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DECEMBER 2022 15 ties for us, and it just helps us get ahead of the curve before we get into ACC play," Clark said. "… I think it's going to be great for our development as we go throughout the season." Only seven players averaged more than 7.5 minutes per game for Virginia last sea- son. This team is much deeper, and compe- tition for playing time figures to be intense. "We've got our hands full as a coaching staff to figure out who's going to play," Willi- ford said, "but I think that's a good problem to have." Virginia is ranked in the preseason Associated Press Top 25 for the ninth time in the past 10 seasons. One of the reasons for this year's No. 18 showing is an excellent backcourt that is led by gradu- ate student Kihei Clark and third-year Reece Beekman. Clark played a key role for the Cavaliers' 2019 national champi- onship team, while Beekman put together a breakout campaign in 2021-22. If you ask Beekman, though, he'll tell you he is just getting started. He has set high expectations for himself this season follow- ing a stellar second-year campaign during which he earned ACC All-Defensive Team and All-ACC honorable mention honors after nearly doubling all his stats from his first collegiate season. The 6-3, 190-pound native of Milwaukee, Wis., averaged 8.2 points, 5.2 as- sists, 3.9 rebounds and 2.1 steals per game, and in the process became the fifth player in league history to lead the ACC in assists, steals and assist-to-turnover ratio (3.62) in a single season. Beekman has a very clear goal in mind for the 2022-23 cam- paign. "I want to win ACC Defensive Player of the Year," said Beekman, who also finished second on the team with 25 blocks last year. "I was really, really close to the award last year, and I want to stay at that high level this season. "I have a very high standard for myself and for the team, espe- cially when it comes to the defensive end, and I'm looking forward to showing what more I can do." In order to reach the performance targets he has set for himself, Beekman said he spent a great deal of time in the offseason work- ing to improve his overall game. "First and foremost, I hit the weight room to put on size," Beekman said. "I hit that really hard, just me and our strength and conditioning coach Mike Curtis, it was important for me to fill out and get stronger. "I also put in a lot of hours shooting with Johnny Carpenter and Isaiah Wilkins. We focused a lot on coming off ball screens, really just trying to improve my catch-and-shoot game when I play off the ball." As far as team goals, Beekman spoke about the emphasis the players and coaches have put on reaching the NCAA Tournament once again after falling just short last year and landing a berth in the National Invitation Tournament. "I want us to go out and compete every game, night in and night out," Beekman said. "I feel that if we can do that at a high level we can compete with anybody. If we can come out and play together as a unit then we can definitely make it back to where we want to be, and that is in the [NCAA] Tournament. It is really important for us to reach that goal." — William Jarrett REECE BEEKMAN SETS HIS SIGHTS ON BECOMING THE ACC DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR Last year, Beekman became the fifth player ever to lead the ACC in assists (5.2 per game), steals (2.1 per game) and assist-to-turnover ratio (3.62) in a single season. (Photo courtesy UVA)