All-MAC transfer Ben Vander Plas commits to Virginia basketball

On3 imageby:James Fletcher III04/23/22

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Former Ohio forward Ben Vander Plas announced his commitment to Virginia on Saturday afternoon via Pardon My Take, just hours after reports indicated he cut his list to two teams. The three-time All-MAC selection chose the Cavaliers over Ohio State, having previously considered Iowa State, Wisconsin and others as well.

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Before entering the transfer portal, Ben Vander Plas averaged 14.3 points, 6.8 rebounds and 3.1 assists for Ohio in 2021-22. In 122 games over four seasons, he has started 93 games and will now use his fifth year of eligibility in the ACC under head coach Tony Bennett.

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The Wisconsin native previously had his home-state school on the shortlist, and Ohio State was the closest to his current location. However, Virginia held the most meaningful connection because Ben’s father, Dean, played alongside Tony Bennett and eventually named his son after legendary coach Dick Bennett. Ben is in fact short for Bennett.

Despite missing the 2022 NCAA Tournament, the Cavaliers return Kihei Clark, Reece Beekman and several other key pieces with the goal of returning to the ACC and NCAA picture in 2023. The addition of Ben Vander Plas, along with top 50 recruit Isaac Traudt, restocks the frontcourt for Virginia.

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To this point, Tony Bennett and the Virginia basketball staff have retained all five starters from the 2021-22 season, including multiple fifth-year players who will use the free year of eligibility granted by the NCAA during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Now adding another veteran player who can offer big contributions, they will hope to build on the previous season and return to the form of a few years ago. After a long run as one of the top teams in college basketball, an unexpected bad season came last year.

Virginia ranked No. 25 overall in the last edition of CBS Sports’ way-too-early top 25 list, but could see another boost with Vander Plas on board.