LSU's Morris, SC's Beal, Amihere declare for 2023 WNBA draft

The LSU Tigers' Alexis Morris and the South Carolina Gamecocks' Brea Beal and Laeticia Amihere have declared for the 2023 WNBA draft, the players announced Tuesday on social media.

All three participated in the women's Final Four, in which Beal and Amihere's Gamecocks fell in a national semifinal game to Iowa, while the Tigers' Morris helped clinch LSU's first basketball championship with a 102-85 win over the Iowa Hawkeyes.

Beal and Amihere were slotted as potential first-round selections for the Indiana Fever (at No. 7) and the Minnesota Lynx (at No. 12), respectively, in ESPN.com's latest mock draft.

Beal, Amihere and presumptive 2023 No. 1 overall pick Aliyah Boston — who declared for the draft on Saturday — were part of the decorated senior class at South Carolina that went 129-9 in their careers, advanced to three Final Fours and won the 2022 national title.

Beal, a four-year starter and standout perimeter defender, averaged 6.1 points and 5.0 rebounds per game while in Columbia and hit a career-best 38% in shooting 3s this season. Amihere (6.3 PPG, 4.1 RPG in her career) is known for her versatility as a forward who can also run the point and plays strong defense.

Their classmate Zia Cooke hasn't yet publicly announced her decision for the upcoming season but is expected to depart for the WNBA as well.

Morris, who previously appeared at Baylor, Rutgers and Texas A&M, spent the past two seasons at LSU, helping coach Kim Mulkey turn the program around and win the 2023 national title. She averaged 15.4 points, 4.1 assists and 1.8 steals per game this season as a senior, was a 2023 all-SEC first-team selection and earned a spot on the Final Four all-tournament team.

Basketball players were granted an extra year of