Shy Odom commits to Vermont

Vermont received a commitment from 6'6 F Shy Odom, a native of Roxbury, MA who played two seasons at Howard and has two years of eligibility remaining. This is an absolutely massive add for the Catamounts. Odom had a huge freshman season at Howard where he won MEAC rookie of the year after averaging 10.9 points and 4.6 rebounds and then led the Bison to a NCAA tourney berth, winning the MEAC tourney MVP. In Howard's first round game he finished with 15 points and 8 rebounds against Kansas. This season he was named the MEAC preseason player of the year before struggling a bit while battling injuries. Prior to Howard he played at top tier Sierra Canyon HS with Bronny James and others. The Vermont coaching staff has been scouring the portal looking for a player who can add a post presence to the current roster. Odom fits that role perfectly. He is at his best attacking the rim and using his strength and physicality to finish through contact. Odom can score with his back to the basket or attack off the dribble. He is a strong rebounder who has been particularly effective on the offensive glass. Defensively he is able to wall up opposing players, good shot blocking instincts, and has versatility to guard multiple positions. He also has strong playmaking skills as he averaged 2.4 assists last season. Odom is going to be a dynamic player for Vermont. This is the third season in a row that the Vermont coaching staff has landed a player to put an already strong roster over the top (Dylan Penn, Shamir Bogues, and now Odom). With the addition of Odom, Vermont has the depth and versatility to once again make a championship run and beyond. Odom will provide the physical post presence that Vermont has been looking to add the last few offseasons. With two more seasons he will also provide a great veteran presence when Vermont gets very young following the graduation of all of the COVID year players. One more scholarship to go for Vermont and my guess is that it will be filled with an eye to the future as opposed to an impact for next season. 

Jayhlon Young commits to Vermont

Vermont begins their portal season with a commitment from 6-2 guard Jayhlon Young from Dallas, TX. Young has gone from Grambling State (Redshirt) to Baton Rouge Community College to UCF to Memphis and is ready to spend his final year in Catamount country. His calling card is his strong defensive ability and is going to be a great fit for Vermont. Young had a very strong career at Baton Rouge CC, starting all 25 games his sophomore year and averaging 15.9 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 3 assists per game. After that season he transferred to UCF and had a good season for the Knights, first as their starting point guard, and then as the backup. Young then played last season at Memphis in a similar role. His on and off ball defense have drawn praise throughout his career (the analytics agree with the eye test) and he plays with a high motor and relentless energy. Offensively he is a solid shooter who likes to get out in transition and has shown good playmaking ability from the point guard position. He will be looking to get that offensive efficiency bump that the Vermont program has been so good at fostering. A lineup featuring Shamir Bogues, Ileri Ayo-Faleye, and Young will be a nightmare for opponents. Young and Bogues will give Vermont the ability to harass opposing guards for a full 40 minutes night in and night out. Last season really demonstrated the importance of having strong depth with Bogues, TJ Hurley, and Matt Veretto all missing chunks of time. Adding Young to an already strong group of guards will once again give the Cats the versatility that was crucial to their success this season. Another tremendous job by the coaching staff finding an under the radar player that fits their style and system so well. I expect Young to make a big impact and bring energy and excitement to Patrick next season. 

P.S. Young is also a lefty so Vermont will continue to have the most lefty heavy team ever. 

Vermont falls in the WNIT semifinal

St. Louis 57 Vermont 54

St. Louis came out in the second half and shot the lights out while the Cats offense never quite found a rhythm and Vermont came up short in the WNIT semifinal. What a magical and inspirational run. Patrick Gym was packed and rocking from the opening tip. The game didn't go Vermont's way but what a great send off for Emma Utterback and Delaney Richason. Personally I can't thank Emma and Delaney enough for how they have inspired young Vermonters around the state with their incredible careers on and off the court. Big shout out to Bella Vito with another double double and playing with reckless abandon. What an amazing place for Vermont to be, with both basketball programs playing at such a high level. I feel lucky every time I walk into Patrick gym because I know I am going to see a great basketball game. What a wonderful winter of basketball for the Cats. 

Chris Santo departs for a head coaching gig

It was announced today that Vermont assistant coach Chris Santo has accepted the head men's basketball coaching position at Saint Anselm. What an awesome opportunity for Santo to head back to his alma mater and take the reins of the program. Santo went a perfect 3 for 3 during his time on the bench as an integral part of the three-peat. Congratulations to him and the best of luck! Vermont has done a tremendous job of seamlessly moving from one assistant to another during Becker's tenure. It is always interesting to see what direction they go in as far as area of expertise or regional connections. One of the things that has contributed to the consistency of Vermont's success is building a great staff that Becker can rely on. Several of the assistants that have left have been able to springboard from Vermont to a higher level position. Just like the winning culture is attractive to prospective student athletes, it is equally attractive for those looking to further their coaching career. 

Vermont charges to the WNIT final four

Vermont 67 Purdue 59

The Cats are still dancin'

The Vermont women's team exploded in the second half and punched their ticket to the WNIT Fab Four. That was the best game I have seen this group play during this incredible three year run of success. This team and this group have been so fun to watch and they have inspired my daughters to fall in love with basketball. What a testament to Coach Kresge and the players to resurrect the program. This win was such a great team win, Everything clicked in the second half. In the first half, the nerves were real and play was choppy. Vermont's tops in the nation defense kept them in the game while the offense was disjointed. Purdue was winning the battle on the boards and forcing Vermont to take tough shots. Then the Cats came out in the second half and put on a clinic. They started to smother Purdue on defense and turned the tide in the battle on the boards. Shots began to fall and pretty soon Vermont was cutting up the Purdue defense with precision passing and clutch shotmaking. A perfect 12-12 effort from the line sealed the deal and the Cats are off to their first WNIT Fab Four. 

The leader, as she has been throughout her career was Emma Utterback. She overcame a jittery first half with an amazing second. Electric in the open floor, knifing through the defense to the rim, and finding teammates for easy buckets. Utterback finished with 20 points and 6 assists in a huge performance. Keira Hanson's emergence this season has been fun to watch. At the beginning of the season, the Cats were looking for someone to step up and fill the void left by Catherine Gilwee's injury. Hanson has just blossomed into Vermont's best shotmaker and fuels so many runs with her creative shotmaking. She finished with 17 points (3-4 from three) and 5 rebounds. Bella Vito is so often the unsung hero of this team. Quietly doing a bit of everything to help the team win. Tonight she was absolutely dominant scoring 14 points, pulling down 11 rebounds, and grabbing 3 steals while playing a team high 39 minutes. So many great plays from her in this game. Anna Olson came up big with 14 points and 5 rebounds while playing great defense on the inside. Delaney Richason didn't have a big box score game but she showed off her number two all time in career blocked shots ability with 2 huge blocks and other big time defensive stops. 

What an incredible run and a amazing moment for Utterback and Richason to go back to their home state and pick up a huge win. I cannot wait for the next one. Bring on St. Louis!!

Jackson Skipper enters the portal

Today Jackson Skipper announced that he has decided to enter the portal. In the current day and age of basketball recruiting, it is going to be unlikely to keep every young player, especially with one more year of the COVID year players keeping rosters old. Roster construction has become wonky and it is hard to look ahead to see the role that exists on any team. It makes sense for Skipper to explore his options and see if there is a program that fits the path forward he sees for himself. I really liked the way Skipper played as he had a nose for the ball and always seemed to have a smile on his face. The regular season finale gave a glimpse of the player that he could grow into and I think he will be an impactful player wherever he lands. I wish him the best of luck and enjoyed his two seasons in Catamount country. Walk-ons Michael Mora and Charlie Moore have also decided to look for opportunities elsewhere after redshirting this season at Vermont and entered the portal today. According to the Burlington Free Press offseason tracker, Vermont expects to retain the rest of the roster so that is really good news. That leaves three roster spots to fill. Based on the offers I have seen thus far to players in the portal, Vermont is looking to add a guard and a post to fill out next years team. I would imagine there will be news sometime over the next few weeks around who is going to fill those roster spots. I am sure it is going to be such a relief to the coaching staff to be able to return so many players and have the portal period be a little less hectic this year. 

Season Wrap

Another amazing season in Catamount country where the incredible has become routine. The 28 wins tied the second most in school history and gave Vermont their second America East title three-peat. Every year there are new and different challenges, and every year the Cats find a way. Over the last two offseasons, the coaching staff was tasked with replacing or reloading a significant chunk of the Vermont roster. Each time they were able to find pieces that fit, and get the most out of the players that they had. Too integrate so many new players, players in new roles, and still win at the pace that Vermont has been accustomed to has been quite a feat. The transfer portal/NIL era has thrown new and different challenges at coaches across the country and Vermont has been able to adapt and overcome. This season gave Vermont fans some incredible moments and exciting memories. The TJ Long shot to beat Yale will go down as one of the greatest moments in Vermont basketball history. The incredible comebacks, clutch plays, and gutsy play will forever be etched in Catamount lore. 

The way that Aaron Deloney took control and led this team was nothing short of a heroic effort. Navigating his changing role on the team both on and off the court with the incredible poise and strength that he did was the key to Vermont achieving success this season. The three-peat was a perfect capstone to his career and he cemented his place as an all time Catamount. I will miss AD greatly becasue I just loved the way he played and his on court persona was tremendous. Matt Veretto's time was cut short due to injury but what a great story and cool way for Veretto to resurrect his basketball career in Catamount country. Watching Shamir Bogues and Ileri Ayo-Faleye dominate games defensively was electric this season. Truly must see. Getting to watch a player with the incredible tenacity of Bogues this season was something special. TJ Long just came up big in so many situations and always seemed to have the answer. What great news that his knee should make a full recovery without surgery. Loved having a guy who is willing to take and can make tough shots. The improvement from Ayo-Faleye and Nick Fiorillo was fun to watch as well. They really solidified what was the biggest question mark going into the season. TJ Hurley and Sam Alamutu showed so much growth and flashed big time potential for their future in Catamount country. 

The year in year out dominance has truly reached epic proportions because each year during this three-peat has featured very different groups. Usually a run like that is fuelled by all time players dominating year after year (a la Coppenrath/Sorrentine). This run has been different players, different supporting casts, and different styles. Some of that is the current landscape of college basketball where young players have a much lower impact and retaining players long term has been tough, but it is a testament to the ability of the coaching staff to learn and adapt. They have done a tremendous job identifying players who fit the program and then during the season, making adjustments to fit the team and personnel they have. 

Year to year projections are so hard now with the player movement in college basketball. So far Michel Ndayishimiye is the only Vermont player who has entered the portal. If Vermont can retain this group, they will go into the season returning most of the team for the first time in a few years. That type of continuity has the potential to even further raise the ceiling of the Cats. Getting to bring back a solid core and also being able to add a more specific piece through recruiting versus finding an entire team of contributors, will be huge. Next year is the final year with players that have extra COVID eligibility and that means that teams will go from being really old to young overnight. Looking ahead, the 25-26 season will be a whole new adjustment as high school recruiting and young players will become more important once again. 

I have also really enjoyed the WNIT run that the Vermont women's team has been on. It has been so great to watch the program re-establish themselves as contenders in the America East. Emma Utterback and Delaney Richason have inspired a new generation of young players in the state and what a great run to cap off their careers. I can't wait for the game tomorrow.

As always thanks for reading and commenting and being a part of this community. For the first time I struggled to keep up with all the comments towards the end of the season and that is a testament to the enthusiasm of the fans! The offseason always feels long but I am already excited for the fall!