Top 100 Camp Notebook: Beekman Commits To Virginia

By Scott Ratcliffe

Future Cavalier Reece Beekman talks to reporters about his recent commitment during Top 100 Camp at John Paul Jones Arena Thursday.

The big news out of Top 100 Camp Thursday morning was about as unexpected as it gets. Less than 24 hours after telling reporters inside John Paul Jones Arena that he was undecided and wasn’t sure when he’d make his college choice, Reece Beekman broke the news that he has committed to the University of Virginia.

The 6-foot-4, 170-pound, class of 2020 point guard, originally from Milwaukee but currently residing in Baton Rouge, La., decided to make Charlottesville his future home, choosing the Wahoos over several other schools including Wisconsin, Florida, Marquette, Minnesota, LSU, South Carolina, Georgia Tech and Wake Forest.

“Just talking with my family every day, just trying to find the best fit for me, the best situation… [the decision] came a while back, but my mom and I just decided to announce it,” revealed Beekman, a consensus 4-star prospect and top-15 point guard in the country according to the major recruiting services, which had already predicted that Tony Bennett would be Beekman’s coach at the next level.

It was widely expected that Beekman would eventually wind up on Grounds, but the announcement was a bit of a surprise, given what he said the day before. Beekman’s mother, Julie Jackson, told ESPN National Recruiting Director Paul Biancardi that she wants her son to “continue to grow as a person and as a player by learning from Coach Bennett’s Five Pillars of life. Humility, Passion, Unity, Servanthood and Thankfulness.”

Beekman, who averaged a triple double — 21 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists a game — as a junior this past season in Louisiana, opened up about UVA’s national title, when asked how much that influenced his choice.

“It’s not a big factor, but it’s a factor,” said Beekman of the ‘Hoos hoisting the championship trophy, “because just knowing that they win a lot and they still want me — that’s impressive.”

Now that his decision has been made, the future Wahoo appeared to be a little more relaxed during Thursday’s camp games.

“It’s kind of like my new home,” he said of stepping back out onto the JPJ floor post-commitment, adding that he no longer felt the need to impress anyone with his play.

We’ll have a more in-depth look at Beekman’s impact on the future of the program later this weekend.

 

What’s Next?

Beekman joins shooting guard Carson McCorkle as the second commitment of UVA’s 2020 class, and now the question becomes what more Bennett and his staff can add.

The Cavaliers still have one scholarship for the 2019 season, as well as one left for 2020. Should the team choose to carry over the last remaining spot to next season, Virginia could very well put together the best recruiting class of the Bennett era.

The ‘Hoos are going hard after four other Top 100 campers — Henry Coleman III, Keon Johnson, Jabri Abdur-Rahim and Terrence Williams — among others.

Johnson, a 6-7 athletic, intriguing wing from Tennessee, is a projected future first-round pro who has narrowed his options to the Cavaliers, the Vols and Ohio State. He’s expected to make his college selection this summer.

Coleman, a 6-7, 238-pound forward from Trinity Episcopal School in Richmond whose mother went to UVA and father attended Virginia Tech, has been open thus far regarding his recruitment. He doesn’t consider any of the numerous interested programs a favorite at the moment, but explained Wednesday that he hopes to cut his list to seven schools by the end of July before deciding on his future location in the fall.

Abdur-Rahim, whose father Shareef was the third pick in the 1996 NBA Draft, also has a long list of potential landing spots, but admitted that Virginia is definitely in the mix. The 6-7, 205-pound Jabri is considered one of the nation’s best small-forward prospects, and listed the ‘Hoos first when asked about who’s been in contact.

“I’d say on me the hardest would probably be Virginia, Texas, Michigan, Villanova, Kansas and Notre Dame,” said Abdur-Rahim, who included Florida and his dad’s alma mater California, and added that new coach Mike Young and the rival Hokies have made a late charge and “just started to jump in.”

As for Virginia, Abdur-Rahim was offered a scholarship  in May and the interest continues to grow.

“They’ve been on me really, really hard, especially these last couple of months,” he said of the Cavaliers. “Obviously I really like how they played in the championship game. They’ve been one of the schools to reach out to me on a more consistent basis, so they’ve just been telling me that I can come in and be an elite defender, and [Bennett] sees me as kind of filling a De’Andre Hunter-type role.”

Williams, a 6-5, 215-pound Maryland native who has drawn comparisons to former Virginia standout Isaiah Wilkins, recently trimmed down to seven finalists — UVA, Georgetown, Maryland, Stanford, Notre Dame, NC State, DePaul and South Carolina.

There remains the possibility of using this year’s final scholarship to add another player prior to the upcoming season, i.e. a grad transfer, but it seems more likely to move it over to 2020 and go after two rising seniors.

McCorkle, who committed as a high-school sophomore back in September and has since re-classed to 2020, is already doing his best to bring Coleman in, tweeting to him after Beekman’s announcement that he’s next.

Is that who I think it is?

For the first time in the 25-year history of the camp, college coaches from across the country were in attendance Thursday for a first-hand evaluation of the premier talent on display as a sanctioned event.

It was a virtual who’s who of coaching royalty lined up all around the floor, eager to get a closer look at their desired targets.

From the ACC alone, UNC’s Roy Williams, Syracuse’s Jim Boeheim, Louisville’s Chris Mack, Notre Dame’s Mike Brey and Miami’s Jim Larrañaga were among the coaches in attendance, in a building where they’re usually the enemy.

Other coaches taking in the action included: Tom Izzo (Michigan State), Chris Beard (Texas Tech), Bill Self (Kansas), Shaka Smart (Texas), Patrick Ewing (Georgetown), Dana Altman (Oregon) and Buzz Williams (Texas A&M), just to name a few.

Coaches will be able to scout Friday’s games as well, but are not allowed to interact with the campers.

A D-Wade sighting in ‘Hooville

Recently retired NBA legend Dwyane Wade has been spotted in Central Virginia — not once, but twice. The 13-time All-Star who played 16 seasons with the Heat, Bulls and Cavs, is in town to watch his son, highly touted prospect Zaire Wade, this week at Top 100 Camp.

Wednesday, Wade was seen taking in a round at Meadowcreek Golf Course. Later that night, Wade even made TMZ by singing a little karaoke (“Candy Rain” by Soul For Real) at Rapture on the Charlottesville Downtown Mall.

The song choice is… interesting, maybe not what you’d expect, but Wade apparently digs his 90’s R&B.