Virginia Basketball 22-23 Roster Preview: Reece Beekman

After leading the ACC in assists and steals last year, what's in store for Beekman in his junior season at UVA?

The start of a new college basketball season is upon us. With that in mind, it's time to preview the roster for the 2022-2023 Virginia men's basketball team. CavaliersNow is going through the UVA roster player-by-player in preparation for the season, which begins on Monday, November 7th against NC Central at John Paul Jones Arena.

Today, we have our final player preview, analyzing junior guard Reece Beekman.

Click on the links below to read our player previews for the rest of the UVA men's basketball roster:

Armaan Franklin

Kihei Clark

Isaac Traudt

Ben Vander Plas

Taine Murray

Francisco Caffaro

Ryan Dunn

Isaac McKneely

Kadin Shedrick

Jayden Gardner

Leon Bond III

It's difficult not to get excited about what could be in store this season for Reece Beekman, who is already one of the best two-way players in all of college basketball. Beekman earned himself a key role for the Cavaliers in his first season in 2020-2021 by being indispensable on the defensive end, starting in 20 of 25 games. He has continued to be nothing short of lockdown on the defensive end through his first two seasons, but it is his development on the offensive end that gives him superstar potential. 

Last season, Beekman started all 35 games, nearly doubling his scoring average from 4.7 to 8.2 points per game and shooting 44.9% from the floor. His three-point shooting will be the biggest key for him offensively this season. After shooting 24.3% from three as a freshman, Beekman shot 33.8% from beyond the arc in 2021-2022 and increased his attempts from 1.5 per game to just under two per game. If he can just bump it up a little more into that sweet spot between 35% and 40%, Beekman's all-around offensive game will be very difficult to stop. 

Beekman already has the ball-handling skills and the speed to get to the basket at will and he is only getting stronger, increasing his ability to absorb contact on his way to the rim. He'll also occasionally give an explosive reminder of his athleticism and leaping ability by throwing down a dunk. The next step for Beekman is to be more aggressive in looking for more driving opportunities for himself. And if he can add a more reliable jump shot to that bag, then the sky is the limit for Beekman as a scorer. 

We haven't even mentioned Beekman's overall playmaking ability in running UVA's offense, creating opportunities off the dribble and distributing the ball to teammates for open shots. Beekman led the ACC with 5.2 assists per game and had a 3.62 assist to turnover ratio, which ranked first in the nation among major conference players and second in all of college basketball. He dished out 181 total assists to just 50 turnovers all season. Beekman maintained that elite level of decision-making and playmaking despite playing in one of the worst-shooting and overall scoring offenses in the conference. 

Beekman could be even better from an assist standpoint this season with the added shooting and depth on the Virginia roster. Last season, opposing defenses were able to pack the paint and leave the Cavaliers open on the perimeter, knowing that they wouldn't be able to consistently knock down three-pointers. As a result, driving lanes were extremely tight or just nonexistent, taking away one of the strongest facets of Beekman's game. With more shooting this season - the additions of Ben Vander Plas, Isaac McKneely, and Isaac Traudt as well as the hopeful shooting improvements of Armaan Franklin, Kihei Clark, and Beekman himself - he should have more space to drive. That will force opposing defenses to make a tough decision: either commit to helping on Beekman's drives to keep him away from the basket or stay at home on the shooters on the perimeter and on UVA's bigs around the basket. And make no mistake, if there is an open teammate, Beekman will find him. 

Last season, Beekman was successful in finding Jayden Gardner on the elbow or baseline for open jumpers, throwing lobs to Kadin Shedrick at the rim, and feeding Armaan Franklin for open looks on the perimeter. This season, he should be able to do that and more. Beekman has already shown some nice chemistry with the newcomers on the roster, as has Kihei Clark, who had 12 assists in the Blue-White Scrimmage. Beekman had seven assists in the scrimmage, including a sweet cross-court pass to Isaac McKneely in the opposite corner for a catch-and-shoot three. Tony Bennett would certainly like to see that play happen repeatedly this season.

One of the most important consequences of Virginia's roster depth this season is that Kihei Clark and Reece Beekman shouldn't have to be on the floor at the same time nearly as much as last year. That was a major issue for the Cavaliers last season and even the season before. Neither Beekman nor Clark are at their best when they have to play off-ball. They are both natural point guards, but with both of them on the floor simultaneously, they have to split the time handling the ball and running the UVA offense. It is not efficient to have either Beekman or Clark just posted at the wing or corner waiting for a pass. With more depth on the roster, which makes for opportunities to experiment with various lineups and rotation combinations, Tony Bennett and company should be able to find the right balance such that Beekman and Clark both get extended time running the Virginia offense as the sole point guard on the floor. 

Of course, we already know what Virginia gets from Reece Beekman on the defensive end. It was the reason he started in 20 games as a first year and it's the reason he's one of the best two-way players in the country now. Beekman led the ACC with 2.1 steals per game and ranked 26th in all of college basketball in that category last season. A tenacious on-ball defender with quick feet and even quicker hands, Beekman is the ultimate weapon on the defensive end, giving the Virginia coaching staff the option to put him on the opposing team's best guard and effectively take that player out of the game. 

Beekman was named to the ACC All-Defensive Team in 2021-2022 and finished second in voting for the ACC Defensive Player of the Year (snubbed in our opinion). This season, he's coming for the ACC Defensive Player of the Year award and he should have a pretty good chance of bringing it home. He would become the first Cavalier to win the award since 2019 and the fifth to win it in the Tony Bennett era, joining De'Andre Hunter (2019), Isaiah Wilkins (2018), Malcolm Brogdon (2016), and Darion Atkins (2015). 

Of course, if you asked Beekman, he'd say none of those accolades really matter to him. He just wants to win. With him leading the way on a Cavalier roster loaded with talent and experience, there should be a lot of wins for Reece Beekman and the Virginia men's basketball team in 2022-2023.

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