DeAntoine "Cat" Beasley concluded his third season as an assistant coach for the Fighting Illini women's basketball program in 2024-25. Beasley's hire was announced by head coach Shauna Green on April 12, 2022. 

In three years with Beasley on staff, the Illinois women's basketball team has registered 63 wins, the first-ever postseason championship in program history (2024 WBIT), and three consecutive top-5 season attendances in State Farm Center. Additionally, the Illini have racked up six AP Top 25-ranked wins, secured double-digit home victories for three-straight seasons for the first time in program history, won Illinois’ first NCAA Tournament game in 25 seasons, and brought in the No. 7-ranked recruiting class by espnW coming in for the 2025-26 campaign.

In year three at Illinois, Beasley played a role in the program’s continued upward trajectory with another 22-win season (22-10), a third-straight postseason appearance, and the program’s first NCAA Tournament win in 25 years. The Fighting Illini tied the program record with four wins over AP Top-25 ranked opponents. Illinois led the Big Ten in team free throw percentage (79.3%) and defensive 3-point percentage (28.1%), while Genesis Bryant (free throw percentage) and Kendall Bostic (double-doubles, minutes/game, rebounds, def. rebounds/game, rebounds/game) combined to lead the league in six individual categories.

Year two at Illinois saw the Fighting Illini make back-to-back postseason appearances for the first time since the 2006-07 and 2007-08 campaigns as Illinois earned an at-large bid into the inaugural Women’s Basketball Invitation Tournament (second NCAA-sponsored postseason tournament behind the NCAA Tournament). The staff led the squad to a WBIT championship with five-straight wins to close the season with a 19-15 overall record. Makira Cook was named the WBIT’s Most Outstanding Player while Kendall Bostic, and Genesis Bryant joined on the All-Tournament Team.

With Beasley on staff, the Illini secured their first back-to-back .500 seasons for the first time since the 2006-07 and 2007-08 campaigns.

In 2023-24, Illinois set the program’s single-season team free throw percentage record, connecting on 434-of-546 attempts for a 79.5% rate from the line. The mark led the Big Ten and ranked sixth in the NCAA.

Beasley’s first season at Illinois saw the program reach new heights both on and off the court. The Illini finished 22-10 (11-7 B1G) and returned to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 20 seasons. Illinois found itself ranked in the AP Top 25 for the first time since 2000 and would appear in four polls, ranking as high as No. 21.

With five returners from the 2021-22 Illinois squad that posted a 7-20 record, the first year Illini staff delivered the largest turnaround in program history and one of the top all-time in Big Ten history. The 15-win improvement from last season's 7-20 campaign set a new best turnaround in program history and ranks third best in Big Ten history. In league play, Illinois tallied 10 more wins than the 2021-22 mark (1-13), the best turnaround in program history, which tied for the best all-time in the Big Ten.

A collegiate standout player who went on to a stellar professional career before coaching, Beasley joined fellow assistant Ryan Gensler and associate head coach Calamity McEntire, in reuniting with Green at Illinois after a highly successful tenure on her staff at Dayton. He brings more than 16 years of experience as an assistant coach at the college level, working with both men’s and women’s programs.  

Beasley spent four seasons (2018-22) working with Green at Dayton. During his tenure on the Flyers’ sideline, Beasley helped guide UD to a combined 82-33 (51-9 A-10) record with three Atlantic 10 regular-season titles, one tournament championship and four-consecutive postseason appearances with a pair of WNIT runs (2019 and 2021) and two NCAA Tournament berths (2020 and 2022). 

Before Dayton, Beasley spent four seasons (2014-18) as an assistant for the Gardner-Webb men’s basketball program. There he helped guide the Bulldogs to three consecutive winning seasons, including a 20-win campaign in 2014-15. GWU also had three All-Big South selections and the highest team GPA in nine seasons during Beasley’s tenure on staff.

Prior to his time at Gardner-Webb, Beasley spent the 2013-14 season as an assistant coach at Pensacola State College in Florida, helping the Pirates finish 21-11 en route to their 15th Panhandle Conference title. He also served as an assistant coach for two seasons (2011-13) at Chattanooga and one year at his alma mater Tennessee Tech (2010-11) after working as a graduate assistant at Auburn in 2009-10. 

Beasley played seven seasons (2002-09) for the Plymouth Raiders in Plymouth, England, in addition to two stints in China in 2002 and 2004. During his time with the Raiders, Beasley was a two-time BBL All-Star (2006 and 2009), earned MVP in the National Trophy race in 2004, received the 2004 BBC Sports Personality Award for the Southwest Region, and helped lead the team to the 2007 BBL Trophy. While continuing his playing, Beasley also began coaching locally at the University of St. Mark and St. John, where he guided the team to national titles in 2002-03 and 2003-04 and a runner-up finish in 2005. 

Collegiately, Beasley played 120 career games for Tennessee Tech despite missing his sophomore season due to his battle with Hodgkin’s Disease. He returned as a team captain and starter in his junior and senior seasons, leading the Golden Eagles to OVC titles in 2001 and 2002, including a 27-7 campaign as a senior in which he helped TTU to a deep NIT run with wins over Georgia Tech, Dayton, and Yale.

A native of Atlanta, Ga., Beasley received the Sam Harley Lynn Award for contributions to the Tennessee Tech program, the Golden Eagle Award for sacrifice, dedication, and hard work, and was twice the recipient of the John P. Hendrix Leadership Award in his time at Tennessee Tech. He is the only student-athlete in program history to win all three awards. Beasley graduated from TTU in 2004 with a Bachelor of Science in health and physical education. 

Beasley and his wife, the former Katie Hespe of Sheffield, England, were married on Aug. 11, 2011. They have a daughter, Charlotte, and a son, Sullivan.

Last updated June 2025

Coaching Career