Virginia Cavaliers Reece Beekman
Reece Beekman finished as just one of three ACC players with at least 45 steals and 15 blocked shots this season. ~ Photo by Mike Ingalls/TheSabre.com

It didn’t take long for Virginia coaches to notice Reece Beekman on defense. In the early practices at the start of his career, they saw an understanding of schemes mixed with a knack for playmaking that could turn him into a special defender at the college level.

“We’ve talked about it from day one,” Cavalier coach Tony Bennett said. “I think you saw some of those natural instincts that Reece has, the anticipation, the quick hands, and then the ability and desire to play that way and have the heart. That’s hard thing to make yourself do. It’s not natural.”

Now a junior, Beekman has translated those skills into elite defense at the Division I level. He received the ACC Defensive Player of the Year Award this week as he stacked back-to-back years on the conference’s all-defensive team on his resume. He finished second in the DPOY voting last season, but finished ahead of other strong defenders like North Carolina’s Leaky Black and Syracuse center Jesse Edwards this season. Duke’s Dereck Lively II and UVA teammate Kihei Clark rounded out the five picks for the ACC All-Defensive team.

Beekman was grateful for the recognition.

“I didn’t know this year if it was going to happen, so I kind of played it cool,” Beekman said Tuesday. “But when I got the award, I was very excited for that.”

In terms of defensive counting stats, Beekman finished with 45 steals and 15 blocked shots this season. According to Sports-Reference.com, only three players in the ACC posted those stats this season. Virginia Tech’s Justyn Mutts and Boston College’s Makai Ashton-Langford joined Beekman with the 45-15 combo. When you add in a defensive rating layer (the estimate for points allowed per 100 possessions), Beekman is the only player in the ACC with the 45-15 steal-block number plus a defensive rating below 98.0 (he’s at 97.8).

In some ways, that shows a defensive player that routinely gets the shutdown part correct through positioning, sliding, and preventing scoring but also makes plays that show up on the stat sheet as steals and blocks. That unique blend of being a strong position defensive player that is in the right spots, rotating smoothly and correctly, and generally not taking himself out of plays plus being a playmaker that can swing momentum with big steals or blocks is what has made Beekman such a pest for opponents.

It also has been a key factor in a 15-5 ACC record that helped Virginia share the ACC Regular Season Championship with Miami. Beekman’s teammates certainly appreciate what he brings to the floor.

“He’s very deserving of the ACC Defensive Player of the Year,” UVA guard Armaan Franklin said. “I think he should have won it twice, but it just shows how elite of a player he is and how special he is.”

Beekman now joins a special group of Wahoos that have won the ACC Defensive Player of the Year Award too. Darion Atkins (2015), Malcolm Brogdon (2016), Isaiah Wilkins (2018), and De’Andre Hunter (2019) landed the top honor during a dominant stretch that saw UVA take the award in four out of five seasons.

When a manager showed Coach Bennett that graphic, he couldn’t help but smile and daydream a little bit but he also pointed out how much the team defense and culture at Virginia plays into the individual success.

“I was sitting there thinking, alright if those five guys were on the court, how good could they be collectively defensively? And it was fun to think about that,” Bennett said smiling. “For sure, it’s a tremendous award for Reece to receive. ... Our defense is an us defense or a we or a team defense so that’s such a part of it. ... So I’m glad he’s been rewarded.”