South Carolina’s Brea Beal selected No. 24 overall in 2023 WNBA Draft by Minnesota Lynx
Brea Beal #BreaBeal
Brea Beal became the fourth South Carolina women’s basketball player selected in the 2023 WNBA Draft on Monday. The 6-foot-1 guard was chosen No. 24 overall by the Minnesota Lynx.
Beal didn’t enter the 2022-23 season as a significant prospect, but her stock rose as her offensive output improved and her defensive prowess began earning recognition. The 6-foot-1 guard was a finalist for Naismith Defensive Player of the Year and hit 38% of her 3-pointers after making 24% in 2021-22. She averaged 6.4 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game.
Though she entered the draft as a potential first-round pick, Beal was ultimately the final pick of the second round.
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The Lynx desperately needed strong defense after finishing 2022 with the third-lowest defensive rating in the WNBA, and Beal is arguably the strongest perimeter defender in the draft class. The team allowed the second-most points off of turnovers in the league last season and finished 14-22. It was the first time Minnesota missed the playoffs since 2010.
Beal joins No. 2 pick Diamond Miller, No. 12 pick Maia Hirsch and No. 16 pick Dorka Juhasz on the Lynx. South Carolina beat both Miller’s Maryland and Juhasz’s UConn in 2022-23. Beal helped lead the Gamecocks to a third consecutive Final Four appearance in 2023, where they ultimately fell to Iowa.
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: South Carolina’s Brea Beal selected No. 24 overall in 2023 WNBA Draft by Minnesota Lynx