Alana Beard

Sport: Basketball

Induction Year: 2023

University: Duke

A phenomenal shooting guard at the high school, collegiate and professional levels, Beard was the 2000 Miss Basketball in Louisiana, the 2004 John R. Wooden winner as college basketball’s best player (winning the first one awarded to women) and a four-time WNBA all-star (2005-07, 2009). … Helped Southwood High School to four consecutive state titles from 1997-2000 with a 144-6 record (ending her career with 53 wins in a row) and the WBCA All-American scored 2,646 points before going to Duke. … There, she scored 2,687 points — 41 more than she did in high school – and was the first NCAA player to amass 2,600 points, 500 assists and 400 steals in a career while leading the Blue Devils to two Final Four appearances. … The three-time ACC Player of the Year (2002, 2003, 2004) averaged 19.8 points, 5.8 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 3.0 steals for her career. … Her yearly scoring averages of 17.0, 19.8, 22.0 and 19.7 came while shooting 52.7% from the field and 77.4% from the free-throw line for her career. … The second pick of the 2004 WNBA draft by the Washington Mystics, Beard played 14 seasons with the Mystics and L.A. Sparks (she missed the entire 2010 and 2011 seasons with injuries) and averaged 11.3 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 419 career games. … While a capable scorer, she was a lockdown defender as the WNBA Defensive Player of the Year in 2017 and 2018 and was a first-team All-Defensive team pick five times (second team four times). … She was a member of the Sparks’ 2016 WNBA championship team. …Born 5-14-1982 in Shreveport.