KYLEE BEAM AND EAST STROUDBURG EQUAL HAPPINESS

“YOU CAN’T PLEASE EVERYONE, SO YOU GOT TO PLEASE YOURSELF”..AND IT’S EXACTLY WHAT KYLEE BEAM DID!

These days it’s hard for kids to sometimes see the big picture. Too often kids and parents are worried about what others think. Social media and keeping up with Jones has gotten lots of kids in trouble. It’s sad for example when kids pick the wrong AAU team. They are more concerned with status than development. Too often these days kids and parents play politics vs just doing the right thing. When it comes to picking a college, social media and hype rule the day. Too many kids pick a school to look good or to feel a certain way vs what’s in their best interest. The list of kids with failing college careers is too long to list. It usually begins with a player or their parents ego driving a decision. KYLEE BEAM and her mother, DELANIE are not part of that club. KYLEE BEAM TURNED DOWN D1 OFFERS TO ATTEND EAST STROUDSBURG UNIVERSITY.

These days kids will do anything for a little attention. These days you can find kids posting their offers on social media for bragging rights. These days parents live through their kids from an early age. Kylee Beam never had these issues. That’s because she was never the center of attention. She was not crowned or given pre hype before having success. Kylee, was a total unknown when she entered high school. She was not part of the incoming 2027 GOLDEN DOZEN. There was no hype surrounding her. She was just a kid who liked playing basketball. She didn’t have a personal trainer or attend workouts outside of her high school. You see Kylee Beam was just an ordinary kid at Howell High School. But she did not do ordinary things on a basketball court. That’s because her freshman year was her coming out party. Kylee Beam was named FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR by the SHORE INSIDER. She also helped turn Howell high school into a TOP10 program in the Shore Conference. Kylee Beam’s rise has been unexpected and record breaking. She became the first junior in school history to score 1000 points. She became the schools ALL TIME LEADING SCORER IN JUST 3 YEARS She led Howell to a South Jersey Group 4 sectional final appearance and was selected to the JSZ All-Zone Public Girls Basketball team. Currently Kylee Bean is on track to join the rarest of clubs. The 1000 point and rebounding club. That’s a club you can count on one hand in girls basketball. You see the fact of the matter is Kylee Beam is the best basketball player in HOWELL HISTORY. In so many ways she is a throw back to days long ago. She didn’t get all these honors and awards…SHE EARNED THEM!

Kylee Beam didn’t know much about AAU basketball or recruiting until after her freshman year. Her first AAU team was made up of lower level D3 players. She had no idea there was different level of AAU basketball. She didn’t enjoy low level AAU so simply walked away. Then she joined the Shoreshots and all changed for KYLEE BEAM. The competition was the best she ever played against or with. She learned just playing AAU was not enough, so she started training. This was not easy for a player who had never done such things. But what all this did for Kylee Beam was open doors. She started to develop as a player, she learned how to practice. She learned the importance of training. Kylee Beam became the best player in the 2027 Class and started getting recruited by D1 schools. She started to get D1 offers and her life began to change. She soon found herself in the spotlight. She soon found out that basketball could open doors she never dreamed about.

RECRUITING affects each kid differently especially when they start to get D1 offers. Often kids play just to get a D1 offer or a scholarship . Never understanding the importance of player development and it come first before all the other things. This is where the ego comes into place. Kids trying to keep up with Jones and bragging. Kids and parents playing to the crowd and forgetting what really matters. Picking the right school, the right home. Recruiting confused Kylee Beam like no kid I have ever known. I asked about D1 and she said “they would be nice” but you could tell it was not the most important thing to her. She knew it was important to everyone else. It was clear that Kylee Beam was thinking differently than everyone else. She didn’t want to go to a D1 school around the corner. She didn’t want to attend a D1 school 4 hours away. She didn’t want to be on a college campus all summer. She didn’t want the 5 hours away days. Kylee Beam wanted to play basketball and still have a life. She wanted to be close to her mother. When her father passed away and it left a big hole in her heart. She wanted and needed her mother’s support. KYLEE BEAM KNEW WHAT SHE WANTED and didn’t care what others thought. She choose a college for all the right reasons.

Kylee Beam thought those in her inner circle would be upset when she choose East Stroudsburg University a D2 program on the rise. Asst Coach, Bob Dubina, did a masterful job in his recruiting of Kylee Beam. He told me from the beginning. I’m just going to hang around and see what happens. He told me Kylee Beam would be happier playing D2. He laid out a picture of what Kylee Beam’s future would look like. He showed her what she could be and what ESU could be with her. Before Kylee Beam visited ESU, she said that she would visit a few more schools as well before making a decision. When she returned from her ESU visit, she asked me to talk with her outside. So we walked outside and with a big smile. She said “I’m going to ESU”. She asked if she should tell, ESU head Coach Liz Flocks, Bob Dubina, Tracey Sabino and Joe Santopietro her high school coach. I asked her did she tell her mother? She said she did, that her mother thought she could go to a D1 school. But once her mom set foot on the ESU campus, she was happy and excited for Kylee. Kylee, worried about one D1 coach she truly liked. She asked me, how do I tell him? I told her “it won’t be easy and you have to call him today” She then asked “HOW DO I COMMIT” I laughed because it was just a reminder how innocent KYLLE Beam really is!!!

KYLEE BEAM is lucky because she never had to get in the mud along the way. She never had the pressure to be a star, she was always a star. Nobody knew it except Trinity Hall Coach Matt McCarthy who sang her praises to me, when nobody knew anything about her. She never saw the ugly side of AAU. Her mom never lived though her basketball career. She won awards and often didn’t know what they meant of the importance of them. She played basketball because she liked it. Not to get attention or even a scholarship. Kylee Beam is what kids use to be and her mother is what parents use to be. Just good people doing something they enjoy. No stepping over others, causing drama, looking for the next big thing. Kylee Beam will play her final season at Howell then attend ESU. She will be the most important recruit in the schools history. She will play with players she has played and trained with over the years. She be with coaches she loves and trust. She will be able to see her mom at games. When she arrives ESU will be a nationally ranked team. Kylee Beam will have it all. She will be that rare D2 player that has everything from A-Z paid for, a true full scholarship. Kylee Beam will be the best freshman to ever walk on the ESU court. She’ll be the ultimate teammate and friend. She will not want or expect special treatment. She will want the spotlight to shine on her teammates. She will be what all coaches dream about “A GREAT PERSON”. Kylee losing her dad has not been easy on her or her mom. But somehow they have marched on and not surrendered to the pain and sorrow, that comes with losing a dad and husband. Kylee has something to play for every night. There will certainly be NIL money thrown at her by D1 schools, while she is at ESU. It won’t matter THO!… What will matter most to her will be her happiness, these days, there is no happier player, parent or school than The BEAM FAMILY AND EAST STROUDSBURG.. …Congratulations to KYLEE BEAM!

KYLEE BEAM OFFICIAL VIDEO… TOMORROW