Reece Beekman Leaves His Mark in Final Game at John Paul Jones Arena
When you think of the great players in the history of the Virginia men's basketball program, your list shouldn't be very long before you get to Malcolm Brogdon. Georgia Tech head coach Damon Stoudamire thinks Reece Beekman is ready to be mentioned among the likes of Brogdon and the other elites of UVA basketball history.
Stoudamire has some authority to speak on this subject, as he was an assistant coach with the Boston Celtics last season when Malcolm Brogdon was on the roster and won the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year Award. Now, Stoudamire is in his first season serving as the head coach at Georgia Tech and just watched his team fall to Beekman and the Cavaliers for the second time this year, as Virginia defeated Georgia Tech 72-57 in the regular season finale on Saturday night.
Beekman's performance reminded Stoudamire of Brogdon and made a point to mention that in the postgame press conference. "It's crazy. You know, I spent a lot of time with Malcolm Brogdon and he [Reece Beekman] looked like Malcolm. He looked like Malcolm, he did," Stoudamire said after the game. "He controlled the game. He did some really good things out there on the floor. He shot the ball well. He played like a guy that had Senior Night... He's the head of the snake and when he plays well, they tend to play well."
Beekman matched a career-high with 21 points and did so with extreme efficiency, making 8/10 field goal attempts and knocking down three of his four three-pointers. It was a fantastic all-around game for Beekman, who dished out nine assists to just one turnover, collected six rebounds, and recorded three steals and a block in 35 minutes.
That performance punctuated yet another stellar regular season for Beekman, who is the reigning ACC Defensive Player of the Year and a top contender for the award yet again, but Tony Bennett thinks Beekman should be in consideration for national recognition as well.
"I really hope, and I believe this, the important people see it and know and that's what matters. The important people. His game is understated," Bennett said of Beekman after Saturday's game. "You gotta watch him over time. But what he's done to get a third place finish for this team... he's had to have a lot on his shoulders. He's had to play well on both ends for us to have a chance to be in games, not win games, be in games, and that's a lot."
Bennett also spoke on how rare it is these days in college basketball for a player to stay all four years like Beekman, who was also presented with a game ball from his coach after the game commemorating him becoming the program's all-time steals leader.
"And I want to say this: a lot of stuff gets talked about with the state of college basketball. Well, let's celebrate a guy like Reece Beekman, who came to Virginia and he stayed four years. He tested and he went, but he decided to come back and help a team win," Bennett said of Beekman. "And he's a much - he's always been a good player - but he's taken a step each year and he's improved. And he's been here for four years. And let's talk about that. I know we talk a lot about transfer portal, I know we talked a lot about NIL, I know we talked a lot about things, but this young man chose to come here. He's a career leader in steals, he's won two ACC championships, he's done so much, and that's what's right. And it's good to see."
Beekman expressed gratitude to Tony Bennett for the opportunity to play at Virginia and especially for the chance to earn a significant role back when he was a freshman, something that is very rare for first years to do at UVA.
"I'll say I'm blessed. Coach Bennett gave me the opportunity to play as a freshman, gave me a lot of minutes early," Beekman said. "And I feel like that really helped my game and it's allowed me to be at this level where I'm at right now."
That experience Beekman got as a freshman served as solid foundation for what he has accomplished since then, earning two All-ACC and two ACC All-Defensive Team selections in the last two seasons in addition to being named the ACC Defensive Player of the Year last season. To that resume, Beekman should add another ACC All-Defensive Team selection, a First-Team All-ACC nod, and possibly repeat as the conference's Defensive Player of the Year when the 2023-2024 ACC men's basketball awards are announced this week.
But more than the individual accolades and team accomplishments of his career, which have included two ACC regular season titles, Beekman's comparisons to Malcolm Brogdon are perhaps strongest when it comes to his leadership qualities and the ways in which he embodies the Pillars of Bennett's program on and off the floor. Those attributes have been abundantly clear this season, as Beekman has fully embraced his leadership role and essentially carried this team through a challenging season, still winning 22 games and finishing third in the ACC.
"I'm proud of myself, I'm proud of the team, and the whole coaching staff. It's been ups and downs and I've never seen anybody given up," Beekman said on Saturday. "We come to work every day, put the work in like, we're still in the hunt. I feel like we've put ourself in a great position for postseason play and I think we just gotta build off this win today and try to get better."
The one element missing from Beekman's resume is success in the NCAA Tournament, as the Cavaliers have yet to win an NCAA Tournament game in Beekman's time at UVA. Virginia is currently projected to make the NCAA Tournament, positioning that was solidified by the win over Georgia Tech. But if the Cavaliers want to guarantee an at-large bid and not be nervous on Selection Sunday, they'll need another win at this week's ACC Tournament. Virginia is the No. 3 seed in the bracket and has a double-bye to the quarterfinals, where they'll face either No. 6 seed Clemson, No. 11 seed Boston College, or No. 14 seed Miami at approximately 9:30pm on Thursday at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C.
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