After a career spanning more than 30 years — the past 14 leading the University of Hawaii women’s basketball program — Beeman announced her retirement from coaching during a news conference in UH’s Gym II.
“It’s time,” said Beeman, who led the Rainbow Wahine to three NCAA Tournament appearances and nine postseason berths.
There were several factors in the decision to walk away as the program’s second-winningest coach. There was the way the sport had changed, such as the growing demands of name-image-likeness compensation for players and navigating the transfer portal. There was the calling to assist athletes of all ages dealing with mental-health concerns. And there was the desire to spend more time with family and friends, to not miss any more weddings, family parties or her 88-year-old mother’s Thanksgiving dinners.
Her decision comes three weeks after one of her best coaching jobs, resurrecting the Rainbow Wahine from an 0-5 start to the championship game of the Big West Tournament. It was in the postgame locker room, exhausted from back-to-back overtime wins and then a heartbreaking loss in the title game, during which she asked her players to treasure these moments, that this could be their final time together.
“And in the back of my head thinking, ‘me, too,” Beeman recalled.
Last Friday, she received a how-are-you-doing text from athletic director Matt Elliott. Beeman responded: “Let’s talk.”
On Monday, Beeman told her partner, Carla: “I think this is the direction I need to go for a lot of different reasons. I want to leave this job loving it. And it’s been good to me. I don’t want to resent it. I want to do it on my own terms, and a lot of coaches don’t get that opportunity. The voices were in my head. But the decision wasn’t made until recently.”
Beeman will remain until her successor is announced. Elliott said Beeman will be consulted but not be part of the selection committee.
“Part of my job,” Beeman said of her assistant coaches, “is to absolutely prepare them for their next steps.”
She said she will make telephone calls on their behalf, write letters of recommendation and guide them through mock interviews.
Beeman said she told her players to “trust the process. Trust that Matt and the athletic department will find the best next coach. Trust that the work they have laid does not have to go away. That core group can still do magical things.”
Beeman said she has no definitive post-coaching plans.
“I’ve never punched a clock,” she said. “If that’s the next chapter of my life, where I’ve got to punch a clock and figure out an 8-to-5, I’m going to figure it out. But I have no idea what it’s going to be like.”
UH still has not hired a replacement for Vince Baldemor, who resigned as associate athletic director in January to become vice president of development for Boyd Gaming. Would Beeman consider applying?
“If the job is one that fits my skills and it’s one that can benefit the department, I’ll absolutely take a look at it,” Beeman said. “I love athletics. I want to continue to be a part of this university in some way. It’s going to come down to if it’s something to help the department. If it’s something I feel I can meet those needs, I would absolutely consider it. I believe in athletics. I believe in Matt. I believe in President (Wendy) Hensel. I believe in the direction of this department.”
During sessions with state lawmakers, Beeman has frequently testified on the need for state funding, particularly for NILs.
“I’ll still continue to tell the story because I believe that the institution needs the money,” Beeman said.
Beeman has expressed an interest in helping young athletes.
“I don’t know if I want to go into some type of performance coaching, where it’s not just about college athletics,” she said. “It’s also about high school athletes. It’s also about intermediate athletes, where you have young kids who really question their ability. That they really question they’re more than an athlete. They question who they are. I think I can sit down with a lot of those youngsters and say, let’s talk about what really matters. ‘Yes, your sport matters. But believing in yourself and understanding that next-play mentality is so important.’”
Beeman also has an interest in mental health.
“I read a crazy statistic (that) suicide is the No. 2 cause of death in our state,” She said. “That can’t happen. If there’s any way, shape or form that I can be a part of (preventing) that, whether it’s volunteering, or starting something up, or getting involved in something that’s already in existence, that’s something I’ll consider.”
For now, Beeman, who will continue to live in Hawaii, looks forward to an emptier calendar.
“You have no idea how many times I missed my mom’s Christmas meal, Thanksgiving, weddings,” she said. “My nephew is getting married May 2 and I can actually say I’m going to that wedding, for sure, and I’m not going to be out recruiting or at a conference meeting or someplace else. I can actually say I’m going to spend time with my friends and go to this wedding.”
-- by Stephen Tsai, March 31, 2026