Freshman forward Andy Van Vliet has officially been ruled ineligible for the 2015-16 season after the NCAA upheld their initial decision following an appeal by UW.
Van Vliet has sat on the end of the bench through Wisconsin’s first two games of the regular season, waiting patiently for a decision to be made regarding his eligibility, and with the decision now final, that is where he will remain for his freshman year.
“I saw it coming,” he said.
Men’s basketball: Freshman Andy Van Vliet’s eligibility pending for 2015-16
The issue arose as a result of the 6-foot-11 forward from Belgium playing in Europe last year as an amateur, and NCAA rules state that potential student-athletes have a one-year window to enroll in a college following their high school graduation.
It was the Belgian education system that ultimately put the freshman in the precarious situation, as had he not stayed, he would have moved into a lower tier of education.
That education was something Van Vliet valued and he decided to stay as a result.
“I really wanted to stay in the second tier because of reasons to go to a big program like this, to be able to still go to Wisconsin, but also for my own education,” Van Vliet said. “It’s always better to end up in the second tier than the third tier. Education is a really important thing to me.”
Wisconsin head coach Bo Ryan was aware of the risks involved when recruiting Van Vliet, but that still didn’t stop him and many other coaches around the country from recruiting the big man out of Belgium.
Ryan expressed his displeasure with the rule and his obvious disappointment after UW’s 78-64 win over North Dakota.
“You sit a year because you’re trying to get a better education?” Ryan said. “And you know how I am about some of those other rules. But this one? It doesn’t make any sense.”
Not only will Van Vliet not play this season, but he will also lose a year of eligibility despite never being able to see the court. He has no plans on leaving the school and will enter next season eligible to play once again as a sophomore.
“This is a great opportunity for me to get stronger,” Van Vliet said. “It’s tough but you got to try to make the best out of it and help the guys on the team as much as I can.”
