It’s been less than a week since South Carolina basketball was defeated in the Final Four by Caitlin Clark and Iowa. The Gamecocks’ undefeated season and quest for back-to-back championships were over, but the storylines surrounding the team were far from done.
With three seniors for sure moving on (Kierra Fletcher, Victaria Saxton, and Olivia Thompson) and five more players making WNBA Draft decisions (Aliyah Boston, Brea Beal, Zia Cooke, Laeticia Amihere, and Kamilla Cardoso), many questions surround the program this offseason.
Over the weekend, Aliyah Boston answered one question: the presumed #1-overall pick in April WNBA Draft was making the obvious decision and moving on to the pro game. Because of her expected draft slot, Boston’s decision came as no surprise.
On Tuesday, another Gamecock made her WNBA decision known. Wing player and All-American defensive stopper Brea Beal announced via her Twitter account that she, too, would be declaring for the WNBA Draft.
— Brea Beal (@QueenBrea_1) April 4, 2023
Beal’s decision is also not much of a surprise as she is expected to be drafted and has hinted recently that she felt like she was probably going to be moving on from the college ranks.
In her Gamecock career, Beal sacrificed more than almost anyone on the team. A capable offensive player who flashed scoring and ball-handling ability, Beal only averaged 6.1 points per game in her 4 years in Columbia. This wasn’t due to lack of ability but because the best role for Beal on the team was to serve as a wing defender who ceded scoring opportunities to the likes of Zia Cooke and Aliyah Boston.
Beal, at 6’0″ tall, will have some versatility at the next level. The National Defensive Player of the Year finalist from 2022-2023 will obviously be able to handle guarding most wing players in the League, but she is a capable shot blocker (averaged 1.1 blocks per game this season) who can play down low in a pinch. She also has shown enough with a quick crossover and a 38% mark from three this season that she could handle a more offensive role if needed. She is also a good rebounder, having averaged 5 boards per game in her career.
Based on several draft projections, Beal is expected to be taken in the second or third round of the draft.