Virginia Basketball: Preview of Cavaliers 2020-21 depth chart

Point Guards

Starter – Kihei Clark (33 mins/game)

Other PGs- Reece Beekman (7 mins/game)

Virginia’s biggest problem last season was that it relied on Kihei Clark (10.8 Pts, 4.2 Reb, 5.9 Ast) to do almost everything. Clark is arguably the best point guard in the ACC, but 37 minutes per game are just too much and it showed on the stat sheet.

His turnovers skyrocketed from one turnover to 3.8 per game, not only because his minutes increased by 11 but because he was also asked to be the primary offensive option on the perimeter and that is just not who he is. As a facilitator and floor leader, Clark is as good as it gets, so if those can be his primary focus points in 20-21, I think you see Virginia’s offensive numbers take a big leap.

The above on Clark is why Reece Beekman may be the most important newcomer in Charlottesville. Not only will he help in giving Clark a chance to get a breather, but he also allows opportunities for the Cavaliers to have two primary ball handlers on the court at the same time. This means that Clark won’t have to bear the responsibility of always having the ball in his hands and will help in the turnover column as well. The Cavs finished 256th in the country in turnovers in 19-20 which limited shots and getting more up will surely increase offensive productivity.

So, what is the skinny on Beekman? He is another example of how Tony Bennett masterfully recruits to his system. The kid is one of the best defensive guards in the 2020 freshman class and is a flat – out winner. He won for straight Louisiana high school state championship and posted a triple-double in leading Scottlandville High School to the 2020 title. He’ll fit right in.