An ordinary Monday night became anything but when Virginia officially announced Kihei Clark’s return for a fifth season in Charlottesville. The news sent some fans into paroxysms of joy, others into painful gloom and still more into deep thought trying to puzzle out their feelings (I count myself among the latter group).
The internet wars raged on through the night, fans locked in hostile dispute over Virginia basketball’s most polarizing player.
The funny, underlying truth? There is no right answer. And I mean that honestly. There are definitely wrong answers; those who praise Kihei’s return on the basis of his incredible pass in the 2019 Elite Eight are just as wrong as those who cry out in agony every time he touches the ball.
Let’s get one thing straight: I love Kihei Clark. I love him for the role he played in the magical 2019 championship run, for his fiery play and for his pesky defense. I’m never going to outright complain about him coming back. Watching him zoom under and around opposing defenses triggers nostalgia, and he represents everything Tony Bennett and Virginia basketball stand for.
Here’s Isaiah Wilkins’s take. He loves Kihei Clark. I love Kihei Clark. You should, too.
But whether next year’s team will be better off with Kihei? That’s a question I’ve struggled with all offseason and am still far from answering.
Look at Reece Beekman, now approaching his third year as a Wahoo. Beekman rightfully took a back seat to Kihei during his first and second years, a period he used to develop every facet of his game. Very good defense became superlative defense; horrendous three-point shooting became reliable three-point shooting; hesitant and rare drives to the rim became more powerful and more frequent drives to the rim.
All signs indicate it’s Beekman’s time to take over as the primary ball-handler. Beekman led the ACC last season in total assists, assists per game and assist/turnover ratio. Kihei was fifth, fifth and eighth, not too far behind, but a member of the pack rather than the leader of it.
There’s a nagging feeling that as long as Beekman shares the reins with Kihei, he’ll be restricted from reaching his full potential. Not necessarily because Kihei or Bennett will force him into a secondary role, but because Beekman’s potential will only be realized when he stops deferring to Kihei and instead takes the initiative.
Then again, Kihei has that intangible quality that’s impossible not to love. Giving adversaries fits is a speciality of his. Asking another ACC fan which Virginia player he hates the most will result in that fan instantly spitting out the name Kihei Clark.
The kind of malice directed toward Kihei is reserved for the best players, guys so good and so adept at frustrating the designs of opponents they evoke hatred in fans of other teams. It takes a special kind of player to elicit the universal vexed sigh the rest of college basketball released at this news.
And think of Wisconsin’s Brad Davison or Iowa’s Jordan Bohannon. Those are the guys you look at and think to yourself, man, this guy’s been in college forever. Now Virginia has a player like that.
Is that for better or for worse? We’re going to have to wait and see. For now, it’s perfectly fine to be conflicted.
Image – Virginia Athletics
4 comments
Very well put, that was enjoyable reading
What so many people don’t get is Tony like playing two point guards and to insinuate that Kihei is holding Reece back is ridiculous. Reece has had two very good years and I think he really enjoys playing with Kihei. They are very effective together. What most average fans don’t appreciate is that Kihei effects almost every defensive possession with the pressure that he puts on the opponents point guard. That is so valuable and it’s something that the average fan probably doesn’t even think about but it’s huge. It takes time off the shot clock and most of the first passes are not offensive and this is so huge in the defense that Tony runs.
Think about this that Kihei has an effect on just about every possession on the defensive side of the ball, but you want to take him out because he might get a couple of shots blocked when he drives the lane. Think about it, it’s not rocket science! Plus Kihei had the best three point shooting percentage on the team this past year.
Ambivalent about Kihei?, if you are, you are a basketball idiot!
No one’s opinion means a thing now. He is back and we all need to get behind him.
I feel he is holding back the younger group. Him staying I feel is due to the recent transfer portal individuals that left. People think his talents will improve that is long gone. His skills do not create a need for double teams and help release other players on the court. Beekman’s talents and size are far superior and this should be his team. Enjoyed watching Clark but far from one of my favorite PG that have worn a Wahoos jersey.
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