Virginia Basketball Set to Host Two Transfer Targets
Tony Bennett and the Cavaliers are set to host two of their top transfer portal targets in Charlottesville in the coming days. Per reports, Ohio transfer Ben Vander Plas is making a visit to UVA on Friday and West Virginia transfer Sean McNeil will be visiting Virginia on Monday and Tuesday.
Ben Vander Plas, a 6'8", 232-pound senior forward, averaged career-highs in points (14.3 ppg), rebounds (6.8 rpg), and steals (1.8 spg) and was named to the All-MAC First Team this past season with the Bobcats. Vander Plas also earned All-MAC Third Team honors in 2020 and 2021, when he led No. 13 seed Ohio to a 62-58 upset over No. 4 seed Virginia in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
The performance Vander Plas had against the Cavaliers was one of the more intriguing storylines to come out of the March Madness bubble in 2021, given his family's connections to Tony Bennett. His father, Dean Vander Plas, was teammates with Tony Bennett at Green Bay-Wisconsin, where they played under Dick Bennett and led the Phoenix to their first NCAA Tournament appearance in 1991. The Bennett and Vander Plas families are close. Dean and Mary Vander Plas attended the wedding of Tony and Laurel Bennett in 1996 and they named Ben, whose full name is Bennett Vander Plas, after Dick Bennett and his family.
Vander Plas is considering a transfer to Virginia, Wisconsin, Ohio State, Virginia Tech, Iowa State, and Illinois for his final season of collegiate eligibility.
Sean McNeil, a 6'3", 210-pound junior guard is set to come to Charlottesville on Monday and Tuesday before taking a visit to Cincinnati on Thursday. According to Jon Rothstein, McNeil is also planning on visiting Louisville, Indiana, and Ohio State.
McNeil averaged 12.2 points per game in each of the last two seasons for West Virginia and was an All-Big 12 Honorable Mention in both years. He has knocked down 155 threes on 36.8% shooting in his three-year career in Morgantown.
Virginia is looking to the transfer portal to supplement an incoming 2022 freshman recruiting class that ranks No. 10 in the nation and includes four-stars Isaac Traudt, Isaac McKneely, Leon Bond, and Ryan Dunn.
See more Virginia men's basketball news and content: Virginia Men's Basketball on Sports Illustrated
See more Virginia sports news and content: Virginia Cavaliers on Sports Illustrated
Read more from Cavaliers Now
Reports: London Johnson Delays Decision Again, Virginia Out of the Running
Virginia Flummoxed by Duke Again in 17-8 Loss
De'Andre Hunter Leads Hawks Over Hornets in NBA Play-In Tournament
No. 6 Virginia Men's Tennis Sweeps Virginia Tech 4-0
Missouri Basketball Star Cady Pauley Commits to UVA Women's Basketball
