Coronado hires former Mesa Ridge coach Jeff Beatty to take over girls basketball program
A state championship winning coach is heading back to the bench. Coronado has hired Jeff Beatty as its new girls basketball coach. Coronado athletic director Jimmy Porter confirmed the hire to CHSAANow.com on Friday.
Beatty is best known for his flashy suits and his time at Mesa Ridge where he led the Grizzlies to the 2014 Class 4A girls basketball championship. He coached Mesa Ridge standout Kylee Shook as she played her way to a Division I scholarship at Louisville before getting drafted by the WNBA’s New York Liberty in 2020.
He led the team back to a couple of Great 8 appearances then made the 4A Final 4 in 2018, his last season as the coach at Mesa Ridge. He has been away from coaching since that season but was enticed by the opening at Coronado.
“It is with great anticipation that I embark on this opportunity to coach one of the storied basketball programs in the area,” Beatty said. “After taking the last three years off from coaching to start and reinvigorate construction programs in the region, I just could not stay away stay away from coaching any longer. I am excited to dive in to the opportunity to coach at Coronado.”
The Cougars were hovering around the .500 mark in the 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons. They went 9-5 in 2021 and finished second in the 5A/4A Colorado Springs Metro South League.
