It took longer than expected, but Brea Beal chosen in second round of WNBA Draft

After a bit of a wait, Brea Beal is off to the WNBA.

The Minnesota Lynx selected Beal 24th overall in Monday’s WNBA Draft, making her USC’s fourth pick of the night alongside forward Aliyah Boston (No. 1, Indiana Fever), forward Laeticia Amihere (No. 8, Atlanta Dream) and guard Zia Cooke (No. 10, Los Angeles Sparks).

“I invested in myself, and that’s why I’m here tonight,” an emotional Beal said on the ESPN broadcast.

Beal, who was widely expected to be a first-round pick and projected as high as No. 7 to the Indiana Fever, ended up being the last player sitting in the green room (among 15 players invited) before the Lynx picked her with the final draft slot of the second round. Her surprising slide prompted frustration among fans and media on Twitter:

▪ “So unreal she wasn’t taken”

▪ “Brea Beal not going in the first round is ABSURD”

▪ “She’ll get her chance to make these teams regret it”

Beal’s selection still contributed to a new single-draft record for South Carolina, which previously had three players picked in the 2017 draft. Victaria Saxton (Fever) was selected in the third round.

Beal, a 6-foot-1 guard, was a Naismith Defensive Player of the Year finalist and AP Honorable Mention All-American for South Carolina in 2022-23 as the Gamecocks went 36-1 and reached the Final Four.

As a senior playing for coach Dawn Staley, Beal started and played in all 37 games and shot a career-high 38.0% on 3-pointers. She also averaged 6.4 points and 4.3 rebounds per game and had the second most total assists, third most rebounds and fourth most blocks among USC players this season.

Beal finished second in South Carolina history in total games started (137) and second in total SEC games started (63). She had a fifth “COVID year” of eligibility available to use at South Carolina before formally declaring for the WNBA Draft after the team’s Final Four loss to Iowa.

Beal was widely projected to be a first-round pick before slipping to the last pick of the second round; four major mock drafts were unanimous in projecting her to be selected No. 7 overall by the Indiana Fever pre-draft.

She joins a Lynx team that went 14-22 in 2022 and missed the playoffs after 11 consecutive appearances (and three championships) from 2011 to 2021. The Lynx roster also includes former South Carolina player Tiffany Mitchell.