Ohio’s Vander Plas commits to Virginia basketball over Wisconsin

By Jerry Ratcliffe

Ben Vander Plas put a new twist on the old adage, “if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em,” on Saturday when the 6-foot-8 Ohio University forward announced he had committed to Virginia’s basketball program.

Vander Plas played a key role in beating Virginia in the first round of the NCAA Tournament two years ago, arguably the biggest win in Bobcats history. So Vander Plas beat ‘em, then joined ‘em.

“Excited for my next chapter – Go Hoos,” Vander Plas tweeted on his account.

He chose UVA over Wisconsin, Ohio State, Iowa State, Illinois and Virginia Tech.

For his final season with the Bobcats, he averaged 14.3 points, 6.8 rebounds and 3.1 assists, while shooting 46 percent from the field and 34 percent from behind the arc. All of that earned him All-MAC First Team honors.

Vander Plas, who weighs in at 230 pounds, should be a boost to the Cavaliers’ frontcourt game to assist Jayden Gardner, UVA’s leading scorer and rebounder for much of last season.

Wahoo fans became familiar with the Vander Plas family two years ago when Ben (his full name is Bennett) revealed his father, Dean, had been a teammate of UVA coach Tony Bennett at Wisconsin-Green Bay for Tony’s father, Dick Bennett. The Vander Plas’ named their son for the Bennett family.

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