Killingsworth takes over at Clear Lake
By L. Scott Hainline
Chronicle correspondent
Lifetime opportunities have Kirby Killingsworth coming in and Angela Beck going out as girls basketball coach-campus athletic coordinator at Clear Lake.
Following 46 wins and back-to-back playoff berths in two seasons with the Lady Falcons, and advancing to the region semifinals and being named one of three Class 5A outstanding coaches by the Texas Association of Basketball Coaches in 2009-10, Beck has left to create a program at soon-to-open Round Rock ISD Cedar Ridge in the Austin area.
That opened the door for Killingsworth, who took Friendswood to the 4A playoffs the past three seasons in her first stint as a head coach, and she also becomes a 5A coordinator at the age of 27.
It was extremely hard to leave a great school like Friendswood, but Clear Lake is such a good opportunity, and in the month-plus I've been at Clear Lake, it's just like a bigger Friendswood," Killingsworth said. It's been great so far, and the kids are working hard and making the necessary adjustments to my style of coaching."
After playing high school basketball in Longview and at Stephen F. Austin State University, Killingsworth was a varsity assistant at Cypress Creek for one year before stepping up at Friendswood.
She was 71-26 in three seasons with the Lady Mustangs and 3-3 in the postseason going three rounds deep in 2008-09.
Defensively, Clear Lake played man 90 percent of the time, but I play more zone," she said, and on offense, we're just simplifying things right now. With Clear Lake graduating five seniors and a couple of D1 (NCAA Division I) players, there will be some minutes to fill."
Rising senior Libby Moreno, and juniors-to-be Margaret Ideler, Alex Kochner and Tori Sutherland are among the varsity veterans who Killingsworth is working with during the off-season.
Beck was 46-22, won a District 24-5A championship in 2008-09, and directed the Lady Falcons to the region semifinals where they were edged 46-43 by Bellaire last season.
I love Clear Lake and it's an amazing place," Beck said. That's why it was such a tough decision and so hard to leave.
I've done a lot of things in my life, and I love Austin and always planned to retire there. Starting a program from scratch is something that doesn't come around very often."
Beck, a former professional player with the San Jose Lasers of the defunct American Basketball League, will lead freshmen and sophomores through a non-varsity season in 2010-11.
My two years at Clear Lake was a great ride, and the Clear Creek ISD does things right, and they treat people very well" Beck said. I had an amazing arena to play in, an outstanding booster club, and I truly believe it's one of the top jobs in the state."
Killingsworth never faced Clear Lake in her three seasons at Friendswood, but she knows all about District 24-5A that includes Clear Creek, Clear Brook, Clear Springs, Pearland, Alvin, Dickinson and Brazoswood.
I'm pretty good friends with all the coaches, and now I'll be competing against them," she said. It's going to be a huge challenge every night because they're all great coaches.
Just getting in the playoffs is a challenge, and if you do make it, you go right up against the Fort Bend ISD district, and that's yet another challenge, but I'm ready for it."
Ginger Hartman, the wife of Clear Springs football coach Clint Hartman, takes over for Killingsworth.
