Point Park University's Student-Run Newspaper

Point Park Globe

Point Park University's Student-Run Newspaper

Point Park Globe

Point Park University's Student-Run Newspaper

Point Park Globe

Beatty makes an impact on Point Park women

Hustling, hardworking and focused were three terms that Point Park University Head Women’s Basketball Coach Sam Kosanovich used to describe junior guard Kristen Beatty.A transfer from the Community College of Allegheny County (CCAC), Beatty has found a way to adjust to the game on Point Park’s level. She made the trip south down Interstate 279 to the North Side where she starred on the CCAC-Allegheny women’s basketball team.”She is a great talent,” Ken Hoeltje, CCAC-Allegheny’s athletic coordinator said. “She was a good student athlete and a good leader. She accomplished many things in different ways while playing here.”There, she was an National Junior College Association (NJCAA) All-Region 20 selection, and was at one time, an All-Star. She was also a leader on and off the court for the CCAC-Allegheny Cougars.”I remember one time when I had to fill in for a former coach and had to take the team to face Butler Community College,” Hoeltje said. “There was around six seconds left in the game, and she looked at me and I looked back and I told her to ‘just go.’ She took the inbound pass … drove it the length of the court and rolled one in for the game-winning shot to win an important conference game for us.” Beatty said she had to make adjustments while with Point Park and not “over-do it.””I had to learn how to slow down and watch for open players,” Beatty said. “I had to learn how to be aware of my surroundings enough to make the extra passes. I’ve also been forced to work on my shot. I think it’s all starting to come along for me.”At Point Park, Beatty has so far made a noticeable impact. On two separate occasions, she has led the Pioneers in field goal percentage. Beatty went 6 of 7 (.857) against Geneva on Nov. 23 and 5 of 6 (.833) on Dec. 2 against Penn State University at Fayette.She also registered a team and career-high 19 points against Eastern Alabama’s nonconference Talladega College on Dec 18.  “She worked hard at it,” Kosanovich said. “She worked in our summer leagues and has been very dedicated to our program.”Due to transfer rules, Beatty had to sit out for the 2009-2010 season. A human resources management major, she has also worked hard to meet qualifications in the classroom and even hopes to land an internship this summer.”I’m happy to be here,” she said. “There are some things that I had to do different, academically, and I had to get myself back into basketball shape. I’m so grateful to be here right now, and I have learned so much from experiences prior to getting here.”The Pioneers are currently 11-10 overall and 3-7 in the American Mideast Conference (AMC) — a rank that is good for eighth place.The top six teams to finish in the Conference qualify for the post season. Last year, the Pioneer women came one victory shy of accomplishing that feat.Beatty wants to change to this year.”Coach has been starting to crack down on us in practice,” Beatty said. “We definitely have what it takes to be a playoff caliber team, and I want to help us get there.”She has seen an increase in her role as a result of a strong showing in the team’s nonconference schedule.”At first we used her as a sixth man to provide us an extra spark,” Kosanovich said. “But recently she’s began to see some starting time. She doesn’t miss practice … She’s really shown a commitment to this team and it is shown through her hard work.”

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