St. Joseph’s Lady Knights are mounting another playoff charge, and once again, Aly Beebe is the center of attention.
The 6-foot-4 sophomore led a balanced assault in a 94-14 drubbing of Malibu in the second round of the CIF Southern Section Division 4A playoffs on Feb. 20. In just about a half of playing time, Beebe tallied 14 points, pulled down nine rebounds, and blocked a shot.
“It was a team effort,” Beebe said of the win. “My role is to work in the post, and the people inside and taking care of my area. Usually when I take care of my stuff and they take care of theirs, then it works out pretty well.”
Last season, Beebe was the CalHiPreps.com Freshman of the Year and the Los Padres League’s Defensive Player of the Year. This year, she’s upped her rebounding to a team-leading 9.3 average and is blocking three shots per contest. Beebe is also the club’s third leading scorer at 12.1 points per game.
“I feel more confident out there in doing things that I couldn’t do last year,” she explained. “It’s getting easier. I don’t have to think about things as much as I used to.”
According to St. Joseph first-year girls’ coach Ed Torres, to call Beebe’s athletic abilities a “big plus” to his squad would be an understatement.
“She controls the paint defensively and offensively, and she’s one of the top sophomore centers in the country,” he said. “When you have the opportunity to coach someone like that, it’s a great honor and a great advantage for us.”
As the playoffs progress, Torres said, Beebe’s role becomes even more integral, drawing opposing defenses in the key and opening up the outside game. Further down the line, Torres said Division I success is on his young center’s horizon.
“It’s not just about having skills, but it’s her ability to get along with everyone,” he said. “She’s very well-liked, she’s very humble, and I think some college down the line is going to be lucky to have her.”
For now, Beebe is simply excited to be in the playoffs for another round.
“I’m just looking forward to playing with the seniors here, to keep our season going and keep having fun,” she said. “I don’t want it to end.”
This article appears in Feb 25 – Mar 4, 2010.
