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Virginia Basketball: How Does UVA Replace Reece Beekman & Ryan Dunn on Defense?

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Virginia Basketball: How Does UVA Replace Reece Beekman & Ryan Dunn on Defense?


Two-time ACC Defensive Player of the Year Reece Beekman and first-team All-ACC defensive selection Ryan Dunn aren’t walking through that door for Virginia this season. Albeit stockpiling transfers this offseason, Coach Tony Bennett is staring down a roster bereft of individual defensive stars and one with limited experience in the vaunted Pack Line Defense. 

The data-driven website KenPom puts out yearly rankings based upon measures such as offensive and defensive ratings, luck, and adjusted tempo. According to the site, the ‘Hoos have notched an impressive nine appearances in the top-10 of overall defensive ratings since 2012. Alarmingly, however, is the sharp dip in the post-COVID era; finishes of 36th, 59th, and 25th occurred in 2020-21, 2021-22, and 2022-23, respectively. Last year’s roster did bounce back with a seventh-overall ranking in KenPom’s defensive ratings, thanks in large part to the contributions of Beekman, Dunn, and transfer center Jordan Minor’s emergence halfway through the season.

Now, the 2021-22 and 2023-24 seasons, which culminated in double-digit losses, an NIT appearance and a 26-point play-in defeat, vary significantly in their offensive and defensive outputs. The former finished 85th and 59th overall in offensive and defensive ratings, respectively, while the latter’s numbers show 200th and 7th — a massive discrepancy. With the Cavaliers losing the three aforementioned pieces on defense, the offense might be expected to shoulder a heavy burden to offset a roster without much Pack Line experience (hopefully, rumors are true surrounding Bennett’s desire to change some offensive schemes).

Nonetheless, here are some ‘Hoos who could pick up the slack.

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Reliable Defensive Pieces: junior guard Isaac McKneely, senior guard Jalen Warley

*DBPR, according to EvanMiya, another data-backed college basketball site, “reflects the defensive value a player brings to his team when he is on the court. This rating incorporates a player’s individual efficiency stats and on-court play-by-play impact, and also accounts for the defensive strength of other teammates on the floor with him, along with the offensive strength of the opponent’s players on the floor.”

McKneely isn’t Beekman, but he’s a steady guard who has played in the Pack Line throughout college and high school (at Poca High in Poca, WV). Courtesy of EvanMiya, McKneely posted a .98 DBPR* last season — good for fifth out of eight Cavaliers graded by the site — and a .86 in 2022-23 — sixth out of eighth. I’d argue that McKneely passes the eye test as a fluid and smart defender occasionally undersized in some matchups, yet his metrics suggest that improvement will be needed quickly to compensate for Beekman’s absence. 

A senior transfer from in-conference foe Florida State, guard Jalen Warley projects to be a high-quality fit in Bennett’s scheme despite his offensive shortcomings. The senior from Philadelphia outranked all fellow Seminoles two seasons ago with a DBPR of 1.16 followed by a fourth-best 1.85 mark in 2023-24. These numbers appear to be low; however, Florida State’s roster two years ago, having finished the season 9-23, featured five players with a negative DBPR. The team DBPR average increased by 0.93 after a 17-16 record in 2023-24, a sizable jump.

At 6’7, a player like Warley fits a mold closer to a Ryan Dunn or a Braxton Key than he does a McKneely or Beekman, and thus possesses more versatility when it comes to guarding the 1-4. Blanketing the opponent’s best guard might not fall to McKneely, as anticipated, but to a lengthier defender with a penchant for disrupting passing lanes and providing sound help defense. Assuming Bennett squeezes the defensive potential out of an already-impressive on-ball defender in Warley, there’s reason to believe that the defense will recover from its losses. 

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If there’s one player to watch for the ‘Hoos defensively, it’s the Florida State transfer.

Potential Defensive Breakouts: freshman center Anthony Robinson, sophomore guard Dai Dai Ames

I’ve heard nothing but palpable buzz surrounding the redshirt center this offseason. Despite having such a limited read on a player who hasn’t yet touched the court, it’s clear that Robinson has gained several pounds of muscle over the course of his redshirt season and may be thrust into the rotation earlier than expected. Robinson could, in time, fill the role of a Darion Atkins-type player for Bennett: a strong rebounder, interior defender, and player whose importance to the roster can’t be reduced to a box score summary. At 6’10,” 238 lbs., the redshirt isn’t far off from Atkins’ measurables before his senior season in 2014-15 — 6’8,’’ 240 lbs. One can hope that Robinson replicates Atkins’ underrated career in Charlottesville, one in which he garnered an ACC Defensive Player of the Year honor and noticeably improved following his junior season. 

While Virginia’s transfer class isn’t defensively-loaded outside of Warley, sophomore transfer Dai Dai Ames has shown flashes as an on-ball defender. The ex-Kansas State guard registered a measly 1.14 DBPR last season — good for sixth out of seven Wildcats — yet also took on tougher on-ball assignments with 5’11’’ backcourt mate Tylor Perry limited defensively. If Ames takes the point guard job from Warley or freshman Christian Bliss, he’ll have less pressure to take on matchups against larger shooting guards or even wings, so long as Warley, McKneely, or a bigger guard such as Andrew Rohde or Taine Murray are on the floor. There’s a reason why Bennett brought in Ames, a crafty playmaker whose toughness will be key.

While the defensive personnel is thin, the Pack Line will endure. The individual stardom might be lacking without Beekman and Dunn in the fold, yet Bennett will find a way through on that end of the floor. He always does.

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Pregame availability report for Iowa State women, Addy Brown is out

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Pregame availability report for Iowa State women, Addy Brown is out


Iowa State’s Addy Brown and Arianna Jackson will miss Sunday’s women’s basketball game against West Virginia at Hilton Coliseum in Ames, according to the Big 12-mandated pregame availability report released 90 minutes before tip-off.

Jackson is expected to miss a significant portion of the season with a leg injury. Brown has a lower body injury and was listed as questionable on the Saturday night availability report.

Brown is averaging 13.1 points, 9.0 rebounds and 5.8 assists per game for Iowa State. The Kansas native is also shooting nearly 50 percent from the floor and 42.2 percent from 3-point range.

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Iowa State vs. West Virginia is scheduled for 2 p.m. (ESPN+).

Iowa State players listed as out

  • #2 Arianna Jackson
  • #24 Addy Brown

Iowa State players listed as questionable

West Virginia players listed as out

West Virginia players listed as probable



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Everything From Virginia Tech HC Mike Young After California Win

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Everything From Virginia Tech HC Mike Young After California Win


Virginia Tech men’s basketball head coach Mike Young spoke to the media after the Hokies’ 78-75 victory over California. Here’s the entirety of what Young had to say Saturday.

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Opening statement:

“Night in, night out. That’s just the way it’s going to be. I was texting with coach [Jim] Boeheim, who I admire tremendously. Eric Devendorf, one of his former many great players, was on the call today for the ACC Network and I was texting back and forth with Coach about a couple of things. And he said [that] it’s such a balanced league and such a good league. Again, there are a lot of opportunities to compile good wins. Got to take care of home. You got to go on the road. You got to find ways to win and we’ve got a haul on the road. But a quality win for the Hokes and to Dallas we go on Tuesday to compete against the [SMU] Mustangs on Wednesday.”

On the final play, where Justin Pippen got a good shot:

“I think the rules are so new now, okay? And they’re going to rip that thing up the floor. The continuation rule has really disrupted a lot of people’s thinking. He turns and you are a split-second late and he throws that thing at the rim and that’s called. The official’s going to come to me every time in that situation. Are you going to foul? And I have done it more often than not. I have fouled just to negate that three from going in. The only way you lose is that thing to go in the basket and you also foul. All right. Heaven forbid. I’ve never had that one happen. But the continuation, you get turned and Dai Dai Ames is really smart, been around a long time. Pippen’s been around a long time. That kid catches that ball maybe with his back to his basket and turns real quick and shoves it, knowing that you’re going to hit him. That’s a disaster. Uh he got a pretty good shot. I thought it was pretty well contested. I’ll see it several times tonight on film. Caught a break.”

On Tech’s 23-10 advantage on points from turnovers:

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“Well, we flipped that on the glass in the first half. We got our ass handed to us on the glass and that is that’s hard to stomach. They don’t have a very big front line other than [Lee] Dort and we thought that that was a real advantage for our team and I think it was 19-8 or something like that in the first half [Editor’s note: It was.]. Second half, we did a much better job. But the turnover part, they had seven more shots in the first half. That’s a big deal. They have seven more shots on goal than your team has. It’s going to come back to your rebounds. It’s going to come back to your turnovers. We’d handled the ball. So, obviously, we didn’t rebound it well enough. I hope I answered your question.”

On Cal’s 14-0 run, which was subsequently countered by an 11-point run from Virginia Tech:

“We were in good shape and I remember it going up 11. We had a media timeout in there. I thought we were fine. “Certainly, no time to panic. But right back, we come offensively. Had a really nice flurry, and I think, tied it up pretty quickly. I guess it was tied at the half. We’re 17 games in. Now, this thing comes at you fast. We’ve seen a lot of situations. Next best action. What’s next? Not too high when you have a 10-0 run, not too low, when you have a 10-0 run the other way. Just the next play, just move on to the next play. And this team has been pretty good with that.”

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On what lessons Young learned from the Stanford game, a one-point loss for Virginia Tech:

“You better have a short memory in college athletics. You better have a short memory in any athletic endeavor. It was a kick in the pants. Now you can pout, all right, and feel sorry for yourself or you can suck it up and come back the next day in practice and prepare for Cal. That game today was every bit as important as the Wednesday game. That one [against Stanford] hurt. There’s no getting around that. But you’ve got a choice to make and we got high character people in that locker room. And right back they come. Cal was desperate. We were desperate and feel great about winning.”

[Editor’s note: Viriginia Tech On SI staff writer Josh Poslusny started off his question with: “You talked a little bit about rebounding-” after which Young said, “Josh, I can’t see your eyes.” Poslusny then took off his hat.]

Q: There was a stretch you guys were out rebounded 18 to three and y’all shot five for 23 for three. I mean, what do you have to do to overcome that adversity?

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“We’ve got a good rebounding team, Zach. Right. Zach? [Editor’s note: Poslusny corrected him by saying “Josh.”]. I was close. We have a good rebounding team, Josh. We have a good rebounding team. [Amani] Hansberry is awesome. Tobi [Lawal] being back in the lineup obviously really helps us. Our guards have to rebound better. Where we’re getting in trouble, and I’m going to get way into it, Duffy Bear has no idea what I’m talking about. But when there’s dribble penetration and a post player has to step over, that takes him out of where he’s supposed to be on the glass. The shot gets up on the rim. You’ve got to have a guard cracking down on his matchup who’s a post player, who’s a big person, Dort or 17 [Mantas Kocanas] or eight [Milos Ilic]. And we did a poor job with that. Much, much better in the second half. Guarded the ball better in the second half.”

On Virginia Tech’s play down the stretch after taking the lead for good with slightly less than four minutes remaining:

“Well, again, 17 games in and I think back to the Providence game, that game had some moments where it didn’t look real good for the Hokes. South Carolina, on the road. Virginia, here in triple overtime. You click them off. Those experiences are invaluable for moments like that and I thought they had a good look about them and I thought the response was quite encouraging.”

Q: Going back to that overtime Elon game… you’ve had five straight close games, and you’ve won three of them. Is that a learned skill to win those close games?

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“You’ve got to be able to play in pressure moments, all right? And that’s why that non-conference schedule [matters]. Those moments, who’s going to respond, who may not respond? You got to step up and make foul shots. [Jailen] Bedford missed one. [Jaden Schutt] missed one that we walk out of here comfortably if we get those down. But we shot our fouls great today. Again, I said it earlier, we’re going to have a lot of these [tight games] and I wish it weren’t so. But it’s a really good league. Good, good teams, and we’re going to have to respond time in and time out. So, we look forward to it.”

On how pleased Young was with his team’s physicality:

“We haven’t gotten to the line as much as I’d like for us to, but we’ve got a physical team. David Jackson does a remarkable job with them. They’re men. They’re men and one of our toughest kids, Tyler Johnson, obviously is out of the lineup for the time being. We’ll have him back soon. But very, very encouraged. I really am.”

On the team’s defense down the stretch:

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“We did [step up]. [We went] 5-for-23. We are second or third in the ACC in three-point field goal percentage defense, And you got all the damn numbers, so if I’m wrong, correct me. It’s our rebounding, David. It’s our rebounding. We’re getting the stop. But that second one typically finds the bottom of the barrel. You’ve got to rebound the ball. You got to rebound that first carom. much, much better in the second half. But that’ll of critical importance on Wednesday in Dallas against the Mustangs.”

More Virginia Tech Basketball News:



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Virginia Tech gains commitment from ACC transfer QB

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Virginia Tech gains commitment from ACC transfer QB


North Carolina QB transfer Bryce Baker has committed to Virginia Tech out of the NCAA transfer portal. Baker was a freshman at UNC this past season and didn’t see any action for the Tar Heels.

Before arriving in Chapel Hill, Baker played high school football at East Forsyth (NC), where he was a four-star prospect. He was the No. 87 overall player and No. 9 QB in the 2025 recruiting cycle, according to the Rivals Industry Rankings which is a proprietary algorithm that compiles ratings and rankings from all four primary recruiting media services.

During his senior season in high school, Baker threw for 3,523 yards and 40 touchdowns, while only throwing five interceptions. Moreover, he logged 303 yards and six scores in the ground game.

North Carolina finished at No. 8 in On3’s 2025 Team Transfer Portal Rankings after losing 41 players to it while adding 42. The team will look to have another successful offseason in the upcoming year, but hope for a better outcome on the field.

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Meanwhile, Baker will transfer across the ACC to play for James Franklin at Virginia Tech. Franklin arrived in Blacksburg after a successful stint at Penn State, where he’s one year removed from leading the Nittany Lions to a national semifinal.

Franklin now replaces Brent Pry, who worked under Franklin with the Nittany Lions from 2016-21 as the defensive coordinator. Pry was 16-24 as Virginia Tech’s head coach, but was fired after an 0-3 start this season. Pry now works under Franklin and will be the team’s defensive coordinator for the 2026 season.

Franklin will look to turn the program around in short order, and doing well in the NCAA transfer portal is the first step. Could they have possibly found their QB1 in Bryce Baker? For now, that remains to be seen.

To keep up with the latest players on the move, check out On3’s Transfer Portal wire. The On3 Transfer Portal Instagram account and Twitter account are excellent resources to stay up to date with the latest moves.





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