Wisconsin Basketball Player Preview: Andy Van Vliet

[Da-news-now]

The Wisconsin Basketball season is right around the corner, so I’m taking a look at every scholarship player on the roster. Here are the links for the first nine.

1. Bronson Koenig
2. Zak Showalter
3. Nigel Hayes
4. Vitto Brown
5. Ethan Happ
6. Khalil Iverson
7. Jordan Hill
8. Alex Illikainen
9. D’Mitrik Trice
10. Charlie Thomas
    
    
    Now, Wisconsin Basketball’s first international player in over a decade, Andy Van Vliet.

2015-16 Season Recap


Andy Van Vliet came to Wisconsin carrying a lot of hype. He is listed at 7 feet tall with the shooting ability of a shooting guard. His European style of basketball seemed to be a perfect fit in Wisconsin’s system. He was even nicknamed the “Belgian Kaminsky“. His one drawback was his weight. He was extremely skinny and weak, especially compared to the players he would have to compete with in the Big Ten. However, given the lack of depth on the team, there seemed to be a good chance for him to earn minutes. The NCAA made sure we never had a chance to find out.

He was declared ineligible, and lost a full season of his career, although that will possibly get appealed at some point down the road. The NCAA gets a lot of ridicule for their lack of common sense, and showed why here. But for Van Vliet, it may have been a blessing in deep, deep disguise. He used the gap year to put on some much-needed weight, and now is over 20 pounds heavier and ready to compete in the paint.

Burning Questions

1. Will Van Vliet earn Greg Gard’s trust?

Expected rotation for #Badgers vs. UWP based on practice: Same starting 5. Iverson, Illikainen first off bench. Hill, Trice, Thomas next.

— Jim Polzin (@JimPolzinWSJ) October 28, 2016
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When Wisconsin Basketball beat reporter Jim Polzin reported that Van Vliet would likely be 11th in the rotation, I was shocked. He was listed behind fellow sophomore big men Alex Illikainen and Charlie Thomas.

The reason this is so stunning is because Van Vliet offers a very valuable skill set. His height and shooting ability would be a huge benefit to the Badgers. He just needs to show Gard he can defend and rebound at this level first. If he earns that trust, he will be a major contributor for the Badgers.

2. Does Van Vliet have the physicality to play center in the Big Ten?


Van Vliet (7 feet) is one of two Wisconsin players listed at above 6 foot 9 (Ethan Happ is 6 foot 10). However, he is still relatively light compared to a lot of Big Ten centers. In addition, European style basketball is generally a lot less physical than American college basketball, so it remains to be seen whether Van Vliet will be able to hold his own inside.

Season Outlook


In the early part of the season, Van Vliet may not see much playing time except in garbage time against inferior non-conference foes. But as he earns the trust of Gard as a defender and rebounder and gets more comfortable playing the college game, he will surely jump into the rotation. He has too much potential not too. It isn’t insane to think that by late December/early January, he will be a regular part of the rotation.

Once he does enter the rotation, he is going to be a major contributor. His shooting ability will make Wisconsin extremely tough to defend. In addition, having a 7-footer on the court really helps defensively, as the Badgers missed having a rim protector last season.

Stat Prediction


10 minutes, 3.3 points, 2 rebounds, .8 blocks, 45% FG, 41% 3FG

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[TW]

What happens with this kid seems to be pretty much up to him getting stronger, and adding a little bulk. If he's a good shooter, and can hang in there under the bucket, he could be a viable alternative to Happ, if he gets in trouble.

I hope he does gain the strength he needs, and develops. I can just picture situations where they throw him in, along with Happ, when they want to dominate the boards.

 

[57packer]

Yup, I actually see Van Vliet, for the moment at least, as more a complement to Happ than back-up to Happ. I do think there are times when he spells Happ because supposedly he's a pretty decent rebounder despite lacking some bulk and strength.

The thing for me is Happ is lacking an outsite shot, as is Thomas. That probably says you can put them both on the floor at one time or teams can easily clog the lane and double team down low and not have to put their bigs on the perimeter. Vito and Van Vliet both are good perimeter shooters so their guys have to defend on the perimeter leaving Happ with room to work inside. I can see them in similar roles.

Now, if Vito and Van Vliet can both defend and rebound down low, you might see the two of them on the floor at the same time. You can really stretch defenses if you have 5 guys that can shoot from the perimeter. Would also give guys like Hayes and the two guards some room to get to the basket.