With college basketball only about a week away, the significant news coming out of the Virginia camp is that the Hoos trounced Georgetown in a scrimmage recently, winning 83-47. That’s a striking scoreline, but it’s unwise to set much store by preseason scrimmages. Both teams are still coalescing, and coaches use these scrimmages to test different combinations.
Still, it’s difficult not to get excited when you hear that Virginia achieved its eternal goal of holding an opponent under 50 points, while somehow also dropping 83 on them. The underclassmen on the roster were undoubtedly a factor in this beatdown. Let’s take a look at each of them.
Reece Beekman
Like his backcourt companion Kihei Clark, Beekman saw a lot of the floor in his freshman year. He played about 30 minutes per game, dishing out 3 assists and scoring 4.7 points on average. His shooting percentages were ghastly, at 38% from the field and 24% from deep. As always, numbers can’t tell the whole story, but these are fairly indicative of Beekman’s limited offensive production.
Yet the stats belie his explosiveness, which has aided his exploits on both the offensive and defensive ends. On offense, Beekman has been known to make swift forays into the paint for easy buckets at the rim. On defense, his athleticism has helped him become one of Virginia’s most respected defenders. There are certainly flaws in his game—shooting and decision-making come to mind immediately—but Reece appears poised to continue progressing as an integral piece of this UVA team.
Kadin Shedrick
Long, lanky, with good defensive principles and a smooth jumper, Kadin Shedrick has been criminally overlooked by the national media. He and Reece Beekman were Tony Bennett’s escorts to ACC Tipoff (aka ACC Media Day), which suggests that his role on this team is an important one. After opting to redshirt his first season in Charlottesville, Shedrick was struck by illness in his second and forced to miss eight games. He only checked in for 11 contests, and given the rollercoaster nature of last season, we shouldn’t be drawing conclusions from Shedrick’s output.
At 6-11, 231 pounds, the North Carolina native is a beast, and as referenced in last week’s junior class breakdown, it will be interesting to see how he will be used alongside Francisco Caffaro. The two have different skill sets. Shedrick is a more versatile player, and impregnable defensively. He hasn’t had a full season in orange and blue yet, but expectations should be set high.
Carson McCorkle
Another UVA player, another hazy future. The common theme throughout these preseason player breakdowns has been one of uncertainty. In some respects, this is understandable—offseason roster turnover always leaves some unknowns, and last year’s COVID-induced tumult only exaggerates that—but it’s also a testament to the relative lack of experience Virginia carries into the season.
McCorkle is a prime example of this. He was a non-factor last year, playing 22 minutes all season and only attempting five field goals. His quick release and ability to come flying off screens has drawn comparisons to Kyle Guy, and rightfully so. But with Armaan Franklin joining the rotation from Indiana, McCorkle will likely remain toward the bottom of the guard depth chart. He’ll have the chance to move up, and could make an impact.
Taine Murray
Before talking about Virginia’s two freshmen, it’s worth including the usual disclaimer about freshmen in Tony Bennett’s system: they’ll only play as much as their defense allows them to. Luckily for Murray, he’s had experience playing the packline in his native country of New Zealand. There, he played a season for the Auckland Huskies of the New Zealand National Basketball league.
For the record, that’s a professional league, and in it Murray averaged 18 points per game while shooting 44% from beyond the arc. The latter stat is a sufficient indicator that Murray can shoot the rock, and game film reveals that his 6 feet and 5 inches come with a large degree of explosiveness. Expectations should be restrained for Murray’s freshman season, but the first-year guard has significant potential.
Igor Milicic Jr.
Both members of the incoming recruiting class hail from outside of the United States. Milicic comes from Croatia, and played in the German Pro B league last season. For the third tier of German basketball, his 13.3 points and 5.2 rebounds are not exactly notable. What is worth discussing, however, is his 33% average from deep. The number suggests that Milicic can knock down shots when he finds open ones.
He was also gifted with a height of 6-10, and weighs 224 pounds. He’s officially listed as a guard, which is obviously atypical for somebody taller than 99% of the world’s population. Milicic will function more as a forward, and will probably struggle to find minutes. He’ll find the court in due time, but will likely spend more time watching from the sidelines as the Hoos attempt to rise above preseason expectations.
Image – Virginia Athletics