Glendale Community College’s Brian Beauchemin to enter state’s college basketball hall of fame
Brian Beauchemin received a phone call at his office in the Glendale Community College athletic department that caught him off guard.
A committee member from the California Community College Men’s Basketball Coaches’ Assn had some news to share with the veteran Glendale college men’s basketball coach who has held the post since 1979 — Beauchemin would be a part of the 2014 hall of fame’s class.
“It was very humbling,” said Beauchemin, who was has recorded 570 victories at Glendale and ranks fifth all-time in career wins in the state. “It’s a great honor to be recognized, but, at the same time, you become emotional.
“Coaching basketball is something I’ve been doing since I was about 22 or 23. I’ve been doing this for most of my life. I guess it’s got something to do with my patience and the ability to stick it out. All of that helped me endear coaching.”
Beauchemin, 69, will be enshrined into the California Community College Men’s Basketball Coaches Assn. Hall of Fame on March 14 at the Holiday Inn in La Mirada. He will be joined by fellow inductees Reggie Morris (L.A. Southwest College), Bob Williams (UC Santa Barbara and Cabrillo and Mendocino colleges), Dean Ackland (Cerritos) and contributor John Dangleis. Other former coaches who have earned a spot in the hall of fame are Lute Olson, Jerry Tarkanian and Bill Bertka.
“Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would be going in there and being along names like Lute and Jerry,” said Beauchemin, who guided the Vaqueros to a pair of state tournament appearances.
Beauchemin previously served as head coach of the Sherman Oaks Notre Dame High boys’ basketball team before spending two years as an assistant with the L.A. Valley College men’s program. He then joined Glendale, where’s he’s piloted the Vaqueros to 20 trips to the Southern California Regionals. He graduated from Notre Dame in 1962, along with current Glendale Athletic Director John Cicuto.
Cicuto said Beauchemin’s organizational and recruiting skills and the ability to cultivate a winning environment has made him stand out among the elite coaches in California.
“He’s been able to go out there and get lots of good players who could compete with the best teams in the state,” Cicuto said. “His teams are in the games and there’s not one player who is above anybody else.
“It’s exciting to see him going into the hall of fame. It’s something that’s well deserved.”
Beauchemin, who picked up his 500th career win at Glendale in 2008, attributed his success to the players and assistants who have surrounded him.
“You start to reflect back on all of the players and coaches you’ve been relationships with, past and present,” Beauchemin said. “I’ve been lucky to be around a lot of great people.
“They are the ones who make it possible by helping you out. The teams have done what they were supposed to do. I don’t even call it a job. My dad once told me to find something I liked and get paid to do it. It’s rewarding to coach because it keeps you going.”
