BOILING
SPRINGS - Gardner-Webb announced Monday that the men's basketball
program had hired DeAntoine
Beasley as an assistant coach.
Beasley
spent the 2013-2014 season as an assistant at Pensacola State
(Fla.) College, where he helped the Pirates to a 21-11 overall
record in the junior college ranks and the program's 15th Panhandle
Conference title.
Beasley
has a wealth of Division I coaching experience under his belt,
having served for two seasons as an assistant coach at Chattanooga
from 2011-2013 under Coach John Shulman. Beasley also coached one
season at his alma mater, Tennessee Tech, under Coach Mike
Sutton.
The
Atlanta, Ga., native is familiar with Gardner-Webb head coach Tim
Craft, who he worked with as a graduate manager at Auburn in
2009-2010.
"I'm
excited to have DeAntoine Beasely join our staff," said Craft.
"Having worked alongside him at Auburn, I know the type of
character and talent that he will bring to our program. His
experiences as a coach and player at both the college and
professional levels will be invaluable to the development of our
student-athletes - both on and off the court."
Beasley
joined the Auburn staff after playing seven seasons professionally
in England - and also launched his coaching career internationally,
coaching at the University of St. Mark and St. John from 2003-2005.
His coaching was rewarded with national titles in 2003 and
2004.
Beasley
was a perennial all-star during his playing career in England and
was MVP in the National Trophy race in 2004. He also won the 2004
BBC Sports Personality Award for the Southwest Region.
As a
player in the college ranks, Beasley played in 120 games for the
Golden Eagles at Tennessee Tech - averaging a career-high 8.5
points per game as a junior. His biggest victory came off the
court, as he overcame a Hodgkin's Disease diagnosis midway through
his sophomore season.
The
former South Cobb (Ga.) High standout completed his sophomore
season before starting treatment for the disease, redshirted the
next season and returned for his junior season in
2000-2001.
Beasley
helped the Golden Eagles to OVC titles in 2001 and 2002, with the
2002 squad going a strong 27-7 and winning three NIT games - over
Georgia State, Dayton and Yale - before falling to John Calipari
and eventual NIT champion Memphis in the quarterfinals by just six
points.
Beasley
was honored as the Sam Harley Lynn Award recipient in 1999 and
earned the Golden Eagle Award for sacrifice, dedication and hard
work in 2001-02. He also won the John P. Hendrix Leadership Award
as a junior and senior while serving as the Golden Eagles' team
captain.
Beasley
is the only student-athlete in Tennessee Tech history to win all
three awards. He graduated from the Cookeville, Tenn., school with
a degree in health and physical education in 2004.
Beasley
and his wife, the former Katie Hespe of Sheffield, England, were
married on August 11, 2011.