Anyone wondering if the Badgers basketball back-to-back Final Four appearances were going to affect things on the recruiting trail just got their answer. A scant few months after UW’s 2014 Final Four run 6-11 forward Andy Van Vliet, a player out of Belgium beginning to make a name for himself in American, put the Badgers on his personal radar.
Over the next year or so the pursuit finally became mutual and Van Vliet decided on Monday morning to commit to the Badgers. He becomes the fifth member of the 2015 class and presumably last piece to the class puzzle.
Van Vliet joins four-star shooting guard Brevin Pritzl, four-star power forwardAlex Illikainen, three-star small forward Khalil Iverson and three-star power forward Charlie Thomas. UW’s class comes in at No. 45 nationally and No. 9 in the Big Ten per the 247Sports composite rankings.
“I’ve been following them since last season and I was immediately attracted to the program,” Van Vliet told Badger247. “Even before Wisconsin reached out to me, I told a close friend it would be a dream come true to go to their school. This is a dream come true for me.
“They do a great job of developing big guys. I love their international style of play, they use their big men. This is a perfect fit for me, both athletically and academically. I couldn’t be happier with the choice I made.”
Wisconsin can’t make the verbal pledge a full blown national letter of intent until Van Vliet gets in to the school due to rules governing international players. However, that seems a mere formality.
Van Vliet comes to the Badgers as a 19-year-old player, but appears to be a bit of a project from the physical standpoint. He’s got just 200 pounds on his 6-11 frame, meaning he will need to add significant weight to make an impact in the Big Ten.
What should excite Badger fans is the skill set that Van Vliet brings to the table. He’s got an array of moves available to him with the ball in his hand and is as comfortable from deep as he is making moves in the post.
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