Early life and high school career
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
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]
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