Interesting rankings from the Athletic. Nearly half of these are mid-major players moving up. Looks like the SEC and Big East picked up the most of any conference. Pac-12 didn't pick up any. Ohio St and Providence picked up two each. LSU lost 4 players - makes sense given the firing of Will Wade. Ohio and WVU lost two. For all of the talk about how the transfer rules are impacting top tier programs imagine being a decent mid-major coach and having to deal with the likelihood of coaching up and then losing your best player(s) every year.
Vander Plas came in at #19 (profile below). I like the term "college 4s" - good way to think about the player and position (and their potential professional future).
Top 30 transfer portal commits and their fits
Vander Plas came in at #19 (profile below). I like the term "college 4s" - good way to think about the player and position (and their potential professional future).
Top 30 transfer portal commits and their fits
19. Ben Vander Plas | 6-8 forward | graduate | Transferred from Ohio to Virginia
The Scout: Anyone looking for a hyper-smart, floor-spacing, ball-moving forward? Vander Plas fits the billing. He was the running partner out of pick-and-pops for now-Clippers guard Jason Preston and terrific sophomore guard Mark Sears, working to cover up every single crack and hole that exists in their offense. If Preston and Sears were the engines, Vander Plas was the oil that kept things running smoothly. The MAC coaches recognized how effective he was, too, naming him the league freshman of the year in his first season, followed by naming him to the all-league team three straight times, including the first team this last season. It’s worth noting that his full first name is Bennett. As in, Dick and Tony Bennett, who Vander Plas’ father played for and with at Wisconsin-Green Bay. Virginia could absolutely use a playmaking big like this, and got to see him up close in the 2021 NCAA Tournament when Ben dropped 17 points en route to Ohio’s upset over the Cavaliers.
The Fit: This one made a ton of sense because of the family history. Bennett just coached one of the worst offenses he’s had at Virginia and he needed some shooting and playmaking. He gets that in Vander Plas. The one question is whether he and Jayden Gardner can play together. Both are college 4s. But Bennett has played with a big wing before — most recently Braxton Key — and should be able to get away with it in the pack-line. He’ll have to because Vander Plas and Gardner on the floor together should be good for the offense.
