Lyndon State at Vermont 12/30/13

Vermont 88 Lyndon State 48

In their final game of 2013 Vermont dominated a far inferior opponent. In what was really a "take care of business" game, there is not a whole lot to take away. It is very difficult to judge performance when there is such a large gap in ability. There were however, a few things that struck me while watching the game. Hector Harold had a strong game and one might look at it as taking advantage of a lesser opponent. To a degree that is correct but more than anything watching that game I was left thinking,  "if only Harold could remain on the floor." The talent is there for Harold and there is no doubt he could contribute to this team. What keeps him off the floor is his lack of concentration and crucial, inexplicable mistakes. In this game when he made a stupid pass or lost his man on defense, Becker left him in the game because the outcome was already decided. In a more competitive game, Harold would have been taken out and the more reliable players would get the minutes. This is going to be a major dilemma for Coach Becker if the Cats continue to struggle as he might have to bite the bullet and play Harold when the offense is stalling. Much the same is true for Dre Wills. Getting extended minutes in the second half, Wills showed that he can be a force on defense. Wills filled up the stat sheet with multiple steals, rebounds, and blocks. His offense is still a work in progress but he could really contribute defensively if he could ever work his way out of Becker's doghouse. Wills, like Harold, makes boneheaded mistakes that put him on the bench. Even in the Lyndon game Wills picked up some silly fouls and seemed lost at times on the court. Becker clearly has very little confidence in either Wills or Harold and as a result he is forced to play Elbaum and Rusin. It will be interesting to see how the playing time changes throughout the conference schedule.

I thought I would close this post today by saying that I am sure the Cats are happy to see 2013 go. Vermont finished 2013 with a poor 19-16 record. This is easily the worst calender year record the Cats have had in many years. Included in that record is a disappointing home loss in the championship game to Albany. Mired in a poor non-conference performance to close out the year as well, this is one fan who is hoping for a fresh start in 2014. Happy New Year!