Former Florida men’s basketball player Brad Beal, fresh off his third season in the NBA with the Washington Wizards, spoke with alligatorSports about Billy Donovan heading to the NBA, his thoughts on free agency and whether he’s spoken to new Gators men’s basketball coach Mike White.
Hall: Have you had a chance to speak to Billy Donovan about him heading to the NBA? Will it be weird competing against the Oklahoma City Thunder and your former coach?
Beal: It’s definitely going to be weird. I talked to him recently and told him I was happy for him, and I told him it was going to be weird playing against him but it’s going to be fun. I’m looking forward to it. I know he’ll do well — he’s got an awesome team with two of the best players in the league so I’m sure he’ll do well. I’m looking forward to it.
Hall: What’s free agency been like? What’s it been like seeing the lucrative contracts a lot of players have received?
Beal: It’s been crazy just to see where guys are going, the amount of money they’re getting. This time of year is always hectic and crazy, but you know I’m looking forward to seeing what moves we make and other teams make and see where we can improve.
Torres: Have you had any interaction with new Florida men’s basketball coach Mike White?
Beal: You know what, he reached out to me the day he got on campus. It was pretty cool. We were still in the playoffs and he reached out and said he’s happy to be a part of the family. He’s happy that I was a Gator, and that any time I wanted to come back down to just let him know. It was an awesome thing he did, and I’m looking forward to him coaching. I’ve heard nothing but great things about him so hopefully he can get our program back to where we need to get to.
Hall: What’s your relationship like with John Wall? You guys kinseem to bring out the best in each other.
Beal: Yeah a little bit, man. We compete every day, that’s what makes us such successful and good players. We accept that challenge. We always say ‘we’re the best backcourt’ and we mean it. We’re going to stand behind it and work our tails off to accomplish that. Whenever we have the opportunity to, we compete — we talk trash at each other, we make each other mad but at the end of the day it’s for our own benefit and makes us better.
Hall: What are your thoughts on the recently proposed NCAA provision that would allow underclassmen the opportunity to head back to school after the NBA combine but before the draft?
Beal: I think it would have been a lot easier. Honestly, it gives you the determination of whether you’re ready or not. Some guys may think they’re ready who aren’t really ready, and there are guys who might be ready but aren’t ready to take the next step. You’re either all in or all out.
Hall: Would this rule have helped some guys who weren’t drafted but felt they would be, such as Chris Walker and Michael Frazier?
Beal: It’s kinda a pick-your-poison. You can feel like you’re ready and do all these things, but once you’re a part of it and see you’re not, it gives you an opportunity to go back to school. If you work out, you never know — there are guys who get drafted unexpectedly.
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Florida center Patric Young embraces guard Brad Beal during the team’s Sweet 16 meeting with Marquette in 2012.
