Brea Beal is well aware of the shadow that follows her in WNBA scouting reports. But she also knows that her shadow happens to be her greatest strength for South Carolina women’s basketball: She’s a defensive stopper, arguably the best in the country on the perimeter.
For the past few seasons, defense has been her calling card. In every game, coach Dawn Staley tasks her with defending opponents’ most explosive perimeter players, and in almost every game she holds them to well below their season averages while also forcing more turnovers than players would like. (And even in games when an opponent’s statistical output is on average, the route to those points is certainly made harder by Beal.)
Yet entering her final season of college basketball, Beal knew she had to show more to prove herself as a potential future WNBA contributor. She realizes limited roster spots are available for rookies and that being a top defensive player alone doesn’t cut it. After all, four of the five players on last year’s WNBA All-Defensive team were also among the top 20 scorers in the league (per game).
“I’m just trying to prove that I’m an all-around player, and I also want to prove that for my size, I’m able to move and get up and down the floor,” said Beal, a 6-foot-1 wing….
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