get going. So if we lose, it will probably be early in the season. Trusting the process of it all was really important for us. Once we got into conference play, thankfully we found our footing and we were able to get on a roll.”
Caldwell’s unique offensive system features uptempo play with frequent substitutions. A dozen players average at least ten minutes per game.
“Whether you contribute big minutes or small minutes, you are going to give something to the team. I think that is really important just to keep the team connected and ready to go at all times,” Beeman said.
“I think it is a lot different from what you see on the outside, just being in it. You may seem like, ‘Oh I don’t want to play one minute and get subbed out’. But in the grand scheme or things, you are always in the game.”
Beeman, a native of Ridgeley in Mineral County, is one of five West Virginia natives on the Marshall roster. She is joined by Jayda Allie (Cabell Midland), Peyton Ilderton (Logan), Meredith Maier (Fairmont Senior) and Olivia Ziolkowski (Woodrow Wilson).
“We certainly don’t take it for granted,” Beeman said. “We talk about our times and the similarities in our hometowns or the differences. We are definitely all close and all like to talk about our high school days and playing at the state tournament. I am thankful for us and glad we all ended up on the same team together.”
Beeman is a graduate student and is in her final season of eligibility. While finishing the season strong is Beeman’s lone focus for now, she hopes continuing her basketball at the professional level is an opportunity that awaits.
“I couldn’t imagine stopping right now,” Beeman said. “So we’ll see where it takes me, whether that is overseas or wherever. I might certainly give it a try at a different level. But right now, I am just focused on finishing this season out.”