Benchmarking A Belgian: Thijs De Ridder

Welcome to the first installation in my “International Series.” Unlike “Tracking A Transfer” where I do a deep dive on all impactful incoming portal transfers, this series will be reserved for international players, outside of the typical high school recruitment process, who have already been playing professionally overseas. I’m also going to name each of these pieces after their nationality so that, longer term if this trend continues, it’ll be neat to see if there are any trends with where we draw our talent. Also, because I love alliteration.

The problem in writing these, as opposed to the portal pieces, is a few things: it can be hard to find full game footage depending on the level of play – which is essential to evaluation. Secondarily, it’s often hard to assess the level of competition depending on the league. There are similar reasons that I don’t do full break downs of high school transfers, although that’s even more extreme regarding lack of video quality/full games and varying competition. So, for this series, I’m going to aim for something between my occasional HS spotlights (as I did in the Chance Mallory piece) and the usual transfer pieces. I plan to show many of my favorite clips for a player that most excite me/demonstrate what I think they can bring to the table at UVa.

Fortunately, for Thijs De Ridder, no such problem exists as there are many options and full games of him out there. The 22 year old, 6’8″, 216lb, Belgian Power Forward has been granted two years of eligibility at UVa after forgoing entering the NBA Draft. De Ridder was projected as a 2nd round pick, speaking to his talent and upside; but opted to pursue the college route ostensibly due to a higher earning potential. This speaks to college basketball’s ability through NIL and revenue sharing to draw from both the international game and to keep talent from jumping to the NBA if they aren’t projected in the first round. Due to his age and experience (and nationality), there were a lot of hurdles to clear surrounding his eligibility; but Odom and company stayed persistent and kept “chipping away” at it. Ultimately, they landed the prize; and what a prize De Ridder should be! Side note: most commentors pronounce his first name as “Tice” which also jives with how most pronunciation guides say it… but Odom is recently on record saying “Tess” which… you’d think he’d have gotten that directly from Thijs. I’m going with “Tess” for now, until distinguished otherwise, and hoping we’re not in another “CAffaro” situation.

De Ridder (which means “The Knight” in Flemish… which is the same thing as Dutch but when spoken in Belgium) most recently played for Surne Bilbao. Bilbao is in Liga ACB, the top Spanish league, which is widely regarded as the second-best professional league in the world behind the NBA. That’s the other wild thing about the modern college basketball landscape – De Ridder has factually been a pro with a large role in the second best league in the world. Bilbao has been near the bottom of the standings in Liga ACB, but they are also coming off of winning the FIBA Europe Cup. De Ridder wasn’t just a contributor during that run; he lead the team in scoring, efficiency, and rebounding as a sometimes-starter-sometimes-sixth-man. Throughout coverage, he kept being referred to as an “emerging superstar” and was lauded for his efficiency.

For this piece, I watched a lot of his tape – but focused mostly on his FIBA Euro Cup play as it was the easiest way to pull quality full game footage. The biggest difference is that he shot only 30% from three in this event while shooting over 39% from deep during Liga ACB play. I chalk that up to sample size, though, as he only shot 30 in total during the Euro Cup and 122 over 34 games in Spanish league play.

So, what kind of player is Thijs De Ridder? I thought he was well-rounded. Very skilled on the offensive side and willing on the defensive side. Athletic. Strong. When I had previously watched mostly highlights of his game, I had thought I’d gotten a sense of him being a little shot hungry and potentially looking for his own offense a little too often. Having watched him play a lot of games now, I don’t think that at all. He functions well within a team offensive system, looks to make the right pass, is unselfish… but can and will call his own number as well. He plays with fire. Will flex on you. Will gas up a teammate. Will react to a call. Will be frustrated when he makes a mistake but won’t let it throw him off his game. FIBA Europe Cup playoffs are done in aggregate scoring just like soccer often does; meaning that you play a home and away with your opponent and whoever has the best combined differential across the two games advances in the tournament. In their semifinal matchup against JDA, Bilbao was down 19 points after the first leg and only lead their second game by 3 points with about 5 minutes left to play. They went on a 20-0 run to take control of the game and ultimately advance! De Ridder was in the game throughout that stretch; never giving up, grinding, and making some huge plays (some of which we’ll see below). There’s tons of mental toughness with this guy. I’m fired up to talk about him because I think he’s going to thrive at this level and fully expect him to be our best player this coming season!

So, I am going to break this piece down into offensive and defensive sections – but I’m not going to categorize within. Instead, I’m just going to talk about his game and use a few clips I most liked that I thought illustrated well what he can bring to our roster. He’s #11 in all of these clips below – in either white or black. Leggo!

Offense

De Ridder combines athleticism and physicality with a ton of skill. That’s the thing that stands out the most watching him because he looks like he’s going to be a bruiser inside… and he is. He scraps hard for offensive rebounds; intuitively following the play and getting cheap put backs…

And sometimes just straight bullying guys out of the way:

What I absolutely love about that clip above is that it’s an offensive rebound off of a free throw but he takes nothing for granted. He fights through his man, does an excellent job of high-pointing the ball, is strong ripping it away (likely being fouled in the process) and then has the presence of mind to identify the kick out for the three. This was a HUGE play in this game against JDA; possibly one of the biggest in the entire Euro Cup for Bilbao as it created some momentum and gave them hope for the come back in aggregate… all from De Ridder’s grind.

Speaking of staying alert and grinding – here’s a delicious look at him missing his own free throw, following it up, clearing the defense, and dunking with authority.

I just love that whole thing so much – including the quick hands to the ball and the also quick and fluid movement to clear all of the defenders.

He’s a strong and effortless dunker and uses it very practically within games; like in the clip above, when he gains an advantage inside, or with power in transition rather than leaving anything to risk from would-be shot-blockers:

He’s trailing the play there and takes the tap-back pass… if he just lays that up or goes up weak, there’s a good chance it’s blocked from #10 (who is 6’8″ Jake Forrester of Indiana, Temple, and St. Louis fame). Practical dunking and finishing with authority.

But there were also other times where I expected him to make a pass or finish with a layup around the rim and, no, he just went up and dunked on someone.

Like, oh, he could probably pass there while running the floor, he might have to lay it up waiting to make sure the defender isn’t going to commit… but, no, he’s just going to throw it down on that guy and leave no doubt!

So, yeah, he is going to scrap and fight and he is going to play with power around the rim. I love a functional dunker who isn’t just doing it when they’re all alone or on a broken play… or even on an alley oop when they get behind the defense. It’s so valuable to have someone who just flushes those chances in traffic or uses it as a way to ensure they aren’t going to get blocked.

He’s a strong guy who can get up; set a nice screen, and move some bodies – but he’s also a three-level scorer who plays with great skill. Firstly, he’s definitely an outside shooting threat. Most of his offensive possessions he was out around the three-point line except for when he was posting up – setting screens, spotting up, reading the play. If your offensive play design isn’t for Thijs, you’re certainly able to effectively space the defense with him on the floor and take advantage of his spot up shooting when you create an opportunity:

I use that one, above, because we know Odom often occupies the corner with shooters. If there’s a break down, like there is here when Tofas gets crossed-up on covering a diver, De Ridder will make you pay.

He’s also more than willing to light you up if the defender gets lax with his defense on the perimeter; in this instance, below, faking a DHO, recognizing that his man was sagged too far back, and effortlessly knocking down the three-ball over the pretty reasonable contest.

That’s having a plan, good awareness, a really nice ability to get into a quick shot, and the execution to make it over a long defender (#3 is 6’8″ Serbian national Yigitcan Saybir).

De Ridder is just a really good outside shooter! What I will say, watching him in this tournament, he wasn’t always hunting it. I thought he, too often, passed up some open looks from out there. Sometimes, he’d use them to get to his midrange jumper, which is also nice:

Don’t get me wrong – I love that he’s got a nice pull up jumper in the midrange off of the bounce and that he’s confident taking it. There are times where I want to see that, as we’ll talk about later, but I don’t really want him passing up open looks from three to do so.

It’s already exciting to have a player who is physical inside and who can knock down the open outside shot at such a high clip, but the thing is that De Ridder just has a very well-rounded rest of his offensive game as well. He can put the ball on the floor from the perimeter and get all the way to the rim:

In fact, at the end of the game against JDA, with a two-point lead on aggregate and needing a bucket, Bilbao looked to TDR (may start using this for Thijs De Ridder) to create in isolation from the outside! He used this nice little spin move to get himself a look and, though he missed the shot, fought for the offensive rebound, drew the shooting foul, and made both free throws.

He’s also got good touch around the rim and can finish well with either hand while playing out of the post. Here’s a nice look, below, where he gets the ball with a head of steam moving toward the basket and fakes like he’s going to set up a handoff to his teammate, but builds on his momentum driving instead. The defender, #34, (6’10” Rocky Kreuser from North Dakota State) stymies the drive initially by lunging for the dribble and disrupting TDR’s flow. Undeterred, De Ridder just sets him up with the left-handed post attack only to spin off to his right for the excellent bank shot.

You’re hopefully starting to see more of what I mean when I champion his skill. He can put it on the deck but if you take that away, he can just easily get into something else from his bag. It’s velvety smoothness.

Here’s another great one. After a rebound, he takes the pass from a teammate on the ground and immediately turns and starts pushing the ball up the floor. Yes, he’s going to run the floor, but he can also lead the break. He’s under control – when the PAOK defender tries to attack his dribble, he calmly pulls it up, continues his steps, and passes it forward to his teammate ahead of the play. This whole effort of pushing the ball (hello, Odom’s system!), creates a mismatch inside as TDR heads to the block. No lack of confidence here, De Ridder recognizes this and raises his hand for his teammates to bring it back to him for about five straight seconds. They do so, and we get to see a nice seal, some power dribbles to the middle setting up a nice drop-step back to the left handed finish.

I love it. It’s just smart basketball with the game to back it up.

Here’s another look at him running the floor and being rewarded on the secondary break. This is at the end of the JDA game again when Bilbao was building that momentum and he flashes into the lane, catching the pass. There he’s met by a defender waiting on him and going straight up, but he just calmly pivots and gets to a right-handed jump-hook.

I show that because, again, it highlights how smooth and effortlessly he can get into his offensive bag. There’s no stumbling on the catch here or out-of-control running over the established defender. No, he stops on a dime and gets right into his move.

I talked about his mid-range pull up, but he’s even got a little fadeaway jumper in his bag out of the post. Here we see it, again against a player two-inches taller than he is, as he sets up the left-handed drive into the lane, lowers the shoulder like he’s going to go harder, then stops, hesitates, and hits the fall away:

This is exactly the kind of midrange shot I’d want him to take! The shot clock is running down, he’s playing in isolation with his back to the basket and all the time he’s just reading what his defender is doing and then reacting to that. You see him show the ball early, get right into his drive, look like he’s going to try to back down with power, change the driving angle to be more flat so as to force the defensive slide, use that to get just the slightest bit of separation, and then quickly up with that high release while jumping backward.

As you can see, his game is multi-faceted and effective all over the floor. Spot up, pull up, hook shots, push shots, fadeaways, power dunks…. Off the bounce, with his back to the basket, hustling on the play, relocating on the perimeter…. he’s just got a well-developed and polished offensive game.

He also keeps his head, doesn’t panic, and has some nice touch on his passes. One more look, this time at him drawing a guard switch on a ball screen, immediately taking him into the post, but drawing help from the perimeter on the move. He stalls out in the lane but, rather than forcing up an awkward shot, he simply pivots a couple of times, collects his bearings, and then delivers a very accurate bounce pass leading his well-covered teammate into a bucket.

I’m just really high on what Thijs can bring to Charlottesville within this system. He’s going to have no lack of spacing when he’s on the floor due to the shooters around him; so he can go to work inside on a mismatch either with Onyenso pressuring the other side of the rim or with Grünloh pulling all four help defenders to the perimeter. He’ll be able to grab a rebound and push the ball up the floor himself, should he so choose, and he’s outrageously effective as a finisher in the open floor, as well. He’ll be able to provide spacing himself; and I wouldn’t be surprised to see Coach Odom install some of the Taylor Funk package for him as a threat to pick and pop, but also to create. He’ll be disruptive and create opportunities on the offensive glass and through general hustle, but he’ll also be a 1b. (or maybe even 1a.) to Malik Thomas when you need someone to create something at the end of a shot clock. He’s an offensive system fit, but you can absolutely turn to TDR when you need to manufacture a bucket.

The thing about these clips is that they aren’t coming off of a huge volume of shots. I’m not sifting through a ton of misses and just picking the ones that look good. He shot almost 60% from the floor in this tournament and almost 68% from two! Efficiency is the word of the moment. He’s just such a complete offensive piece to be able to add to the mix while adding a physical defensive presence as well. Speaking of….

Defense

If I had a criticism about De Ridder’s defense it would probably be that he fouls a little too much on the perimeter. Of course, I also think Euro refs are more prone to call very light contact than you’ll see in most major conference NCAA games. There were several times I thought he made an incredible play only to get called for a phantom foul – but that wasn’t just true of him, it was a league stylistic truth.

That being said, I also really like his defense. He’s both mobile and strong; slides well and rebounds well. Generally speaking, he just moves quite well; much more mobile and active than I expected him to be.

Here’s a great first look at him hedging and recovering, and then playing really nice on-ball defense in the post, sliding through the baseline, ultimately blocking the shot, and then leaving right out to run in transition after his teammate secures:

I was more selective with my defensive clips – but I think this one shows really well what we can expect. He covers a lot of ground quickly while in an open run, he’s got the ability to slide well with the offensive player, and he’s got a little of that Jack Salt thing, as well, where he can extend his chest and obstruct/guide the offensive player where he wants him, because of his strength, without getting called for a foul.

Here he is in transition, having to pick up the 6’8″ Markis McDuffie (#1). For context, McDuffie played four seasons at Wichita State and averaged over 18ppg in his final year. He had 18 points in this game. De Ridder is in the unenviable spot of back pedaling while McDuffie has a full head of steam in the open floor… and yet, he gets great positioning, shuts down the driving angle, and even is able to bother the ball on the way up with both of his hands as he retreats and McDuffie attempts to elevate into his shot – forcing an extreme hesitation and double-clutch to the shot; and a miss.

That’s just excellent transition defense and it really highlights his mobility in his slides, as well as his activity with his hands.

I’m showing mostly perimeter defense (the first clip withstanding), because it’s where I was so pleasantly surprised. I was expecting him to be a solid interior defender, which he is, but potentially be a little slow-footed when dealing with guards or mobile PFs. Not the case. Look at him matchup up with McDuffie again in the clip below, staying active with his feet, showing no vulnerability to encourage a drive, and then just a great – quick and intrusive – contest on the step-back jumper:

He also really impressed me with his close outs. His acceleration and speed were good as was his ability to contest. This next clip below is some absurd shot-making from PAOK, but you can see TDR’s mobility on the chase. He first gets switched onto the primary ball handler, then gets baited by a ghost screen and chases that down, but when he sees that his teammate is helping from the corner, he changes his rotation to recover there. His recovery and contest are so good that the PAOK player has to eat the shot, probably gets away with a travel, and then settles for (and makes) an absolutely absurd sideways runner from off of one foot just inside of the three-point line.

That’s really nice recovery but this next one might be even better. This time De Ridder is covering McDuffie again, who eventually spots up in the corner. De Ridder sags in the lane to help and has his foot just outside of the restricted area. On a snap pass from the free throw line to the corner, TDR recovers from there to actually block, not just contest, the three-point shot from a player his height!

At least to me, that’s incredibly impressive. He closes so much ground without a ton of steps – which is just explosion – and he gets up so high to get a piece of that shot.

Defensively, I just think Thijs De Ridder compliments what we’re doing so well. With a player like Johann Grünloh; who is a good shot blocker and quite mobile for his size, but also a little more on the finesse side, TDR can add some strength and bully ball while keeping that mobility. Playing alongside a true rim-protector like Ugonna Onyenso, he gives you the potential to have a truly imposing defensive interior without giving up the ability to chase and defend on the perimeter. If we do end up having some questions about our defense from the guard play aspect, De Ridder’s presence will likely pair well either Center to help bolster the back end and cover for some of the gaps. He takes what will likely be a vulnerability when Devin Tillis is on the floor, certainly from a mobility and verticality perspective, and probably turns the full frontcourt into the strength of our defense.

In Conclusion

The nature of these international pieces is to spend a little time talking about a player’s full game, but is primarily going to focus on the elements of their game I think will translate best and then discussing those within the bigger picture of what they offer. Make no mistake, though, I would be hard-pressed to find much about De Ridder’s game that I think will be a weakness at the collegiate level; and I expect he’ll adjust well to some of the differences in the game (although we might see a goaltend or two if he takes the ball off the rim on reflex!). He’s very skilled and athletic but, additionally, he’s also exactly what you’d want mentally. He doesn’t give up and plays with great confidence. He has a knack for rising to the moment.

One thing I’ve noticed about our team in the preseason predictions is that most national pundits don’t seem to have a great sense of what to do with us. I don’t think that’s just because Coach Odom is in a new place – that’s true of many coaches. It’s also likely due to them not knowing what to make of our international transfers. Specifically with De Ridder, there have been a range of positive descriptors about his addition, but the news didn’t seem to really move the needle much with regard to the overall prediction for the team. People acknowledge that he’s a quality add for the team, but don’t seem too sure what that actually means for the team.

Compare this with the top player listed in the entire portal class; Darrion Williams. The SF/PF went to N.C. State from Texas Tech and is a big reason they’re getting so much buzz. Williams may play PF some but, more likely, will play SF this coming season alongside of Terrence Arceneaux at small ball PF (or vice versa). Williams is a nice player and one most teams would welcome with open arms. My goal here isn’t to get into a direct debate about the players as it’s not apples to apples. They have different styles and offer different things despite playing the same position (sometimes). But it is highlighting a player who is pretty well known by most fans who sits at the very top of most portal lists. At 6’6″, Williams offers positional versatility, playing up in size because he’s strong while still brining guard-skills. That being said, De Ridder offers better shooting, a similar ability to create (though not in the same way), and is a much more imposing presence inside both ways without losing you much on perimeter defense. Personally, I would rather have De Ridder on my roster. At the very least, I’d make the argument that it’s reasonable to expect he’ll have a similarly positive impact to his team, if not more – but there don’t seem to be many viewing it in that way due to Williams’s proven contributions at the collegiate level. Williams has tape against this level of competition and style, so it’s easier to see (plus some will gravitate toward more of the guard skills). The point is just that I think TDR’s addition to the roster is being slept on pretty aggressively because of lack of familiarity and directly comparable film. If he had tape in a collegiate jersey last season, I would strongly suspect that he’d be discussed with similar prospect for impact.

In a world where we’re, and correctly so, hyped about our incoming portal class – I think it’s more correct to view the addition of Thijs De Ridder as if we landed a top 5-10ish portal guy in addition to all of that (not to mention Grünloh, who I’ll cover next time). I don’t think he’s going to have trouble adjusting; and will be a force in the ACC this season while fitting very well into what Coach Odom wants to do. This review may seem effusive compared to most of my other stuff; but I also think TDR is the cream of our incoming crop of players. There’s a time to be effusive!

Alright! One more of these pieces to go; this time on our Center from Germany, Johann Grünloh. Grünloh doesn’t have nearly the depth of available game tape that I’ve found for De Ridder – so still working on what to do with that. Until then, thanks for reading!