ROCK ISLAND, Ill. — Editor's note: This is part of a series looking back at stories from the WQAD archives. This particular story aired in February 2017 and was filed by sports anchor Matt Randazzo and photographer Andy McKay.
After graduating from Rock Island High School in 2019, Brea Beal is now a junior guard for the University of South Carolina Gamecocks. Her team has made it to the Final Four of the NCAA Women's Basketball tournament. They play against Louisville on Friday, April 1.
It's 6:30 a.m. on a cold February morning. Most 16-year-olds are in bed, sound asleep. But Brea Beal is far from your average 16-year-old.
“Sometimes I want to like text him, ‘Hey, I'm probably just gonna sleep in but then I think like maybe I should get some shots up,'” Brea said.
Welcome to The Breakfast Club. Beal and coach Larry Hall get to work bright and early, with dad Kevin joining after a long night working the third shift.
“She's been at a focus I’ve never seen before…That bitter taste she had at the end of the season last year. I don't think she wants to taste that in her mouth, you know, anytime soon,” Kevin said.
“Honestly, if he wasn't here, I probably wouldn’t be getting up early in the morning. I probably wouldn't get as much exposure I'm getting now and like, wouldn't be as good as I am now,” Brea said.
Brea’s love of basketball started at a very early age with her dad who played Division I basketball in Texas.
“What I'm doing now he's done before and he warns me about certain things I do because it will turn out bad. So I definitely take his word in mind even though we like bump heads sometimes,” Brea said.
And yes, they do bump heads.
“When the alarm goes off. I look at it and just go right back to sleep," Brea said. “You know I drag her in here,” Kevin responded.
“I just want to come outside wrapped in a blanket, have a pillow in the car, sleep on the way here,” Brea said.
“We might bump each other in the hallway and you know, give each other that look. She knows, at the end of the day, you know we're doing this for a reason,” Kevin said.
The results show every time the sophomore takes the court. Before work, Dad is back in the gym in a much different role.
“Sometimes the games are stressful. I enjoy the training, the working out part," Kevin said.
Brea has done a great job keeping the stress at a minimum. The Lady Rocks have rolled to an impressive 27-1 record (in 2017) with Beal continuing to emerge as one of the best players in the nation.
“We look so good as a team. There's definitely things we need to work on. But my confidence towards (getting to) State is like, I feel so confident about it,” Beal said.
Beal continues to keep a level head and a very sharp focus. Well, at least to most people.
“She feel herself sometimes too. Yeah, don’t fall into that trap, man. Some time I got to scale her down. I put myself in the same situation at the same age and I wouldn't have been able to handle it,” Kevin
“I don't need to update Facebook or Twitter every now and then just to show people, they know by how I play and what they see,” Beal said.
But it's what people don't see early in the morning, that would impress the most.