Brea Beal

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Brea Beal
Beal with South Carolina in 2022
No. 8 – Las Vegas Aces
PositionShooting guard
LeagueWNBA
Personal information
Born (2000-11-08) November 8, 2000 (age 23)
NationalityAmerican
Listed height6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Listed weight184 lb (83 kg)
Career information
High schoolRock Island
(Rock Island, Illinois)
CollegeSouth Carolina (2019–2023)
WNBA draft2023: 2nd round, 24th overall pick
Selected by the Minnesota Lynx
Playing career2023–present
Career history
2023Minnesota Lynx
2024–presentLas Vegas Aces
Career highlights and awards

Breanna Beal (born November 8, 2000) is an American basketball player for the Las Vegas Aces of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She played college basketball at South Carolina Gamecocks of the Southeastern Conference (SEC).

Early life and high school career[edit]

Beal was born on November 8, 2000, to Kevin Beal and Nicole Adamson.[1][2] She grew up training for basketball under the guidance of her father, who played for UTEP at the collegiate level, and drew inspiration from Maya Moore.[3] She also took part in gymnastics and swimming before focusing on basketball.[4] In eighth grade, Beal joined the Midwest Elite Amateur Athletic Union program.[5] She made local headlines as one of the top eighth-grade players in the country.[6] Beal played basketball for Rock Island High School in her hometown of Rock Island, Illinois.[3] In her first high school season, she was the only freshman on the team and averaged 16.7 points and 6.8 rebounds per game, leading Rock Island to a 29–4 record.[5]

As a sophomore, Beal averaged 20.6 points, 9.8 rebounds, 3.2 steals and 3.1 assists per game, helping her team achieve a 31–2 record and reach the sectional final. She joined Candace Parker and Tamika Catchings as the only sophomores to be named Illinois Miss Basketball,[7] and became the second sophomore with Parker to win Illinois Gatorade Player of the Year.[8] In her junior season, Beal averaged 21.9 points, 10 rebounds, 3.3 assists and three blocks per game, leading Rock Island to its third consecutive Class 4A sectional runner-up finish. She repeated as Illinois Miss Basketball and Gatorade Player of the Year.[9][10] As a senior, Beal averaged 24.9 points, 13.7 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 3.4 blocks and 3.4 steals per game, as her team finished with a 30–2 record and won its first sectional title since 1991. She was named Illinois Miss Basketball and Gatorade Player of the Year for a third straight season, joining Candace Parker as the only three-time recipients of either award,[11][12] and was selected as Quad-City Times Female Athlete of the Year.[4] Beal earned first-team All-American recognition from the Women's Basketball Coaches Association and played in the McDonald's All-American Game and Jordan Brand Classic.[13] She finished her career as the all-time leading scorer in the Western Big 6 Conference.[14]

Recruiting[edit]

Beal was considered a five-star recruit and the number 10 player in the 2019 class by ESPN.[15] In sixth grade, she received her first college basketball scholarship offer, from Iowa.[5] On November 8, 2018, during her senior year of high school, Beal committed to playing college basketball for South Carolina over offers from Michigan, Illinois and Louisville.[16]

College career[edit]

In her freshman season at South Carolina, Beal became a regular starter due to her defensive ability. Her team was ranked number one in the nation and had a 32–1 record before the 2020 NCAA tournament was canceled amid the COVID-19 pandemic.[3] As a freshman, she averaged 6.1 points and 5.4 rebounds per game.[17] On January 18, 2021, Beal scored a career-high 22 points against Arkansas.[18] She helped South Carolina reach the Final Four of the 2021 NCAA tournament.[19] As a sophomore, Beal averaged 7.1 points and 5.3 rebounds per game.[20] In her junior season, she helped South Carolina win the national championship,[21] recording 12 points against Louisville in the Final Four.[22]

Career statistics[edit]

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game  RPG  Rebounds per game
 APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game  BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game
 TO  Turnovers per game  FG%  Field-goal percentage  3P%  3-point field-goal percentage  FT%  Free-throw percentage
 Bold  Career best ° League leader

College[edit]

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG TO PPG
2019–20 South Carolina 33 33 21.2 41.6 28.9 55.7 5.4 1.0 0.8 0.8 1.4 6.1
2020–21 South Carolina 31 30 27.3 42.6 29.6 57.4 5.3 1.1 0.9 0.8 1.0 7.1
2021–22 South Carolina 37 37 24.1 38.1 23.8 59.6 5.0 1.3 0.7 0.5 1.0 5.1
2022–23 South Carolina 37 37 25.2 41.7 38.0 57.7 4.3 2.7 0.7 1.1 0.9 6.4
Career 138 137 24.4 41.0 31.3 57.3 5.0 1.6 0.8 0.8 1.1 6.1
Statistics retrieved from Sports-Reference.[23]

Personal life[edit]

After her sophomore year of college, Beal signed a name, image and likeness deal with Cameo.[20] She is in a relationship with National Football League player and South Carolina alum Jaycee Horn.[24]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Wendland, Jeff (October 24, 2018). "Rock Island's Brea Beal closing in on big decision". The Dispatch / The Rock Island Argus. Retrieved April 4, 2022.
  2. ^ Wendland, Jeff (November 8, 2018). "It takes a family to recruit an athlete". The Dispatch / The Rock Island Argus. Retrieved April 4, 2022.
  3. ^ a b c Stone, Augusta (December 28, 2021). "Brea Beal goes from hometown hero to Gamecocks' glue. Inside her 'folklore legend'". The State. Retrieved April 4, 2022.
  4. ^ a b Metcalf, Bobby (May 5, 2019). "Female Athlete of the Year: Rock Island's Brea Beal". Quad-City Times. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
  5. ^ a b c Villa, Walter (June 22, 2016). "Skyrocketing sophomore Breanna Beal has always aimed higher". ESPN. Retrieved April 4, 2022.
  6. ^ Greenwood, John (February 16, 2015). "RI's Beal the real deal; Edison 8th-grader one of best basketball players in the country". The Dispatch / The Rock Island Argus. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
  7. ^ Narang, Bob (March 23, 2017). "Ms. Basketball of Illinois for 2017: Rock Island's Brea Beal". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
  8. ^ Meenan, Jim (August 8, 2017). "Beal earns Gatorade Illinois girls basketball player of year honor". The Dispatch / The Rock Island Argus. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
  9. ^ Coss, Matt (March 19, 2018). "Beal repeats as Illinois Gatorade Player of Year". Quad-City Times. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
  10. ^ Larkin, Will (March 30, 2018). "Brea Beal repeats as Ms. Basketball: 'It's something I don't take for granted'". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
  11. ^ Wendland, Jeff (March 27, 2019). "Rock Island's Brea Beal wins third straight Illinois Ms. Basketball". Quad-City Times. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
  12. ^ Wendland, Jeff (March 9, 2019). "Rock Island's Brea Beal is three-time Gatorade Player of the Year in Illinois". The Dispatch / The Rock Island Argus. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
  13. ^ Wendland, Jeff (March 31, 2019). "Rock Island's Brea Beal a generational talent". The Dispatch / The Rock Island Argus. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
  14. ^ Metcalf, Bobby (February 11, 2019). "'Once in a lifetime': Rocks' Beal puts finishing touches on record-setting career". Quad-City Times. Retrieved April 7, 2022.
  15. ^ "Breanna Beal 2019 High School Girls' Basketball Profile". ESPN. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
  16. ^ Olson, Dan (November 8, 2018). "Breanna Beal commits to South Carolina, boosts Dawn Staley's growing recruiting class". ESPN. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
  17. ^ Wellbaum, Chris (November 25, 2020). "WBB: Beal finally getting recognized". GamecockScoop. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
  18. ^ Boynton, Eric (March 29, 2021). "Brea Beal is no longer an elite scorer but she's arguably South Carolina's most important player". Spartanburg Herald-Journal. Retrieved April 7, 2022.
  19. ^ Rholdon, Corey (April 20, 2021). "Former Rock Island star Brea Beal dreams have come true at South Carolina". KLJB. Retrieved April 7, 2022.
  20. ^ a b Portnoy, Ben (July 1, 2021). "The first known Gamecock athlete business deals in NIL era are in". The State. Retrieved April 7, 2022.
  21. ^ Gear, Camille (April 4, 2022). "Lady Rocks celebrate Rock Island NCAA National Champion Brea Beal". WQAD-TV. Retrieved April 7, 2022.
  22. ^ Diaz, Cory (April 2, 2022). "Defensive master: Louisville's Van Lith becomes latest prey of South Carolina's Brea Beal". The Greenville News. Retrieved April 7, 2022.
  23. ^ "Laeticia Amihere College Stats". Sports-Reference. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
  24. ^ Uva, Mike (April 3, 2022). "Finding love through defense: the Gamecock power couple of Brea Beal and Jaycee Horn". GamecockCentral. Retrieved April 7, 2022.

External links[edit]

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