Today, the NCAA released the decision on Wisconsin freshman forward Andy Van Vliet’s appeal to his eligibility case. Here’s the official statement from Wisconsin:
Van Vliet ruled ineligible for 2015-16
Freshman forward will not play in games this season
MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin men’s basketball freshman Andy Van Vliet has been ruled ineligible by the NCAA for the 2015-16 season. The athletic department was notified on Tuesday that the decision has been upheld by an appeals committee.
NCAA rules state that prospective student-athletes have one year to enroll in a collegiate institution following their high school graduation or expected graduation date. Van Vliet played basketball as an amateur outside of that one-year window, which has resulted in him sitting this season and losing a year of eligibility.
Van Vliet will have three seasons left of eligibility, but he’s old for a freshman at the age of 20 (birthday is July 25, 1995). He’s going to be on the bench for home games but cannot travel with the team, and he’s allowed to practice with the team. The Belgian will have to treat this season as a redshirt season in terms of his growth, and I would expect him to be a part of the team’s rotation next season.
After Tuesday night’s game against North Dakota, Bo Ryan explained his take on the Van Vliet case: “You know how I am with some of those other rules. But this one, it doesn’t make any sense.”
Van Vliet was also available in a special media session after the game. He told media that he “saw it coming” that the appeal not go in his favor. “I saw it coming. I saw it coming. It’s tough for me. I saw it coming. It’s hard to prepare for something like this.” Van Vliet added that he found out “right before the game I had to sit out against River Falls.” He noted that was the first time it may be a big issue. The freshman also said he knew about the issue before committing to Wisconsin, but stands by his decision to put his education first and playing professionally for one year. He has full intentions in staying at Wisconsin and working on his game in the offseason. “This is a great opportunity for me to get stronger. It’s tough, but you’ve got to try to make the best out of it.”
Photo via University of Wisconsin-Madison Athletic Department.