His twitter handle is @RealDealBeal23, and Florida Gators one and done Brad Beal is one of the most complete players in the 2012 NBA draft class. This is where we have him slotted in our latest mock draft.
Beal arrived in Gainesville with an already lengthy and impressive resume. He was named the 2011 Gatorade Player of the Year, Missouri Gatorade Player of the Year back-to-back years, and recently played in the Jordan Brand Classic.
(This is a Paul M. Banks/David Kay collaboration.)
However, it was his inclusion in the McDonald’s All-American Game that Beal considers to be his crown jewel. “This is really at the top of my achievements,” Beal said at the MAA media day. “Being named and able to play in this game with a bunch of top players in my class is really an honor. There’s thousands of kids sitting at home wishing they could be in our position.”
All the honors were well-deserved as Beal averaged 32.5 points per game during his senior year at Chaminade College Prep School in St. Louis, Missouri. The 6-4 shooting guard showed off his versatility as a scorer by accounting for seven of the East’s first 11 points in the McDonald’s All-American game with an aggressive take to the basket, spot-up three, and tip-in on the offensive glass.
After his one season with the Gators, Beal talked about how he would describe his game at the NBA Draft Combine media session.
“I would describe it as an all around player, I don’t like to limit myself,” he said.
“I know there’s a lot of concerns about my ability to create for myself, because I had two great guards with me that were distributing the ball, that would be the biggest thing I need to showcase.”
A pure scorer in every sense of the word, it is easy to see why Beal draws comparisons to and patterns his game after NBA shooting guards, Eric Gordon and Ray Allen, who also happens to star in his favorite movie, He Got Game. “They both shoot great, but also move well without the ball and attack the rim.”
Beal’s favorite player of all time is Allen Iverson.
“I really mimicked him in high school, I even had the braids. I know I’m not the average height of a shooting guard, so that’s why I want to become a combo guard, and become a point guard as well.”
Here’s video of Beal at the NBA Draft combine
While Beal acknowledges his ability to shoot the rock as his greatest strength, he also understands the importance of getting after it on the other end of the floor. “A lot of people underestimate my defensive ability. I believe I can guard just about anyone if I put my mind to it.”
Beal spent a lot of his time at the MAA and Jordan game guarding Austin Rivers who originally committed to Florida but changed his mind and is instead heading to Duke. Unlike Rivers, Beal held his early pledge to the Gators which he made prior to his junior season of high school. “The style of play, it’s a very guard-oriented school,” Beal stated when explaining why he chose Florida. “Coach Donavan lets his players get up and down. He lets his guards shoot the three. It’s a great pick and roll system, allows me to create for the other guys.”
There is talk Beal could be the second or third pick in this draft.
“I really didn’t expect to be that high, I was told I would be a lottery pick when I declared, so that’s 1 through 14, something like that, but it made me want to work hard, and now I’m supposed to be top 5. It’s really an honor,” he said.
David Kay is a senior feature NBA Draft, NBA, and college basketball writer for the Sports Bank. He also heads up the NBA and college basketball material at Walter Football.com and is a former contributor at The Washington Times Communities. David has appeared on numerous national radio programs spanning from Cleveland to New Orleans to Honolulu. He also had the most accurate 2011 NBA Mock Draft on the web.
You can follow him on Twitter at DavidKay_TSB.
Paul M. Banks is CEO of The Sports Bank.net, an official Google News site generating millions of unique visitors. He’s also a regular contributor to Chicago Now, Walter Football.com, Yardbarker, MSN and Fox Sports
A Fulbright scholar and MBA, Banks has appeared on live radio all over the world; and he’s a member of the Football Writers Association of America, U.S. Basketball Writers Association, and Society of Professional Journalists. The President of the United States follows him on Twitter (@Paul_M_BanksTSB) You should too