David Beaver Position: Head Coach

David Beaver is entering his third season as Head Coach of the Texas A&M International University Women's Basketball Team with expectations high than ever. Despite having one of the youngest teams in the region, the Dustdevils finished with a 4-6 record in the Heartland Conference, good enough for their second consecutive top four finish in the conference standings.

The Dustdevils finished fourth in the conference in scoring offense averaging 65.9 points per game. They also did well in the hustle categories, finishing second in offensive rebounding grabbing 16.4 boards per game and second in blocked shots averaging 3.5 per game. Individually, Johnna Williams led the conference with a season high 11 double-doubles, while also setting the season record for most rebounds in a game (21) and most blocked shots in a game (7).

Last year's squad was comprised of nine underclassmen out of eleven total players. With a wealth of experience returning to the court and the addition of several highly recruited junior college transfers, Coach Beaver says his team finally has all the pieces to put the program on the map.

"Last season we didn't have all the bullets in our gun, so to speak. We have a lot more depth this season, we're faster and much more athletic. Our slogan for the season is "It's Time" - it's a slogan we've had in our back pocket and we've been waiting for the right time to use it. We feel like that time is now. We believe that this is the group that will earn us notoriety in our conference, our region and in the nation. We are not settling for just a Heartland Conference Tournament appearance - our goal is to make the NCAA Tournament. As much as I am pushing the girls to be their best this year, I am also pushing myself. I have to live up to the same standard I hold my team to in order for us to be successful."

Beaver's inaugural team made the conference postseason tournament as the sixth seed but played well above that seeding in a hard-fought loss to UT-Permian Basin in the quarterfinal round. The student-athletes earning All-Conference honors under his tutelage were second-team pick Johnna Williams and honorable mention honoree Mary Tobias.

Prior to his arrival in Laredo, Beaver served as the top assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Sam Houston State for two seasons. He was responsible for recruiting two of the top classes in school history, with those classes featuring two top-50 and four top-80 students-athletes from the State of Texas and one top-35 athlete from Oklahoma.

Sam Houston State has already benefited from Beaver's recruiting prowess. The first class he recruited helped lead the Lady Kats to a 9-20 overall record last season, an improvement of eight wins over the previous season. That mark placed as the fifth best improvement in the NCAA Division I statistical rankings for wins. Prior to his stint at Sam Houston State, Beaver served as an assistant coach at the junior college level at Connors State College and Redlands Community College in Oklahoma.

At Connors State, Beaver helped lead the team to its first winning season and first regional tournament appearance in three years. He was responsible for spearheading the recruiting class that elevated Connors back into the national rankings, as that class went 51-5 in two seasons.

At Redlands, Beaver was top assistant and recruiting coordinator for four seasons. He helped lead the team to over 20 wins per season, posting an 86-39 record with four conference titles, four regional championships, and one national tournament appearance during his tenure.

Beaver also served one season as head coach at Collinsville High School, where he lead the team to its first winning season and highest district finish in 25 years. His team ranked in the top 10 in the entire Dallas-Fort Worth area in offensive scoring average and defensive average, regardless of school classification size. All five of Beaver's starters garnered All-District honors.

He began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Northwestern State in 1999. Beaver holds a bachelor's in music education from Northwestern State and a master's in human relations and sports management from the University of Oklahoma.