Laura Beeman Announces Retirement as Women's Basketball Head Coach
Over 14 seasons as head coach of the University of Hawai‘i women’s basketball program, Laura Beeman amassed 244 victories while leading the Rainbow Wahine to nine postseason appearances.
After being hired in 2012 as the program’s eighth head coach, Beeman guided the ’Bows to three Big West Championship titles, four regular-season crowns and three NCAA Tournament appearances. She earned her four Big West Coach of the Year awards and closed her career second in program history in coaching tenure and career wins, trailing only Vince Goo (1988-2004) in both categories.
Beeman led the Rainbow Wahine to postseason appearances in each of her first four seasons at UH, including an NCAA Tournament berth in 2016, the program’s first in 18 years. In 2021-22, the Rainbow Wahine captured the Big West regular-season and tournament titles in the same year for the first time in program history. The following year they became the first team to capture back-to-back Big West Championship titles and UH made consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances for the first time since 1989 and ’90.
Throughout her tenure, Beeman developed some of the most decorated student-athletes in program history, coaching more than two dozen All-Big West selections. Among them was 2021-22 Big West Player of the Year Amy Atwell, who concluded her career as the program's all-time leader in 3-pointers made and was selected in the 2022 WNBA Draft.
In addition to on-court success, Beeman's programs were defined by academic excellence. The Rainbow Wahine recently set a program-record multi-year Academic Progress Rate (APR) score of 995 and have frequently posted perfect single-year scores of 1,000.
Prior to arriving at UH, Beeman served as an assistant coach at USC and with the Los Angeles Sparks of the WNBA and as head coach at Mt. San Antonio College. She was inducted into the Cal State San Bernardino Hall of Fame in 2017, California Community College Hall of Fame in 2019, and the Mt. San Antonio College Athletics Hall of Fame in 2026.
| Overall |
Conference |
| Year |
Win |
Loss |
Win |
Loss |
Place |
Postseason |
| 2012-13 |
17 |
14 |
13 |
5 |
T2nd |
WNIT |
| 2013-14 |
17 |
14 |
10 |
6 |
3rd |
WNIT |
| 2014-15 |
23 |
9 |
14 |
2 |
1st |
WNIT |
| 2015-16 |
21 |
11 |
12 |
4 |
T2nd |
NCAA |
| 2016-17 |
12 |
18 |
7 |
9 |
T6th |
None |
| 2017-18 |
12 |
18 |
5 |
11 |
8th |
None |
| 2018-19 |
15 |
17 |
10 |
6 |
2nd |
WNIT |
| 2019-20 |
16 |
14 |
9 |
7 |
T2nd |
None |
| 2020-21 |
9 |
8 |
7 |
6 |
T4th |
None |
| 2021-22 |
20 |
10 |
13 |
3 |
1st |
NCAA |
| 2022-23 |
18 |
15 |
13 |
7 |
3rd |
NCAA |
| 2023-24 |
20 |
11 |
17 |
3 |
1st |
WBIT |
| 2024-25 |
22 |
10 |
16 |
4 |
1st |
WBIT |
| 2025-26 |
22 |
11 |
14 |
6 |
4th |
None |
| TOTALS |
244 |
180 |
160 |
79 |
|
|
|
.575 |
|
.669 |
|
|
|
CAREER RECORD
• Overall: 634-290 (27 years)
• At Hawai‘i: 244-180 (14 years)
ACCOLADES
• 2024-25 Big West Coach of the Year
• 2023-24 Big West Coach of the Year
• 2021-22 Big West Coach of the Year
• 2014-15 Big West Coach of the Year
• 2007-08 WBCA District 8 Coach of the Year
• 3x South Coast Conference Coach of the Year (2000, 2006, 2007)
• Inducted into the Cal State San Bernardino Hall of Fame in 2017
• Inducted into the California Community College Hall of Fame in 2019
• Inducted into the Mt. San Antonio College Athletics Hall of Fame in 2026
COACHING EXPERIENCE
• Hawai‘I, Head Coach (2012-2026)
• USC, Assistant Coach (2010-2012)
• Los Angeles Sparks, Assistant Coach (2008-2009)
• Mt. San Antonio College, Head Coach (1994-2010)
• Redlands, Assistant Coach (1992-1994)
COACHING HIGHLIGHTS AT UH
• Led Hawai‘i to a second straight Big West regular-season championship in 2025.
• Led Hawai‘i to the inaugural Women's Basketball Invitation Tournament in 2024.
• Led Hawai‘i to 2023 NCAA Tournament, program’s first back-to-back appearances in 33 years.
• Led Hawai‘i to 2022 NCAA Tournament, program’s first appearance in six years.
• Led Hawai‘i to 2016 NCAA Tournament, program’s first appearance in 18 years.
• Notched 244 career victories at UH, second most in program history.
• Reached the postseason nine times at Hawai‘i, including three trips to the NCAA Tournament
• Competed in three-straight Women’s National Invitational Tournaments (WNIT) (2013-15) and added a fourth appearance in 2019
• Won the 2016, 2022 and 2023 Big West Championship titles
• Won the 2015, 2022, 2024, and 2025 Big West regular-season titles
• Won both the Big West regular season and tournament titles in the same year (2022) for the first time in school history
• Led UH to at least 20 wins in six seasons, including the last three in a row
• In 2014-15 led UH to a 15-game win-streak (longest since a 19-game streak in 1997-98)
• Coached 33 All-Big West Selections (First Team-10; Second Team -13; Honorable Mention-10), two Big West “Player of the Year” winners, eight Big West “Sixth Players of the Year,” one Big West “Defensive Player of the Year,” five “All-Defensive Team” players, two Big West "Freshman of the Year" winners, and 11 Big West “All-Freshman Team” players.
PRIOR TO UH
• Won four California Community College State Championships at Mt. San Antonio College (2004, ’06, ’07, ’08)
• Won 10 South Coast Conference Championships
• Participated in the postseason in all 15 seasons
• Compiled an overall record of 390-110 (.780)
• Maintained a 96 percent matriculation rate for her student-athletes
OTHER HIGHLIGHTS
• Helped lead USC to its best record in 17 years with 24 wins in 2011-2012 as an assistant coach
• Helped lead USC to the 2011 WNIT Championship game
• Helped USC reel in two nationally ranked recruiting classes (No. 8 – 2010, No. 14 – 2011)
• Helped lead the Los Angeles Sparks to the 2008 Western Conference Finals
• Coached seven McDonald’s All-Americans
• Coached five All-PAC-12 Players
• Coached three Kodak All-Americans
• Coached four Olympic Gold Medalists
PLAYING EXPERIENCE
• CS San Bernardino University, 1989-1992 (All-American, holds school record in game, season, and career assists)
EDUCATION
• CS San Bernardino University, B.A., Business (1992)
• University of the Redlands, M.E., Counseling (1994)
• Azusa Pacific, M.E., Physical Education (1996)
HOMETOWN
• San Bernardino, Calif.
