October 30, 2024

Virginia Forward Ben Vander Plas Suffers Season-Ending Hand Injury

Virginia basketball sharing the ball, knocking down 3s

Vander Plas fractured his right hand during practice on Wednesday and will miss the rest of the season
Virginia forward Ben Vander Plas suffered a fractured right hand in practice on Wednesday and will miss the remainder of the season, the UVA men’s basketball team announced in a release on Thursday. The news of the injury to Vander Plas came just over an hour before the Cavaliers were set to tip off against North Carolina in the quarterfinals of the ACC Men’s Basketball Tournament on Thursday at Greensboro Coliseum.
A graduate transfer from Ohio, Vander Plas appeared in all 29 games for UVA this season and started the last 14 games for the Cavaliers, averaging 7.4 points and 4.6 rebounds per game. Vander Plas had struggled to shoot the ball over the last several games as he dealt with some back issues, but he had continued to fulfill a critical role on both ends of the floor during that period as Virginia’s starting center. As this is his final season of collegiate eligibility, Ben Vander Plas has played his final game in a Virginia uniform.

With Vander Plas out for the North Carolina game, expect UVA to lean more heavily on freshman Ryan Dunn, redshirt senior Francisco Caffaro, and possibly redshirt junior Kadin Shedrick, although Shedrick did not play in either of Virginia’s last two games of the regular season.

Ben Vander Plas attempts a three-pointer during the Virginia men's basketball game against Notre Dame at John Paul Jones Arena.

No. 2 seed Virginia (23-6) is set to face No. 7 seed North Carolina (20-12) in the quarterfinals of the ACC Men’s Basketball Tournament at 7pm at Greensboro Coliseum on ESPN.

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