Recruiting Stories: Krystal Beachum (Women's Basketball)
High School – Mexia High School (TX)
Growing up, Krystal Beachum was a 3-sport athlete in the central Texas town of Mexia, where she starred on the basketball, volleyball, and track teams. Although she was always busy with sports, basketball was her love, and she even played on an AAU team.As her Junior year began, she dreamed of playing college basketball. Unfortunately, Krystal didn’t get many looks from college programs. “Honestly, I didn’t take the recruiting process seriously. I should have been more active in getting my name out to schools”, Krystal admits.Her Senior year started with great expectations for a college scholarship, as she was the star of both her high school and AAU team. Then adversity struck in the form of a devastating knee injury. Krystal had torn her ACL and MCL. She would be sidelined for the remainder of her high school career.
Recruiting Process: Part 1 – High School to Junior College
Krystal had always achieved high grades in school, but her test scores were unimpressive. The only basketball program talking to Krystal about a playing opportunity was University of Mary-Hardin Baylor (UMHB) in Belton, Texas, but they were honest with her and said they really wanted her only if her sister joined her in Belton a few years later.Unenthusiastic about UMHB’s lukewarm offer, Krystal was determined to make her own way. A coach from a nearby Junior College had seen her play prior to her injury, and offered her a full scholarship to play basketball at McLennan Community College (MCC) in Waco, Texas.
Junior College – McLennan University
Upon arriving to McLennan, Beachum had one clear goal in mind: Get an athletic scholarship to a Division 1 basketball school after her Junior College career.MCC turned out to be a great school for Krystal to develop and mature as both a person and a basketball player. She was close to home, was on full scholarship (no student loans!!), and even got to take home her full PELL Grant check each semester. She refocused her efforts in the classroom and attained a perfect 4.0 GPA both years in school.Still recovering from injury, Beachum was forced to redshirt her 1st year at McLennan. During her rehabilitation, she knew she had 2 years of basketball at MCC to make her dreams of attaining a Division 1 scholarship a reality.Beachum’s redshirt Freshman year she became a star at MCC. She averaged 15 points/game, added another 6 rebounds/game.
Recruiting Process: Part 2 – Junior College to Division 2
“I knew I had to change my approach the second time around in the recruiting process. I was reaching out more to the schools. I was much more active in the recruiting process than I was in high school” Beachum recalls. One aspect she believes really helped her was sending out weekly emails with updated stats and film to all the schools that were talking to her and that she was pursuing.After her standout Freshman season at MCC, Krystal started gaining the interest of coaches from Lamar University, SMU, North Texas, and University of Houston. Although this attention thrilled her, the two schools with the most intense pursuit of Beachum were Henderson State in Arkansas, and Longwood University in Virginia.Both Henderson and Longwood had seen several games Beachum had played in, and both were offering her positions on their teams in the upcoming recruiting classes. However, the Henderson State program not only had a history of recruiting players from McLennan, but also had an academic program that caught Krystal’s eye. “I knew I wanted to be a teacher, and Henderson State was known for their teaching program.”Upon completion of her 2nd year at McLennan, Beachum accepted a full scholarship to play basketball at Henderson State in Arkadelphia, Arkansas.
Division 2 – Henderson State
Beachum played 3 years for the Henderson State Women’s basketball team. While she began as a bench player, she played her last 2 years as a starter and impact player on the team. In her last 2 years on the team, she averaged 15 points/game and 5 rebounds/game.“Henderson State was the best thing that happened to me. I was able to personally grow there, as well at professionally. Without the instruction from all the people I connected with while there, I would not be where I am today.”Krystal was able to attend Henderson State for 3 years on full scholarship and graduated in 2014 with a degree in General Studies while double majoring in English and History. Perhaps the greatest achievement of Krystal’s career was her ability to receive a quality education, all while not having to accumulate any student debt because of the scholarships she earned through basketball.
Post-Playing Career
Having earned her degree in General Studies, Krystal pursued and attained a Graduate Assistant job at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. “Getting my Graduate assistant job was just like recruiting for me. I had to reach out to them countless times, sell myself, and be resilient and determined when I wasn’t getting the answers I was looking for.”She worked for 2 years as an academic counselor with the Arkansas athletic program, focusing on working with the Women’s Basketball, Women’s Volleyball, and Women’s Tennis teams. Krystal was able to attain her master’s degree on full academic scholarship while working for the academic counseling office full-time.Upon graduation with her Masters of Education degree in Sports Management, Krystal started her own athletic consulting firm, Student Athletes Unite, helping athletes find scholarships and collegiate playing opportunities. Krystal currently lives in Fayetteville, Arkansas and routinely travels back to Mexia, Texas to help educate high school students in her hometown on the athletic recruiting process.
