UVA Basketball Blue-White Scrimmage: What We Learned

Reece Beekman and Jayden Gardner showed out at the Blue-White Scrimmage on Sunday

Matt Newton | Oct 17, 2021

Update: For those who couldn't make it to the UVA basketball Blue-White Scrimmage on Sunday, we've got you covered with the highlights: UVA Basketball Blue-White Scrimmage Highlights

The Virginia basketball program held its annual Blue-White Scrimmage on Sunday afternoon at John Paul Jones Arena. It was our first chance to see the Cavaliers in action since March. Here are the main takeaways from the scrimmage:

Transfers will be key for Virginia this season

Transfers Jayden Gardner (East Carolina) and Armaan Franklin (Indiana) stood out in their first time taking the court in UVA uniforms. Gardner, a 6’6”, 246-pound forward, backed down Igor Milicic Jr. in the post and used a beautiful up-and-under move to score the first basket of the scrimmage. Gardner recorded 17 points, tied with Reece Beekman for the most points scored in the scrimmage. Most of Gardner’s points came on post-moves and he also added a couple of dunks, including one in which he did a spin move which sent Kadin Shedrick to the floor and then delivered a two-hand jam.

Armaan Franklin, a 6’4”, 204-pound guard, scored ten points in the scrimmage, but his defense was even more impressive. Franklin had multiple steals and he formed a formidable duo with Reece Beekman on the defensive end, oftentimes leading to easy buckets on the other end of the floor. Franklin hit a pull-up mid-range jumper and also challenged Francisco Caffaro at the rim, switching hands to finish with his right.

Both Gardner and Franklin seem to be fitting right in and will figure to be key factors for Virginia this season.

Reece Beekman is ready for a big leap in year 2

Beekman started 20 games in his first year, averaging 4.7 points per game and 3.0 assists per game. As he enters his sophomore season, Beekman looks primed to take on a bigger offensive load. He scored 17 points in the scrimmage on a variety of shots: he scored a few times on driving layups, knocked down a pair of mid-range jump shots, and splashed a catch-and-shoot three-pointer from the right wing. On the defensive end, he recorded four steals, turning most of them into scores on the resulting transition opportunities. Beekman also perfectly timed a block on Taine Murray’s three-point attempt and forced a shot clock violation. Unlike last season, Beekman was aggressive in hunting for his shot, which is a great sign as UVA leans on Beekman to be more of a scorer this year.

Kadin Shedrick is a force in the low post

Shedrick comes into this season after putting on additional 15 pounds in the offseason. Now, the redshirt sophomore stands at 6’11” and 231 pounds, and from what we saw in the scrimmage on Sunday, he knows how to use every bit of it. Shedrick scored 14 points and dominated his matchup with the 7’1”, 242-pound Francisco Caffaro. He showed a level of consistency and effectiveness in his post game that vastly exceeded expectations, given the fact that he has appeared in only 11 games in his college career. Shedrick backed down Caffaro and scored three times with a right hook and once with a left hook. He was comfortable spinning into the paint and to the baseline to deliver the jump-hook with a surprising amount of touch. Shedrick also drained a mid-range jump shot on the baseline. He was a force on defense, recording multiple blocks and also rebounded well. As he enters a season 100% healthy for the first time in his UVA career, it is hard not to be excited for Shedrick’s potential.

Promising first years

Although largely overshadowed by the stellar play of the transfers Gardner and Franklin as well as Reece Beekman and Kadin Shedrick, the UVA first years looked solid in their first action in a Virginia uniform. Taine Murray recorded seven points, including two driving layups and a very deep three late in the shot clock. Igor Milicic scored just two points, as he got a pass from Chase Coleman on a backdoor cut and made the tough finish at the rim. Milicic did not get any of his few three-point attempts to fall, but his shooting form looks pure and he did not miss his shots by much, a good sign that he will deliver with a higher volume of attempts when the season begins.

Both Murray and Milicic held their own on the defensive end, but it was clear that they each still have some work to do to be up to speed with the Pack-Line Defense, as well as the physical demands of playing college basketball.

Stattmann and McCorkle could see time as shooters

Both Kody Stattmann and Carson McCorkle had solid performances from a shooting standpoint. Stattmann finished with 13 points, including three three-pointers from a variety of positions on the floor. Stattmann, a 6’8”, 200-pound senior, also slashed to the basket and finished at the rim.

McCorkle, who appeared in just eight games in his freshman season, knocked down a pair of catch-and-shoot threes and finished with 8 points.

Virginia will be starved for shooting this season after the departures of the team’s four best three-point shooters from last season in Sam Hauser, Trey Murphy, Jay Huff, and Tomas Woldetensae. Armaan Franklin offers some much-needed support in that area, but depending on how the rest of the roster contributes on the three-point shooting front, Stattmann and McCorkle could have more ample opportunities to see the floor this season.

Potential starting lineup?

We are still three weeks away from the start of the UVA men’s basketball season, so it is reasonable to expect that there is still work to be done before Tony Bennett knows exactly who will start for the Hoos on November 9th. That being said, the starting lineup for the Blue-White Scrimmage gives us a solid starting point. The starting five for the white team at the beginning of Sunday’s scrimmage was Kihei Clark, Reece Beekman, Armaan Franklin, Jayden Gardner, and Kadin Shedrick. It is possible that this starting five could change by the time the season begins, but we will just have to wait and see.

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