UVA announces official signing of de Ridder

By Jerry Ratcliffe

Virginia officially signed Belgian forward Thijs De Ridder to a basketball grant-in-aid on Wednesday, according to a post by Coach Ryan Odom.

“We are excited and fortunate to add Thijs to our basketball program,” Odom said. “Thijs is talented, experienced and competitive. He will have an immediate impact in our frontcourt and we look forward to his arrival on Grounds.”

Apparently, de Ridder hasn’t arrived in Charlottesville but has signed, and UVA is awaiting word from the NCAA on how many years of eligibility the 6-foot-8 power forward will be granted.

On Wednesday, Virginia Tech basketball’s 22-year-old German Antonio Dorn was given three years of eligibility by the NCAA, meaning Dorn will have five years to play three rather than five years to play four.

De Ridder is also a 22-year-old. Perhaps UVA will get word from the NCAA in the coming days.