MOSCOW, Idaho — Beyonce Bea has been through many ups and downs in her four years at the University of Idaho.
However, this season the senior has shined becoming one of the top 10 scorers in the nation and has set herself up for a potentially massive fifth year in Moscow.
That’s right, Bea and the school announced last week Bea will return to school for her fifth year.
“It is official now, I will be coming back for my fifth year. I did not want to give that up,” Bea said.
Why wouldn’t she want to come back?
Bea has broken out this season averaging over 23 points per game to place her among the top ten scorers in the nation. She has come a long way from her basketball beginnings.
“I didn’t actually like basketball until fifth grade, I actually hated it until then,” Bea said.
That feeling luckily did not last as Bea became Washougal High School’s all-time leading scorer and led the school to its first-ever state championship in girls' basketball her senior year.
“(A state title) was something we had worked on for so long. Getting to grow up with some of my teammates who I had played with since fifth grade, it was just really special to bring a (championship) to our hometown,” Bea said.
Bea has been a productive scorer her entire career in Moscow, but this year she took it to another level with a simple approach.
“Going into the season, I just wanted to be more of a consistent offensive presence for the team. I really worked on being able to create more shots for myself and my teammates. I added more moves to my bag and added confidence to taking shots on the court,” Bea said.
This season felt different right away for Bea.
“Those first couple of games at the beginning of the season I started seeing shots going in and I realized taking my shots like this is something I can do and this is what I am capable of. This has been my goal for the last couple of years,” Bea said.
With the Big Sky Conference tournament beginning this weekend, Bea believes the Vandals are capable of making some noise in Boise.
“It’s anybody’s game in the tournament. We have seen teams seeded really low win the whole thing. This conference is tough, so anyone can win at any point in time, you just have to be ready to do it,” Bea said.
Bea and the Vandals begin their quest for an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament Monday against Sacramento State. Tip-off in Boise is set for 1:30 p.m.
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