JACKSON, Tenn. - Union University first year head coach, Sean Blackburn, has selected Shelby Beam as his assistant coach. Beam is no stranger to Union or the Gulf South Conference as she comes from league member, University of Montevallo, where she spent three seasons with the Falcons as assistant coach. 

Blackburn said, "I could not be more grateful to have Shelby as part of our program. I know she will care for and invest in our student-athletes while providing strong, God-centered leadership and wisdom. Shelby deeply values relationships, leads with a servant's heart, and has already demonstrated that she is an exceptional recruiter with a strong understanding of the game. She is going to be an incredible blessing to our program, and I'm excited for the impact she will make." 

During her three seasons at Montevallo, she recruited and coached each of the last three GSC Freshmen of the Year award winners, including current Union junior guard Aubury Sorrells, who transferred to Union in 2025. 

Beam said, "I feel incredibly blessed to join the Union family and grateful to Coach Sean for this opportunity. Union's commitment to faith, relationships, and excellence made it the right fit for me. I am honored to be part of a program with such a strong tradition of success. I'm excited to invest in our student-athletes and help them grow in their faith, on the court, and in the classroom. I am pumped to get to work."

Beam spent the 2022-23 season as the head girls' basketball coach for Hamilton High School in Hamilton, Alabama. She took that squad to a 27-6 record, its best since 1991. Her team won the Marion County Championship, while coaching a 4A All-State selection in the process. 
 
In the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons, Beam was the assistant coach at Cumberland University, while also serving as head coach for Cumberland's junior varsity team. In her time at the former NAIA foe of Union, Beam coached the 2022 Mid-South Conference Player of the Year, a 2022 NAIA All-American, and the 2023 Mid-South Defensive Player of the year. 

Beam worked as the graduate assistant for the University of Southern Mississippi women's basketball team for the 2019-20 season. She later received her Master of Science in Sport and Human Performance from Southern Miss in 2024.
 
Following her playing days, she spent time as the assistant women's coach and the head coach for the junior varsity squad at Georgetown College in Kentucky. While she was in Georgetown, Ky., She conducted individual skill development sessions with all positions while assisting in recruiting efforts and the preparation of scouting reports.
 
In May of 2018, Beam received her Bachelor of Arts in Communication and Media Studies/Sports Administration at Georgetown College. During her 3-year playing career at Georgetown, she was named Mid-South All-Conference and Academic All-Conference, while breaking the school record for threes in a game with 10.

Beam is from Arab, Alabama and graduated from Arab High School in 2014. 

-UNION-