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