ALBANY, N.Y. � Scott Beeten, who has coached at both the collegiate and scholastic levels for nearly 30 years, has been named head men�s basketball coach at the University at Albany, as Director of Athletics and Recreation, Dr. Lee McElroy, announced today. Beeten, who previously was the associate head coach at the University of California-Berkeley, becomes the 14th head coach in the UAlbany program�s history. The Great Danes competed at the NCAA Division I level for the first time last year.

�Scott Beeten embodies the qualities needed to run a successful Division I program, and he will represent our University exceptionally well,� McElroy said. �He has tremendous integrity, values the student-athlete, and is committed to the University�s high academic standards. Throughout his career, he has been associated with institutions that have academic missions similar to the University at Albany. These schools have also achieved winning traditions. Additionally, his varied experiences as a coach and recruiter provide him with a working knowledge of the national scene.�

Beeten has spent the last three years at California-Berkeley as an associate head coach on Ben Braun�s staff. The Bears, who compete in the Pacific-10 Conference, produced a pair of National Invitation Tournament (NIT) teams during that stretch. California posted its first postseason title, since winning the 1959 NCAA crown, by capturing the �99 NIT championship. Cal finished with a 22–11 record, and beat three top 10 schools in the same season for the first time with victories over North Carolina, UCLA and Arizona. In 1999–2000, the Bears reached the NIT quarterfinal round, and fashioned an 18–15 overall mark.

Coach Beeten worked at George Washington University from 1990–97 as the top assistant coach under Mike Jarvis, the current St. John�s head coach. For seven seasons, Beeten handled all game preparation, recruiting and travel, and served as director of summer camp. The Colonials earned three NCAA tournament berths, including a �Sweet 16� appearance in 1993, and received three NIT tournament bids. George Washington won the Atlantic-10 Conference�s Western Division in 1996, and was the �91 conference runner-up.

Previous to his appointment at George Washington, Beeten was both an associate head coach and assistant coach at the University of Pennsylvania for five years during the mid-1980s. The Quakers won the Ivy League title on three occasions in 1984, 1985 and 1987, and played in two NCAA tournaments. During that period, he also was an assistant coach for the gold-medal winning United States squad at the �85 Maccabiah Games.

In 1981–82, Beeten took over as the junior varsity head coach at Richard Stockton College, a NCAA Division III school in New Jersey. He was named the varsity head coach the following year, and led the Ospreys to a 14–10 record in one season with the program.

In addition, Beeten was an assistant for one year at Temple University, where the Owls won an East Coast Conference regular-season title and Big Five championship in 1976–77. He also was a graduate assistant and freshman coach at Lehigh University in 1971.

Beeten, 53, also compiled an outstanding career on the high school level in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. He was the head coach at Mainland Regional in Linwood, New Jersey for four years, and had a combined 82–24 record. His teams captured one NJSIAA state championship and two NJSIAA South Jersey crowns. Beeten received New Jersey Coach of the Year honors in 1981, and was voted Atlantic County�s top coach three times. From 1971–76 at East Stroudsburg (Pa.) High School, his squads reached the PIAA state tournament twice, won four Monroe County championships, and produced an 83–39 record.

Beeten received a B.A. in history and a master�s degree in education from Lehigh University, where he was a three-year starter in both basketball and baseball for the Engineers. The St. Louis Cardinals selected him in the Major League Baseball draft. Beeten and his wife, Anita, have two sons, Todd and Chad. Todd played his collegiate basketball at Eastern Michigan University.

Beeten takes over for Scott Hicks, who resigned on June 6 to accept the head coach position at Loyola College in Maryland. The Great Danes went 11–17 overall in their inaugural Division I campaign in 1999–2000.