Beck was recruited to play at Kentucky after scoring 1,549 points and leading his team to win two state titles at Fort Valley High School.

[1] Beck was named team captain by head coach Adolph Rupp going into his senior season after scoring 259 points and grabbing 380 rebounds as a junior.

As a senior, Beck scored 163 points and had 337 rebounds in 29 games and was named Southeastern Conference (SEC) Defensive Player of the Year.

[3] After his collegiate career ended Beck opted not to play professionally, turning down a contract from the New York Knicks.

He decided to pursue a career in ministry and became an ordained Methodist minister after graduating from the Candler School of Theology at Emory University.