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UVA guards Reece Beekman, Kymora Johnson win ACC Basketball honors

Chris Graham
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Reece Beekman. Photo: Mike Ingalls/AFP

Reece Beekman is the ACC Basketball Player of the Week, which honestly caught me by surprise.

Not because Beekman, a 6’3” senior who is a projected first-round 2024 NBA Draft pick, didn’t have a good week.

Beekman had 16 points, four assists, four rebounds and four steals in UVA’s 65-57 win over Virginia Tech on Wednesday, then put in 19 points and 11 assists in the 75-66 win at Georgia Tech win on Saturday.

My snark is the result of, I didn’t think the Virginia kids were eligible for the ACC awards, given how many writers from that state on our southern border vote on these awards, and how they vote for kids from that state.

I digress.

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Kymora Johnson. Photo: UVA Athletics

On the women’s side of the ledger, the other point guard, Kymora Johnson, is your ACC Rookie of the Week.

No surprise on this one. Johnson, a freshman, had 35 points on 14-of-20 shooting in Virginia’s 91-87 upset of then-#15 Florida State on Sunday.

Johnson is the first Cavalier to score 35 points in a single game since Monica Wright did so during the 2009-2010 season.

Dawn Staley (37) and Johnson are the only two freshmen in UVA history to score at least 35 points in a single game.

Chris Graham

Chris Graham

Chris Graham is the founder and editor of Augusta Free Press. A 1994 alum of the University of Virginia, Chris is the author and co-author of seven books, including Poverty of Imagination, a memoir published in 2019, and Team of Destiny: Inside Virginia Basketball’s Run to the 2019 National Championship, and The Worst Wrestling Pay-Per-View Ever, published in 2018. For his commentaries on news, sports and politics, go to his YouTube page, or subscribe to his Street Knowledge podcast. Email Chris at [email protected].