Louisville basketball: Three things to like about commit Eric Van Der Heijden
By Dalton Pence
Louisville basketball secures a massive commitment.
With the coronavirus and possible NCAA dark cloud, Louisville basketball has been at a disadvantage when it comes to recruiting. However, head coach Chris Mack has put some of the worries and concerns to rest, as he picked up two guards over the past months, JUCO star El Ellis and under-the-radar standout Bobby Pettiford Jr, to go along with top-40 commit Bryce Hopkins.
The Cardinals staff continued the hot streak on Thursday as they landed a commitment from Eric Van Der Heijden.
The four-star small forward is ranked as the 72nd-best prospect in the 2021 cycle and the 15th-best at his position according to 247Sports. He marks the third pledge from the state of North Carolina, as Louisville now has commitments from the third and fifth-ranked players in the state.
The Raleigh native picked up a game-changing offer from the Cards on June 18th, and just over a month and a half later, decided to join the fold.
Van Der Heijden also held offers from Maryland, Ole Miss, Texas, Providence, Boston College, Cincinnati, Clemson, Iowa, Xavier, Marquette, Nebraska, Wake Forest, and a handful of others. As a junior at Millbrook, he averaged 12.1 PPG, 4.0 APG, 5.6 RPG to along with 1.4 steals and blocks per game, respectively.
Other: How to see every game left on Donovan Michell and the Jazz’ schedule
For many fans, the name is likely one that hasn’t been heard of a ton. However, he can fit in to Mack’s system and has possesses a handful of unique qualities and skills. Let’s take a look at the three things to like most about Van Der Heijden’s game.