Brea Beal shares what life has been like since being drafted in the WNBA

A week after being selected by the Minnesota Lynx in the 2023 WNBA Draft, the life of South Carolina product Brea Beal isn’t slowing down.

“It’s been a whirlwind. You finish the (NCAA) Tournament and then you have to go to the next chapter,” Beal told Gamecock Central, who was in attendance for South Carolina’s spring football game. “You have to prepare yourself for the draft, get all your clothes and stuff right, and then the next day after you get selected you get flown out for press conferences.”

[Become an NIL supporter of your South Carolina Gamecocks!]

If that sounds like a quick turnaround to you then just think about this. After playing in her final collegiate game on March 31, Beal was drafted on April 10. WNBA training camps begin on April 30. After that, it’s onto preseason games, which will start on May 5. Then, the regular season officially starts on May 19.

“Luckily, I get a couple weeks before I have to go back… This is a dog life. You don’t have (classes to take at) school or (mandatory team lifts) like you have when you’re in college. You go to work and then you go home.”

While Beal will have more downtime to manage, she’s not taking her foot of the pedal. Despite just finishing a 37-game season that begin last fall, she’s determined to elevate her game as she heads into her rookie season with the Lynx. A team that also features South Carolina alum Tiffany Mitchell.

“I’m just looking to get better. Work on my skills and sharpen them a bit. Really, just preparing myself mentally for what’s to come. The WNBA is a hard job to maintain, especially right now.”

[Subscribe for free to Gamecock Central’s YouTube page!]

One of those mental challenges is not being around teammates she’s called sisters for the past four years. Sisters who she arrived at with at South Carolina who were dubbed ‘The Freshies,’ who went (129-9) in their careers as Gamecocks. And a group who saw four, including Beal, drafted from that recruiting class the night of the WNBA Draft. As well a Victaria Saxton, who arrived at South Carolina a year before Beal and ‘The Freshies.’

“It was emotional at first. After the draft we were together in a closet saying that this is the first time in four years that we’re gonna be separated. It’s a good thing at the same time because we’re all gonna be able to do what we dreamed about.”

Discuss Brea Beal and South Carolina Women’s Basketball on The Insiders Forum!

The post Brea Beal shares what life has been like since being drafted in the WNBA appeared first on On3.