Virginia signs Belgian forward Thijs De Ridder

Virginia has signed 22-year-old Belgian power forward Thijs De Ridder, a source told On3. He is still awaiting clearance from the NCAA to play this upcoming season.

The 6-foot-8 De Ridder most recently played for Surne Bilbao Basket, a professional team in Spain where he averaged 9.3 points and 4.8 rebounds per game. He shot 54% from the field and 38% from three.

Last month, De Ridder withdrew his name from the NBA Draft process, where he was projected to be a second-round pick.

De Ridder began playing professional basketball in 2020 for the Antwerp Giants in the BNXT League.

For all of Virginia’s offseason additions through both the transfer portal and high school, click here.

UVA welcomes in a new coach this season, Ryan Odom. Odom has spent the last two seasons at VCU, where he delivered an overall record of 52-21.