At a time when money is tight and some raises are frowned upon, imagine a boss who proposes to take a portion of her bonus bucks and share them with her assistants.

Too good to be true?

Apparently not if you are on the University of Hawaii women’s basketball coaching staff.

As part of her new three-year contract awaiting Manoa Chancellor Tom Apple’s signature, Rainbow Wahine head coach Laura Beeman has asked university officials for a provision that would allow her to designate part of any bonus earnings be paid directly to her assistants by the school.

"It is at a coach’s discretion how they handle the bonuses they earn," athletic director Ben Jay said.

Beeman is seeking to put into print and streamline a policy she undertook her first season at UH. After the 2012-13 season, Beeman said she took a portion of the after-tax bonus money from a 17-14 (10-6 Big West Conference) season and Women’s NIT appearance and wrote checks to some assistants. 

Due to tax implications, this year she said she treated them to meals and things like massage-session gift certificates instead.

But when negotiations began for an extension of a contract that was in its final season, Beeman said she wanted a provision that would allow her to take care of her assistants, when she chose. Especially since there was no expansion of the pool for assistants’ salaries.

"If you have good people, you want to try to keep them," Beeman said. "I understand the financial situation, so we’re trying to be creative with what we have."

Beeman, who is 34-28 (23-11 conference) in two seasons at UH, is a demanding coach and a hard-driving boss, but also reasoned when looking at the big picture.

"If my recruiting coach is getting it done, she should get a bonus," Beeman said. "If my academic assistant is doing the job, then she should get something. I feel like you need to pay something forward."

It is an extension of what she did while at Mt. San Antonio College in California, where she was a head coach for 15 seasons and won four California community college championships.

"My assistant put in so much time that I felt I should do something for him, so at Christmastime I’d give him something where he could take his wife to a nice dinner and a movie, a getaway, pay for the championship ring …" Beeman said. "Something more than just a pat on the back and an ‘attaway.’"

Dipping into her pocket is a philosophy undoubtedly ingrained by watching her family, which has run the neighborhood Beeman Pharmacies in San Bernardino, Calif., reach into theirs over the years.

"My father and brother, who ran the business, they did things, helping people out, that they didn’t have to do," Beeman said. "But they did them because that’s the way you treat people."

Besides, when it comes to rewarding assistant coaches, Beeman said, "You want to say ‘thank you’ that means something. Plaques are nice, but they can gather dust."

Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@staradvertiser.com 529-4820.