Where Are They Now?... Alana Beard

By A.J. Carr

DURHAM, N.C.-- The ankle twisted, a tendon tore and just that quickly, Alana Beard's WNBA basketball season ended before it began.
No big scoring nights. No steals and assists. No helping her Washington Mystics team. Not in 2010.

But while Beard missed every game last season recovering from surgery performed by Duke doctor James Nunley, it wasn't a lost year for the forward-thinking, all-star guard. Instead of languishing in disappointment, Beard -- Duke's all-time greatest women's player --
has been busy rehabbing and preparing for life after hoops. She interned in San Francisco with Jamba Juice, which specializes in smoothies and healthfoods.

“I refused to let this year pass me by; I'm always looking to put ideas in place,'' said Beard, whose internship ends in January. “I've always wanted to own a smoothie franchise. I'm working on a detailed business plan. I'm starting to figure out a lot in my life. It's been very fulfilling.”

Not that Beard's ready to give up jump shots for juice just yet. A four-time WNBA All-Star in six pro seasons, she expects a complete recovery from the ankle injury and plans to keep playing indefinitely while chasing that elusive league championship. Still, with an eye on the future as well as an eye on the basket, she already has an investment commitment from SI Holding to help her jump start a
Jumba Juice franchise.

“I'd like to penetrate the East Coast, Washington and Baltimore as a starting point,” she said. “(Also) Virginia, and I'd like to get in Durham and Raleigh.”

Knowing all about Beard's resolve when pursuing a goal, former Duke coach Gail Goestenkors predicts a bright business future for her former pupil, saying: “She will be a millionaire.”

HOOPS AND HOOPLA

After an illustrious, record-setting career at Duke, Beard was the second player picked overall -- and top selection of the Mystics -- in the 2004 draft. She has lived up to expectations, utilizing her athleticism, drive and skills to sparkle at both ends of the court after making an early adjustment to the pro game.

“That first year I had to figure everything out,'' Beard said. “Every night you are going against the best women in the world. There's a huge difference (from college).”

Until the injury stopped her last April, the 5-11 Beard was on a roll. She made the All-WNBA team four consecutive years and the All-Defensive Team five straight seasons. In addition to posting a 16.2 career scoring average, she has come up with more steals (364) than Robin Hood and Jesse James did combined.

Now she's eager to be back on the court, to play along side former Duke standouts Monique Currie and Lindsay Harding, to bring a championship to Washington and to land a spot on the 2012 Olympic team.

Can she regain her old form, be the same preinjury Alana?

“There's no doubt I will be back at full strength,'' said Beard, who does daily 5:30 a.m. workouts before going to her Jamba job.
Mystics coach Trudi Lacy, a former N.C. State standout, welcomes her return.

“She's an awesome leader on the court and an exceptional person off the court,” Laci said. Off the court, through the Alana Beard Foundation, the benevolent Mystic sponsors 82 girls on seven girls AAU basketball teams -- six from the D.C. area and one in her hometown, Shreveport, La.

“I want to help, give young women (opportunities),” Beard said.

BLUE DEVIL DAYS

Beard came to Duke in 2000 from cajun country and brought a man's-style game to women's basketball. She could run, jump, shoot and defend. As a result, she became the cynosure of all eyes and the No. 1 target of every Blue Devil opponent, who never
really figured a way to contain her. Check some highlights:

*Four-time All-America.
*Two-time National Player of the Year.
*First Duke women's player to have her jersey (No. 20) retired.
*Collected more than 2,600 points, 500 assists and 400 steals, the first man or woman in NCAA history to produce those figures.
*Still owns 10 Duke records.

The only hole in her remarkable collegiate resume was failing to win a national championship. It left an ache in her competitive heart.

“That's (still) the hardest thing to take; the program is very deserving,” said Beard, who is connected to the current coaching staff and remains close to Goestenkors, now the head coach at Texas.

Although falling short in her quest for the national title, Beard set a standard for all Duke players.

“She was one of the greatest players, not only in the ACC, but in the country,'' Goestenkors said. “She was consistently great, a dynamic player at both ends of the court. She only knew one way to play, all out all the time. She never coasted, never took a night off.”

Flamboyant on the court, Beard was the opposite off the court, a quiet, reserved sociology major.

“She was painfully shy,'' Goestenkors said. “We did exercises with the team, have players give a book report or help give a scouting report. When she presented (before teammates), she almost hyperventilated.”

Eventually, Beard became more comfortable at a podium. During a national awards banquet after her senior year, she spoke with “grace and poise”

in front of about 1,000 people, Goestenkors remembers. Now loquacious and out-going, Beard credits the Duke experience for helping her mature and grow personally as well as hone her basketball skills.

“I'm forever grateful,'' she said.

Where Are They Now?... Alana Beard

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