Beekman withdraws from draft, go back to Virginia
Virginia guard Reece Beekman is withdrawing from the NBA draft and going back to school for his senior season, he told ESPN.
“I’ve chosen to go back to UVA to work towards being a first-round draft pick next year and finish my degree,” Beekman informed ESPN.Beekman, the No. 43
prospect in ESPN’s draft rankings, stated the appeal of returning to Virginia was ultimately too much for him to hand down, in spite of the favorable feedback he got from NBA groups during the pre-draft process. He published 15 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists in 23 minutes in his last skirmish at the NBA draft integrate, appearing comfy playing a different style of basketball than what we saw the past three seasons in college.Beekman was called ACC defensive player of the year and third-team All-ACC while winning the conference’s regular-season champion this past campaign, making him one of the more notable players returning to the conference and the leader of Tony Bennett’s Cavaliers squad next season.The rising senior will spearhead the group’s perpetually stout defense while being the main ball handler and organizer after finishing third in the ACC in helps last season. Adding a more constant dive shot to his repertoire– after transforming 35% of his 3-point attempts in 2022-23– could help Beekman break through and develop himself as a first-round pick as one of the leading elders in college basketball next season.Virginia saw four of its leading 5 scorers leave from last season’s team, making Beekman’s return an important development. Rising sophomore Ryan Dunn likewise will go into next season as a predicted first-round draft choice, and he looks primed for a De’Andre Hunter-type breakout project that might catapult him into lottery consideration. Fellow sophomore Isaac McKneely also will be asked to play a considerable function along with incoming transfers Jordan Minor (Merrimack), Andrew Rohde (St. Thomas)and Jacob Groves(Oklahoma). Freshman center Blake Buchanan also need to play crucial minutes after an impressive efficiency at the Nike Hoop Summit in April.Jonathan Givony is an NBA draft expert and the founder and co-owner of DraftExpress.com, a private hunting and analytics service made use of by NBA, NCAA and international groups.