6'11" Euro Center Thomas van der Mars is a Pilot!

Well our mystery has been solved!

WELCOME THOMAS VAN DER MARS!

Thomas van der Mars has committed & signed with UP; expect a formal announcement from the Athletic Dept. later today! van der Mars, from Holland, is listed at 6'11", 231 lbs... so yeah he's big and seems like a great addition for the 5 spot. Rumor is the coaches are quite pleased with this get!



Additional youtube video here.

Canarias Basketball Academy profile: LINK.

I am sure there is a lot more information out there... sleuth away!

He is listed as being born in 1990. How many years of eligibility does he have?

blacksheep wrote:He is listed as being born in 1990. How many years of eligibility does he have?

That makes him 21. He has four years. The age penalty doesn't kick in until 23.

Looks like he has a solid base for a post game, and already has the rebounding/shot blocking characteristics you'd want in a 5. Looks like he's a guy who can come right in and spell Barker as needed already! I look forward to Rev having a true big prospect to work with, along with the athleticism we're already getting in this class.

Based on the videos this guy is likely be a starter immediately. Is there a big in the prgram now or coming in that has the skill set Mr. van der Mars appears to have?

Even though he is a Dutch national playing in Espana, wasn't this fellow pretty highly sought? I saw that Wake Forrest, Charlotte and Wichita State may have been among those seeking his services.

An "upgrade" he may well be.

Geezer has posted a video about another potential recruit, I assume--if we are bringing in two, who is leaving the fold?

blacksheep wrote:He is listed as being born in 1990. How many years of eligibility does he have?

3 or 4 years (yet to be cleared up), from what I hear. Let's hope for 4!

If it is 3 years, then there is an issue with Canarias being a high school equivalent, which I think is the whole design of the academy.

Other grads currently in the NCAA are considered 4 year, from what I gather.

Nice get! Can't wait to see what this guy can do.

Official Announcement link:

http://portlandpilots.com/news/2011/5/10/MBB_0510113910.aspx

I cannot wait to see this guy in purple and white! Coach Reveno has a lot of big men that he can develop now.

Nicely done.

Sounds like someone who will help solidify the frontcourt and that Coach Reveno can eventually build around. Congrats.

http://portlandpilots.com/news/2011/5/10/MBB_0510113910.aspx?path=mbball

I saw the news on Facebook today. Rev knows how to 'git her done.' I guess wrv posted the link as well. Hopefully the experience of our guards will lead to less turnovers because we've now got 2 great swing men and a center coming in. It would be great if the swingmen also focused on entry passes a bit with their length and a big man in the center. Our program definitely is continuing to move on the upward swing...

It's interesting to look at this group of recruits. I can imagine any one of them as a starter in their sophomore year...and Kevin Bailey and the center will probably get to start or play a lot of minutes right away...

http://rise.espn.go.com/boys-basketball/articles/2011/05/11-CA-All-State-Overall-Teams.aspx
Cason 3rd team, no mention of Bailey?

Well, Bailey didn't carry his team to the state championship game like Cason, Dorian pretty much willed his way on to that list. Hahaha, if Kevin takes that as a snub and comes into off season workouts with a chip on his shoulder I'm ALL for it. This class fills every potential need giving depth at the post, athleticism at the 3 and more outside shooting. This year is gonna be a an all new brand of Pilot basketball thats for damn sure. It should be an exciting 4 years with these kids.

Bailey did get a mention in Maxprep's list

http://www.maxpreps.com/news/31XTAGVpEeCkhgAcxJSkrA/maxpreps-california-boys-basketball-all-state-team.htm

Starting Lineup ideas now?

Douglas
Mitrovic
Kevin Bailey
Ryan Nicholas
Van der Mars

I love it. I hope this also motivates Riley Barker to continue to bulk up a bit and improve. I still really consider Rev to be a big man coach...since the development of the Lopez twins at Stanford was really his project before both made it to the NBA. Having both Barker and Van der Mars to work with has to please the guy...

OTF, I like your thinking. In that lineup there is quickness, shooting ability, toughness and size.
With Cason learning the system and backing up Nicholas and Tanner being able to play both the 2 and 3 the bench looks solid as well.

I think one of the things i like best about this class is it really offers us a lot of versatility. Adding another big on top of Cason this year gives us the option of putting some really tall lineups out there, featuring say a combo of Barker, VDM, or Nicholas at the 4-5, Cason at the 3, Bailey/Mitrovic at the 2 and Douglas. That is some serious front line heft! Conversely with Cason/Nicholas at the 4-5 we can go for a slightly smaller, more athletic look as well. Rev and the staff have done a great job adding length and athleticism that could help create matchup problems on both ends of the court. It will be interesting to watch this team gel over the nest few years.

DTR with first nicknaming of VDM. Noted.

The 18th is the Last day for 2011 committs.

Could have had another 7(ish) footer if we had another slot, apparently.

Joey Van Zegeren- He was meeting with his coach, Rob Orellana today about his final selections. He has stated he will be in the USA playing NCAA basketball. He has eliminated Seton Hall and Portland has run out of scholarships. It looks like it may be down to Providence, UW, a unnamed SEC school (this is rumored to be the favorite), and a few sleepers that have yet to be named. He plans to announce in the next couple of days.

http://thehuskyhaul.com/2011/05/16/busy-day-of-recruiting-news/
I heard the huskys were a front runner, but the guy I heard it from would think so...

For those of you who haven't been keeping up, van Zegeren was a teammate of vdM at Canarias Basketball Academy.

pilotram wrote:DTR with first nicknaming of VDM. Noted.

The boy is lucky. It could have turned ugly with "my favorite Martian" spinoffs.

Purplegeezer wrote:

pilotram wrote:DTR with first nicknaming of VDM. Noted.

The boy is lucky. It could have turned ugly with "my favorite Martian" spinoffs.

I was thinking more along these lines

van der Mars still hasn't shown up on ESPN.com's recruiting webpage for the Pilots. I am kind of curious what grade they would give him.

Rumor has it VDM is on campus now, and his wingspan was measured at 7'6" compared to 7'1" for Riley Barker... wow.

PilotNut wrote:Rumor has it VDM is on campus now...

Yeah, I am pretty sure I saw this guy walking around today. Plus, all of us students living on campus during the summer live in the same dorm.