Virginia Basketball: Impact of incoming transfer forward Ben Vander Plas
By Shea Irish
Impact of spacing and shooting
With the commitment of Vander Plas, the Cavaliers will add a much-needed perimeter threat to their lineup. According to ESPN.com, Virginia ranked 350th out of 358 Division 1 teams in 3-pointers made per game last season. Only two players on the roster made more than 25 three-pointers on the season.
A lack of three-point shooting was one of the key downfalls for a Cavaliers team that missed the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2013. In the two most costly losses of the season, against Navy and James Madison, the Cavaliers shot just 8 for 42 (19%) from beyond the arc.
With wins over #7 Duke, Providence on a neutral floor, and two victories against Miami; it is safe to assume that they would have had a solid NCAA Tournament case if it weren’t for those two games. With an improvement in their three-point shooting capability, Virginia will have a better chance to avoid those disastrous losses next season.
BVP wasn’t extremely efficient from deep, shooting right around 34% over the last two seasons; but he made three or more 3-pointers in 12 games last season. He shot 48.3% in those contests, including a 6 for 9 performance against Kent State. He finished 4 for 8 in a game at LSU and went 3 for 7 on the road against #13 Kentucky.
Vander Plas’ ability to stretch the floor will greatly benefit Virginia, a team that didn’t have a consistent perimeter threat from the 4 or 5 position last season. In today’s game, having a stretch big man can be very significant in opening up the floor for the rest of the offense.
Just look at the impact Brady Manek had in UNC’s run to the National Championship game or even Sam Waardenburg’s ability at 6’10” to pop out and consistently hit a three for the Hurricanes, another ACC team that advanced deep in the tournament.
The other three teams that finished ahead of Virginia in the ACC standings last year all had a player capable of that roll themselves. Notre Dame’s 6’10” Nate Laszewski shot 45.6% from deep, Wake Forest had two forwards that could shoot the three in Isaiah Mucius and Jake LaRavia, and Duke of course had Paolo Banchero. In adding Vander Plas, Virginia will acquire a player that can match the frontcourt shooting from other contenders in the conference.