Beach became superb coach after stellar playing career

Janice Beach came to Wayland Baptist in 1970 as the all-time scorer in Oklahoma girl’s basketball with an average of 44 points per game.  She also set an Oklahoma state tournament single game record by scoring 61 points (a mark she continued to own at the time of her induction).  So it came as no surprise that when she put on a Flying Queen uniform, Beach continued to be an offensive threat.  During her second season, she led the Queens in scoring, and by the time she graduated in 1974, she was among the top ten in career points with 1,255. 

But for those that watched Beach throughout her four years at Wayland, it was her scrappy play on both ends of the court for which she is best remembered.  In fact, one Flying Queen media guide describes Beach as a good offensive ballplayer, but “…her defensive play demoralized many opponents.”

Beach finished her career at Wayland as a three-time AAU and NWIT All-American.  She won two AAU Championships and four NWIT Championships as a Flying Queen and was the team’s Most Valuable Player in 1974.  She represented the United States at the 1971 Pan American Games in Cali, Columbia and at the 1973 World University Games in Moscow, winning the silver medal in both.  One of her most memorable experiences came at the Pan Am games when she hit the winning shot at the buzzer to beat Cuba.

Following her graduation from Wayland, Beach coached two years at Petersburg High School before returning to her native Oklahoma where she has been since 1976 coaching girl’s basketball at Navajo High School in Altus.  At the time of her induction, she had accumulated 559 wins with just 200 losses, seven state tournament appearances, two state semi-final appearances and 25 district championships.  Beach was named as the 1995 All-State West Squad Coach, the 1998-99 Region Coach of the Year, the 2003 Oklahoma Girls Basketball Coaches Association Region 4 Coach of the Year, and is a five-time Lawton Constitution Coach of the Year.  She was also selected as the Navajo Teacher of the Year in 1997-98.