Duke frosh guard has high standards

November 25, 2000
The News & Observer

By Robert Alfonso Jr.; STAFF WRITER

DURHAM -- Alana Beard wants to be perfect. No losses by her team. No turnovers for herself. Just perfection.

Five games into the women's basketball season, Duke's freshman guard has half of her wish: The third-ranked Blue Devils have won all five of their games.

The turnovers? She's trying to eliminate those, beginning today at 3 p.m. against Duquesne in the Duke Classic at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

Beard, who started all five games and is the team's leading scorer with 17.6 points per game, has committed 17 turnovers. Three came in her Nov. 10 college debut, an 80-52 victory over UCLA in which she scored 15 points.

"I hate to make turnovers, but that's something I have to work on," Beard, who stands 5 feet 11, said. "That's not cool. I played like a true freshman [against UCLA]."

For a freshman, Beard's standards are high. She followed her debut with a 20-point effort against then-No. 7 Louisiana State for a 56-45 win at the Women's Sports Foundation Classic at New Mexico. She received the tournament MVP award, but you could hardly tell by her reaction. After all, she had four turnovers against LSU.

"I don't care about individual awards," said Beard, who is from Frierson, La. "I just want to win."

Duke coach Gail Goestenkors last chose a freshman as a starter when she picked Missy West, now a senior, in 1996. The coach credits Beard for her role in the victories, but she sees work ahead for the player whom the league's coaches voted the ACC's preseason rookie of the year.

"Her decision-making on the court is the one area that she needs to work on," Goestenkors said. "She needs to know when to be patient and when to go one-on-one."

To correct her flaws, Beard watches film from the previous game before every practice. She also stays after practice to focus on particular problems.

"After watching the tape, and having the coaches explain it to me," Beard said, "I realized how many mistakes I made. That goes to show you that scoring isn't everything. It's about doing little things right."

Beard said she calls herself "a student of the game." A student needs a teacher, and Beard has found the person she calls "the ultimate teacher": senior Georgia Schweitzer. During practices, Beard says, she observes how Schweitzer handles the point and leads by example.

"I'm still learning, and I'm learning from Georgia," Beard said.

Goestenkors said she admires Beard's desire to succeed.

"She does have a passion for the game," she said. "[Alana] has no stress on the court. [Playing is] the best part of her day. I tend to get upset with players when I feel that they're not giving a full effort; but as long as they play hard, I know they are going to make mistakes."

Beard is one of those hard-playing players. She aims to make the mistakes disappear, and she knows her coach will help.

"[Coach G] never lets you settle for less," Beard said. "She wants you to go beyond what she knows you can achieve.

"To be successful, it's all about heart and staying focused."