Star Player Beat Odds to Lead Glen Cove to Playoffs

Sitting in his dining room, Kewan Beebe, 18, stares at the tabletop as he talks about his life before becoming Glen Cove High School’s star point guard, speaking matter-of-factly about the experiences life threw him at an early age.

“I made a promise to my mom before she died,” he said. “The first thing I promised, I promised I wouldn’t do drugs, I wouldn’t be in a gang, and I promised her I’ll have a bright future, no matter what I’ll do. It didn’t necessarily mean basketball but that’s how it turned out.”

His mother had been sick for as long as he could remember with an illness the rest of his family kept from him, Beebe said, even after it claimed her life. He was 13.

“I was definitely a momma’s boy, since I was little. I used to follow her everywhere,” he said.

She knew her health was declining and would make hints that she didn’t have long, he remembered, but her death still shocked him.

“I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t know what to say. I thought life was over,” he said.

The next year, a large fight broke out in front of his family’s Bronx apartment one night. Hearing gunshots, Beebe rushed to a window to look for his uncle and sister who had been outside. A bullet crashed through the glass and entered the 14-year-old's abdomen.

Beebe spent three months in the hospital and made a full recovery, not counting the three quarters of his large intestine which doctors removed.

He was sent to live with an aunt in Virginia after his father in Glen Cove lost a custody battle. Beebe said he didn’t want to be there, alluding to problems with that side of the family, but found respite in a travelling basketball team.

He focused his energy on the game. Under the strict guidance of his coach, he worked to improve the shot he has become known for, as well as the crossover that has left many a Glen Cove opponent lying on the court.

His coach then, Dennis Catlett, had him practicing 500 shots per day, Beebe said. Catlett said he recognized some natural athletic ability but had serious doubts about Beebe’s commitment during his first year.

That changed the following year when Beebe returned to the court “a different player,” Catlett said. He described an earnest, respectful teenager who was easy to coach. They spent time together outside the court, and Catlett now follows Beebe’s progress on Facebook and uses him as an example to younger players.

“They remember him. He gives them hope,” Catlett said.

Last summer, Beebe came to Glen Cove to visit friends he had made during visits to his father, who had been recently incarcerated on drug and gun charges. Beebe called his dad his best friend, adding that communication has dropped off between himself and his siblings without their father present as “the glue.”

When his aunt called in August to tell him she had moved and he had no place to go back to – he was nearly 18 and legally independent – Beebe was left with the clothes he had brought and no place to call home.

He met Carla and Frank D’Ambra through friend and current teammate Yadiyah Letellier. Carla had been involved in Glen Cove’s Boys and Girls Club and had become close to many of the children there.

“As Kewan’s story rolled out, I just couldn’t believe it because he was so mature and positive,” she said. “I had no idea he had been through all the things he had been through.”

She and her husband took him in.

“It wasn’t a big thing for us,” said Frank, adding that he and his wife had each struck out on their own when they were young and can relate to not having traditional family support.

They were able to use his homeless status to get him enrolled at Glen Cove High School on time for September, and Beebe joined the varsity team as a starting junior.

“He’s a tremendous player,” said Glen Cove coach Pater Falen. He said Beebe assumed an immediate leadership position among teammates who “gel well” with one another, owing to a spirit of encouragement between them – in class as well as on the court.

Beebe’s statistics have gotten some attention – in one year he has ranked third in the county for three-point field goals, and averaged more than 18 points per game. He scored 22 points in his team’s season-ending loss to Jericho High School on Wednesday.

Echoing his mother’s emphasis on education, Carla doesn’t let his athletic success trump his academics.

“She doesn’t play when it comes to classes,” Beebe said as a smile erupted through the polite reservation on his face.

Carla doesn’t remember when he started calling her “mom,” only that it happened early. When she drops him off at school, he parts with an “I love you” and a peck on the cheek, never afraid to show affection in front of his peers.

She said he spends his best days under a big blanket on the couch watching his favorite show, “SpongeBob SquarePants,” or making his own highlight reels with her video-editing software, and he isn’t interested in looking for the next party or impressing anyone.

“He just wants normal,” she said.