NCAAW: Former Marshall guard Abby Beeman on her basketball journey

Two players tallied multiple triple-doubles during the 2023-24 NCAAW season. One of them was Iowa’s Caitlin Clark. The other? Marshall’s Abby Beeman.

Despite being 5-foot-4, she led the Thundering Herd in points, rebounds, assists and steals her senior year. Right now, she’s moving to Iceland to continue her basketball career. It will be her first time playing outside West Virginia.

She shared with us her incredible journey from Ridgeley, WV (population: 590) to Division II Shepherd University to Marshall to her move across the Atlantic. Some highlights from our conversation include:

On earning the trust of her Marshall teammates after transferring from Shepherd University, a Division II school:

Being the hardest worker in the room, getting there early [or]on time, staying after and just kind of setting that example, so that whenever I asked them as a point guard to do stuff, that it’s not something that I don’t do myself. I am a quiet person, but I lead by example and then just kind of doing the right thing and hoping they follow….Everyone likes to touch the ball. Everyone likes to put the ball in the basket. So just putting them in good positions and making sure they’re all happy, and meeting their needs

On the similarities between herself and Caitlin Clark:

I love watching her because I think we kind of, especially with passing, have a similar IQ. Obviously she’s a lot taller than me, but I could use a few of her inches. We both have deep range. She probably shoots more 3s than I do. At least she shot it in college. But yeah, I do see a few similarities. Obviously there’s differences as well. I think we both are really good passers and that’s something that I always notice when I watch her.

A special thank you to Thomas Prodromou of Flash Agency for arranging the interview.