South Carolina guard Brea Beal is entering the 2023 WNBA Draft, she announced on social media Tuesday. Here’s what you need to know:
- The 6-foot-1 Beal averaged 6.4 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.1 blocks per game in her senior season.
- Despite playing four NCAA seasons, Beal had an additional year of eligibility remaining because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Gamecocks went 36-1 this season, falling to Iowa in the Final Four on Friday.
- The Athletic’s Sabreena Merchant projected Beal to be selected at No. 7, by the Fever, in her latest mock draft. Beal’s college teammate Aliyah Boston declared for the draft Saturday and is the projected No. 1 pick, also by Indiana.
— Brea Beal (@QueenBrea_1) April 4, 2023
Did Beal’s draft stock rise this season?
Throughout her career, Beal has primarily been known as a defensive player, becoming one of the best perimeter defenders in the game. While she hasn’t always had a chance to show the offensive side of her game, it has always been there. After all, she and Candace Parker are the only three-time Illinois Gatorade Player of the Year award recipients and you don’t win that award while only excelling at one end of the court.
This season, in lower volumes, Beal displayed an expanded…
