SLS 23RS-131 ORIGINAL
2023 Regular Session
SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 7
BY SENATOR BERNARD
COMMENDATIONS. Commends Alana Beard on being inducted into the 2023 class of the
Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame.
1 A RESOLUTION
2 To commend Alana Beard on being inducted into the 2023 class of the Louisiana Sports
3 Hall of Fame.
4 WHEREAS, the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame in Natchitoches, Louisiana, each year
5 collaborates with the Louisiana Sports Writers Association in selecting a limited number of
6 sports figures who embody the character, skill, and talent worthy of being named to the Hall
7 of Fame; and
8 WHEREAS, the 2023 Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame Induction Class includes Alana
9 Beard; and
10 WHEREAS, born and raised in Shreveport, Louisiana, Alana Monique Beard is the
11 daughter of LeRoy and Marie Beard; and
12 WHEREAS, Alana is a phenomenal basketball guard and she has played basketball
13 at the high school, collegiate, and professional levels; and
14 WHEREAS, Alana guided the Southwood High School Lady Cowboys' basketball
15 team to four straight Louisiana state titles from 1997-2000 with a 144-6 win/loss record;
16 Alana won 53 straight games to conclude her high school career; she did not lose a home or
17 district game in four years; and the team ended the 2000 season with a final national ranking
18 of No. 21 by USA Today; and
Page 1 of 3 SR NO. 7
SLS 23RS-131 ORIGINAL
1 WHEREAS, Alana completed high school with a career record of scoring 2,646
2 points and she received numerous All-America honors her senior year including Louisiana's
3 Gatorade Player of the Year, Miss Basketball in Louisiana, and the USA Today Player of the
4 Year; and
5 WHEREAS, Alana was a member of the 2000 USA Basketball Women's Junior
6 World Championship Qualifying Team and competed in Mar Del Plata, Argentina; she led
7 the team with 19 steals and averaged 15.4 points and 4.4 rebounds per game; and she helped
8 the team win a gold medal; and
9 WHEREAS, Alana Beard attended Duke University where she scored 2,687 points,
10 leading the Duke Blue Devils womens basketball team in scoring all four years of her
11 college career, and leading the team to two NCAA Final Four appearances; and
12 WHEREAS, Alana became the first freshman to make the All-Atlantic Coast
13 Conference (ACC) First Team and Duke University's first National Player of the Year; and
14 WHEREAS, Alana went on to become a three-time ACC Player of the Year, a
15 three-time All-ACC Defensive Team honoree, an ESPN Magazine Shooting Guard of the
16 Year; the recipient of the 2002 Wade Trophy; and the first winner of the inaugural Women's
17 John R.Wooden Award; and
18 WHEREAS, Alana was the first National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)
19 basketball player to amass 2,600 points, 500 assists, and 400 steals; and she was the all-time
20 leading scorer for mens and womens basketball when she left Duke; and
21 WHEREAS, Alana's No. 20 jersey is retired, making her the first Blue Devil's
22 womens basketball player in history to receive the honor; and
23 WHEREAS, Alana left the collegiate ranks as one of the best players to play womens
24 basketball in the history of the NCAA; and
25 WHEREAS, Alana Beard was the second overall pick of the 2004 Women's National
26 Basketball Association (WNBA) draft acquired by the Washington Mystics; and
27 WHEREAS, Alana Beard played 14 seasons with the Washington Mystics and Los
28 Angeles Sparks and averaged 11.3 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 2.5 assists in 419 professional
29 career games; and
30 WHEREAS, WNBA Alana Beard was a member of the Eastern Conference All-Star
Page 2 of 3 SR NO. 7
SLS 23RS-131 ORIGINAL
1 team in 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2009; and
2 WHEREAS, known as being one of the best defenders in the league, Alana became
3 the fifth WNBA player to earn back-to-back Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2017
4 and 2018; and
5 WHEREAS, Alana Beard was named five times to the WNBA All-Defensive First
6 Team, four times to the WNBA All-Defensive Second Team, and she was a member of the
7 Los Angeles Sparks' 2016 WNBA championship team; and
8 WHEREAS, Alana's career overseas is historical as she won national championships
9 in Israel, Poland, and Spain; and
10 WHEREAS, Alana is passionate about her hometown of Shreveport and has a vision
11 of creating a positive cultural shift in how girls and women experience opportunities at
12 school, in sports, and in business; and
13 WHEREAS, Alana serves as the president and chair of the board of directors of the
14 318 Foundation, a nonprofit organization she founded to inspire positive college, career, and
15 life outcomes for girls in underserved communities across America, and building
16 communities where girls are exposed to a diverse network of industry leaders and
17 life-altering experiences as they strive to become champions of inspiration, hope, and impact
18 for their communities and in their adult lives.
19 THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Senate of the Legislature of Louisiana
20 does hereby commend Alana Beard on being inducted into the 2023 class of the Louisiana
21 Sports Hall of Fame.
22 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to
23 Alana Beard.
The original instrument and the following digest, which constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument, were prepared by Kathy Liberty.
DIGEST
SR 7 Original 2023 Regular Session Bernard
Commends Alana Beard on being inducted into the 2023 class of the Louisiana Sports Hall
of Fame.
Page 3 of 3