Ben Vander Plas

Bennett Vander Plas (born September 19, 1998) is an American professional basketball player for Twarde Pierniki Toruń of the Polish Basketball League (PLK). He played college basketball for the Ohio Bobcats and Virginia Cavaliers.

Vander Plas was the Division I Academic All-American of the Year in 2022 and 2023.

High school career Vander Plas graduated from Ripon High School in Ripon, Wisconsin. Over his playing career he averaged 16 points, 10 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1.8 blocks and 1.8 steals while playing for his father Dean Vander Plas. He was a three-year team captain and earned First Team All-East Central Conference three times. After both his junior and senior year he earned conference player of the year and first team all-state. As a senior he led Ripon to an undefeated regular season and a state tournament appearance. He played AAU basketball with the Wisconsin Playmakers. He was rated a 2-star recruit by Rivals and committed to Ohio University.

College career

Ohio Vander Plas redshirted during the 2017–18 season with a leg injury. In spite of only starting one game he earned MAC Freshman of the Year honors. He started all 31 games his sophomore year while averaging 15.7 points and 6.9 rebounds a game. He was named All-MAC Third Team for the first time.

He averaged 12.8 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 3.8 assists his junior season and earned All-MAC Third Team for the second straight season. Ohio upset defending national champion Virginia in the first round of the NCAA tournament. Vander Plas led Ohio with 17 points including 10 straight for the Bobcats near the end of the second half which saw the Bobcats go from down one to ahead by seven.

Vander Plas averaged 14.2 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 3.1 assists for his senior season and notched only the fourth triple double in program history against Central Michigan. He scored a career high 30 points in a home win against Miami. He earned All-MAC First Team honors and was named Division I Academic All-American of the Year by the College Sports Information Directors of America, now known as College Sports Communicators (CSC). After five years at Ohio, Vander Plas had earned a bachelor's degree in communications, a master's degree in sport administration, and a master's degree in management. After the season he entered the transfer portal

Virginia On April 23, 2022, Vander Plas announced that he had committed to Virginia. Vander Plas averaged 24.8 minutes, 7.4 points, and 4.6 rebounds starting most regular season games for the ACC co-champion Cavaliers. During a practice prior to Virginia's quarterfinal game of the ACC tournament vs. North Carolina he broke his hand and he missed the entirety of the post season. He repeated as Division I Academic All-American of the Year.

BC Šiauliai (2023–2024) On November 30, 2023, Vander Plas signed with BC Šiauliai of the Lithuanian Basketball League.

Jämtland Basket (2024–2025) On August 14, 2024, Vander Plas signed with Jämtland Basket of the Svenska Basketligan

Dziki Warsaw (2025–2026) On July 16, 2025, he signed with Dziki Warsaw of the Polish Basketball League (PLK).

Twarde Pierniki Toruń (2026–present) On July 27, 2026, he signed with Twarde Pierniki Toruń of the Polish Basketball League (PLK).

Personal life He is the son of Ripon High School basketball coach Dean Vander Plas who played with current Virginia head coach Tony Bennett at Wisconsin-Green Bay under Tony's father and then head coach Dick Bennett. Vander Plas is named after the Bennett family.

Career statistics

College

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