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Eric van der Heijden, a three-star forward out of Raleigh who committed to Louisville last July, announced Saturday morning that he is re-opening his recruitment.
Due to circumstances, I’ve decided to reopen my recruitment. For me all that matters now is that I find a home where I can contribute to the success of their program and develop as a player! #newbeginnings pic.twitter.com/HxkU4jUEoj
— Eric (@eric_vdh23) March 20, 2021
Van Der Heijden picked the Cardinals over a host of potential suitors, including Maryland, Wake Forest, Cincinnati, Marquette and Texas. In his junior year at Millbrook High School in Raleigh, he posted averages of 12.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, 4.0 assists. 1.4 steals and 1.4 blocks per game.
While he was a four-star prospect at the time of his commitment, Van Der Heijden has slipped in the national recruiting rankings in the months since. He’s currently rated as the No. 197 player in the class of 2021 by Scout, and is not ranked by Rivals.
I don’t expect this to be the last member of Louisville’s 2021 class to re-open their recruitment in the very near future. It’s pretty apparent at this point that the IARP isn’t going to move quickly enough to have an impact on U of L’s 2022 NCAA tournament status. With that being the case, expect Chris Mack and company to try and load up on talented transfers to pair up with their returning talent and hopefully make a splash in 2021-22.
Best of luck to Eric on moving forward with his basketball career.