Vermont 69 Stony Brook 53
In front of a sellout crowd at Patrick Gym, Vermont clinched the America East regular season title in convincing fashion. Against number two Stony Brook Vermont took an early lead and never looked back, dominating the Seawolves. After Sony Brook hit their first shot Vermont went on a 14-0 run and maintained a double digit lead for the rest of the game. Much like the Cats have done to every other team in the conference, they controlled the game both offensively and defensively and never allowed Stony Brook to get back into the game. During the conference schedule Vermont has allowed teams to score less than 50 points per game. This defensive intensity has set the tone for each and every game. Vermont forced Stony brook in to tough shots early and created a few turnovers as well. The most impressive aspect of the start to this game was the fact that Stony Brook did not get their first rebound of the game until about 5 minutes in. Stony Brook has been a very good rebounding team and for the Cats to assert themselves on the boards the way the did really made a statement. Now Stony Brook is definitely not the team they were at the beginning of the year. It looks to me like there are some locker room issues and the fact that Pikell had been having Warney come off the bench is strange as well. Warney is also dealing with some injury issues but Vermont just flat out took him out of the game. Warney has been everyone's pick as the best player in the conference and in this game he had 7 points and 1 rebound. ONE REBOUND!!! Are you kidding me? That is just unacceptable for a player of his caliber and to me it speaks to a lack of intensity. Vermont also made Warney shoot 3 for 10 from the field which is impressive considering he leads the nation in field goal percentage. Anyway enough about Stony Brook. This was a total team effort on the Cats part and everyone contributed in true Vermont fashion. Brian Voelkel gave his starting spot to his best friend Josh Elbaum which really tells you what kind of person he is. Vermont didn't skip a beat and embraced the moment by executing their game play perfectly. Luke Apfeld had his second consecutive strong game and looks like he is going to go all out now that the end is in sight. All of the rest that the coaching staff has provided him looks to have helped Apfeld stay healthy and energized. It was great to see him get his 1,000th point on senior night and in such an important game. The three point barrage to start the game opened things up for Vermont to attack inside in the second half. Ethan O'Day is playing at a high level much like the end of last year. His midrange jumper is a great weapon and it feels like it is going in every time he takes it. It is hard to write enough words about how great of a player Brian Voelkel is. He again stuffed the stat sheet and controlled the game on both the offensive and defensive end. He finished with 7 points, 8 rebounds, and 8 assists while locking down Stony Brook on the defensive end. The performance in this game solidified Voelkel's position in my eyes as the player of the year in the conference. An award like that would speak to the effect he has on the game without scoring. Clinching the title is the first piece of the puzzle for this group and the next game at Binghamton is very important. It is easy to breathe a sigh of relief and start to believe in your own hype. This group has been able to avoid that phenomenon thus far but it can creep up at anytime. Anyone is watching college basketball right now has seen many teams stumble at this point in the year. For example, last night Saint Louis, who had reached number 10 in the country lost at home to a very poor Duquesne team. This is what makes Vermont's dominance thus far such an amazing and historic accomplishment. The task now is to not let up and keep pushing all the way to the title. This group has the maturity to do so and it all starts with Binghamton on Sunday. One game at time.
Friday, February 28, 2014
Sunday, February 23, 2014
Hartford at Vermont 2/23/14
Vermont 72 Hartford 47
With a dominating second half Vermont cruised to victory against Hartford. The Cats can now clinch the regular season title with a win against Stony Brook on Thursday night. Candon Rusin scored all 17 of his points in the second half. The most important aspect of his big second half was that he was able to bounce back from a disastrous first half. Rusin missed his first few shots and then played tentative for the rest of the first half. It is a trend that I have seen before. Rusin was mentally out of the game and in the past he would have remained out of the game. In this game he kept pushing and hit big shot after big shot in the second half. It just continues to speak to his new found maturity as a player. Luke Apfeld had his best game of the season with 14 points and 8 rebounds. It was nice to see Apfeld look more like the player from the last few years and he is now 2 points away from 1,000 for his career. He is a near lock to reach that milestone on senior night. Sandro Carissimo took the game over following Rusin's hot streak and was responsible for stretching the Cats lead. Carissimo was decisive and aggressive while hitting tough shots from all over the floor. Hector Harold broke his o'fer streak and finally hit a shot from the field. That has to be a big monkey off his back. It was very evident that Vermont missed Kurt Steidl as he was in street clothes reportedly recovering from the flu. I certainly hope he is ready a raring to go for Stony Brook. Vermont needs his outside shooting to create space for the Bigs to go to work underneath. This was another game where Vermont's defense wore a team down. Hartford shot 24% in the second half including 1-11 from three. That is the formula to beat Hartford and the Cats were able to make adjustments and execute in the second half. I personally cannot wait for the match up against Sony Brook. It should be a great game.
There were three recruits in the stands for today's game. They are all 2014 recruits and I am fairly certain that Vermont only has 1 open scholarship available. The number of recruits is interesting and maybe the coaching staff has a plan to try and land all three but either way I guess it is good exposure for the program. The three recruits were: Willem Brandwijk from the Netherlands by way of the Holderness school in New Hampshire. He is a 6-9 power forward who can shoot and is already physically college ready. Elijah Bryant is a 6-4 shooting guard from Georgia who is an exceptional athlete and a lockdown defender. The last recruit at the game was Jeff Spellman, a 6-1 point guard from Boston who has a great basketball sense and skill set. I don't know how they all fit into Vermont's plans but they were taking in the game today.
With a dominating second half Vermont cruised to victory against Hartford. The Cats can now clinch the regular season title with a win against Stony Brook on Thursday night. Candon Rusin scored all 17 of his points in the second half. The most important aspect of his big second half was that he was able to bounce back from a disastrous first half. Rusin missed his first few shots and then played tentative for the rest of the first half. It is a trend that I have seen before. Rusin was mentally out of the game and in the past he would have remained out of the game. In this game he kept pushing and hit big shot after big shot in the second half. It just continues to speak to his new found maturity as a player. Luke Apfeld had his best game of the season with 14 points and 8 rebounds. It was nice to see Apfeld look more like the player from the last few years and he is now 2 points away from 1,000 for his career. He is a near lock to reach that milestone on senior night. Sandro Carissimo took the game over following Rusin's hot streak and was responsible for stretching the Cats lead. Carissimo was decisive and aggressive while hitting tough shots from all over the floor. Hector Harold broke his o'fer streak and finally hit a shot from the field. That has to be a big monkey off his back. It was very evident that Vermont missed Kurt Steidl as he was in street clothes reportedly recovering from the flu. I certainly hope he is ready a raring to go for Stony Brook. Vermont needs his outside shooting to create space for the Bigs to go to work underneath. This was another game where Vermont's defense wore a team down. Hartford shot 24% in the second half including 1-11 from three. That is the formula to beat Hartford and the Cats were able to make adjustments and execute in the second half. I personally cannot wait for the match up against Sony Brook. It should be a great game.
There were three recruits in the stands for today's game. They are all 2014 recruits and I am fairly certain that Vermont only has 1 open scholarship available. The number of recruits is interesting and maybe the coaching staff has a plan to try and land all three but either way I guess it is good exposure for the program. The three recruits were: Willem Brandwijk from the Netherlands by way of the Holderness school in New Hampshire. He is a 6-9 power forward who can shoot and is already physically college ready. Elijah Bryant is a 6-4 shooting guard from Georgia who is an exceptional athlete and a lockdown defender. The last recruit at the game was Jeff Spellman, a 6-1 point guard from Boston who has a great basketball sense and skill set. I don't know how they all fit into Vermont's plans but they were taking in the game today.
Saturday, February 22, 2014
New Hampshire Recap/Hartford Preview
Vermont 79 New Hampshire 44
On Wednesday night Vermont made another statement to the conference that they are the team to beat right now. Vermont absolutely manhandled New Hampshire in their own gym and won their 7th consecutive game. Now with that said, New Hampshire is not a good team. They at one point this season lost 13 games in a row and struggle to get to 50 points night in and night out. So normally this game would just be another blowout against a bad team. However, New Hampshire had just taken Hartford down to the wire and the game before that beat Stony Brook on their home floor. Again, New Hampshire beat Stony Brook at Pritchard gymnasium, the most significant home court advantage in the league. So in summation New Hampshire was playing their best basketball of the season and demonstrated they could play with the top teams in the league. By running them out of their own gym, Vermont again asserted themselves as a team that will impose their will no matter the opponent. As far as individual take aways from the game, Clancy Rugg looked good for the second consecutive game. He is getting back to the free throw line and it looks like he is getting his confidence back. Luke Apfeld played some great minutes as well and knocked down several beautiful jumpers. Hats off to Candon Rusin for scoring the 1,000th point of his career. Rusin is playing the best basketball of his career and looks like a completely different player since beginning the conference schedule. He is a big reason the Cats are on such a hot streak. In the random stats file, since scoring 17 points against Stony Brook, Hector Harold has played in every game during the 7 game win streak. He has shot 0-23 from the field in that time period. I repeat he has not hit a shot from the field in 7 games. Ouch. Every time he shoots you can tell he is just praying for it to go in. It is hard to watch him look so discouraged out there, especially when you have seen the moments where he could be an impact player. I hope he is able to break out soon.
Hartford comes to town on Sunday in a match up of the two hottest teams in the conference. Vermont has won 7 straight and 14 of 15 overall. Hartford comes in with a 4 game win streak. Last year Hartford came to Patrick gym and beat Vermont on a last second three by Nate Sikma. Hartford is always a dangerous team because of their three point shooting and relentless physical defensive style. The games are never pretty and often frustrating. This year Hartford has been a little more consistent and maybe now that the bulk of their players are upperclassmen, they are becoming a more dangerous team. The big advantage for Vermont is that Hartford is far and away the worst rebounding team in the conference. In the games where the Cats have had success against Hartford, it is when they dominated both the offensive and defensive glass. I would imagine that these seniors would like to erase the memory of the loss last year and make another statement leading into the senior night showdown with Stony Brook. This could be a "trap" game but the seniors have something to prove against Hartford. If they can hold serve at home on Sunday, it sets up a dream match up on Thursday night with Stony Brook. Not only can Vermont avenge their only loss up to this point in conference play, they can beat their biggest rival, the seniors can finish off their regular season careers at Patrick with a big win, and oh yeah, clinch the America East regular season title. If that isn't enough to get you pumped for a game, you should probably check your pulse.
On Wednesday night Vermont made another statement to the conference that they are the team to beat right now. Vermont absolutely manhandled New Hampshire in their own gym and won their 7th consecutive game. Now with that said, New Hampshire is not a good team. They at one point this season lost 13 games in a row and struggle to get to 50 points night in and night out. So normally this game would just be another blowout against a bad team. However, New Hampshire had just taken Hartford down to the wire and the game before that beat Stony Brook on their home floor. Again, New Hampshire beat Stony Brook at Pritchard gymnasium, the most significant home court advantage in the league. So in summation New Hampshire was playing their best basketball of the season and demonstrated they could play with the top teams in the league. By running them out of their own gym, Vermont again asserted themselves as a team that will impose their will no matter the opponent. As far as individual take aways from the game, Clancy Rugg looked good for the second consecutive game. He is getting back to the free throw line and it looks like he is getting his confidence back. Luke Apfeld played some great minutes as well and knocked down several beautiful jumpers. Hats off to Candon Rusin for scoring the 1,000th point of his career. Rusin is playing the best basketball of his career and looks like a completely different player since beginning the conference schedule. He is a big reason the Cats are on such a hot streak. In the random stats file, since scoring 17 points against Stony Brook, Hector Harold has played in every game during the 7 game win streak. He has shot 0-23 from the field in that time period. I repeat he has not hit a shot from the field in 7 games. Ouch. Every time he shoots you can tell he is just praying for it to go in. It is hard to watch him look so discouraged out there, especially when you have seen the moments where he could be an impact player. I hope he is able to break out soon.
Hartford comes to town on Sunday in a match up of the two hottest teams in the conference. Vermont has won 7 straight and 14 of 15 overall. Hartford comes in with a 4 game win streak. Last year Hartford came to Patrick gym and beat Vermont on a last second three by Nate Sikma. Hartford is always a dangerous team because of their three point shooting and relentless physical defensive style. The games are never pretty and often frustrating. This year Hartford has been a little more consistent and maybe now that the bulk of their players are upperclassmen, they are becoming a more dangerous team. The big advantage for Vermont is that Hartford is far and away the worst rebounding team in the conference. In the games where the Cats have had success against Hartford, it is when they dominated both the offensive and defensive glass. I would imagine that these seniors would like to erase the memory of the loss last year and make another statement leading into the senior night showdown with Stony Brook. This could be a "trap" game but the seniors have something to prove against Hartford. If they can hold serve at home on Sunday, it sets up a dream match up on Thursday night with Stony Brook. Not only can Vermont avenge their only loss up to this point in conference play, they can beat their biggest rival, the seniors can finish off their regular season careers at Patrick with a big win, and oh yeah, clinch the America East regular season title. If that isn't enough to get you pumped for a game, you should probably check your pulse.
Saturday, February 15, 2014
UMBC at Vermont 2/15/14
Vermont 76 UMBC 52
Another big win at home for Vermont. Clancy Rugg returned to form and led the Cats with 19 points. Rugg played like he did earlier in the year, taking it hard to the hole and drawing fouls. It would be great if he could get back into rhythm as he has been fairly non existent for much of this winning streak. Ethan O'Day continued his strong play with a 12 point 10 rebound performance. It wasn't his most efficient performance but he hustled all over the court and made things happen. Vermont again asserted themselves early in the game and as a result the bench got extended minutes for the third consecutive game. Part of me wonders if the starters remember what it is like to play a full game. Dre Wills continues to impress as he finished with 8 rebounds in only 12 minutes. In this game he made more mistakes that in his previous two games but he is really showing that he can contribute when called upon. Contributions like the crowd pleasing alley oop he threw to Ethan O'Day in the second half. Hector Harold continues to be a complete enigma for the Cats. I have actually seen him do a lot of little things well over the last few games. Things like boxing out on a rebound or getting a nice assist. Unfortunately for him at the same time he is doing the little things well, he has completely lost confidence in his offensive game. Harold looks tentative on offense and his free throws were atrocious in this game. It is just unfortunate because he has the talent to be a solid piece of the rotation. Brian Voelkel moved into third place all time for rebounding in the America East. Just another great accomplishment for Voelkel. He is actually also on pace to break his own single season assist record. There are almost too many good things that you could write about Voelkel. With his 7 points today Candon Rusin also moved within 9 points of 1,000. After a very successful homestand, it is time to take the show on the road. Vermont better dig deep and avoid a let down because New Hampshire is a different team than the one they played earlier in the year. As long as Vermont avoids falling behind early, I think they can take care of business. With four games left in the regular season I know that the players can see the title is within their reach. I hope they are able to take it one game at a time and continue to play at a high level.
Another big win at home for Vermont. Clancy Rugg returned to form and led the Cats with 19 points. Rugg played like he did earlier in the year, taking it hard to the hole and drawing fouls. It would be great if he could get back into rhythm as he has been fairly non existent for much of this winning streak. Ethan O'Day continued his strong play with a 12 point 10 rebound performance. It wasn't his most efficient performance but he hustled all over the court and made things happen. Vermont again asserted themselves early in the game and as a result the bench got extended minutes for the third consecutive game. Part of me wonders if the starters remember what it is like to play a full game. Dre Wills continues to impress as he finished with 8 rebounds in only 12 minutes. In this game he made more mistakes that in his previous two games but he is really showing that he can contribute when called upon. Contributions like the crowd pleasing alley oop he threw to Ethan O'Day in the second half. Hector Harold continues to be a complete enigma for the Cats. I have actually seen him do a lot of little things well over the last few games. Things like boxing out on a rebound or getting a nice assist. Unfortunately for him at the same time he is doing the little things well, he has completely lost confidence in his offensive game. Harold looks tentative on offense and his free throws were atrocious in this game. It is just unfortunate because he has the talent to be a solid piece of the rotation. Brian Voelkel moved into third place all time for rebounding in the America East. Just another great accomplishment for Voelkel. He is actually also on pace to break his own single season assist record. There are almost too many good things that you could write about Voelkel. With his 7 points today Candon Rusin also moved within 9 points of 1,000. After a very successful homestand, it is time to take the show on the road. Vermont better dig deep and avoid a let down because New Hampshire is a different team than the one they played earlier in the year. As long as Vermont avoids falling behind early, I think they can take care of business. With four games left in the regular season I know that the players can see the title is within their reach. I hope they are able to take it one game at a time and continue to play at a high level.
Friday, February 14, 2014
UMass Lowell at Vermont
Vermont 83 UMass Lowell 58
After an eight day layoff Vermont came out with a sense of purpose and buried Lowell in the first half. Putting Lowell away so early in the game allowed the bench to get productive minutes for the second consecutive game. The all star off the bench in this game was again freshman Dre Wills. During his extended minutes in the last two games he has absolutely been the best player on the floor. In this game he had his hand on the ball every possession and played with a reckless abandon that seemed to completely change the rhythm of the game. Wills finished with 6 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 steals in only 14 minutes of action. His last two games combined? 34 minutes, 10 points (5-5 shooting), 12 rebounds, 2 assists, 5 steals, 2 blocks, and only 1 turnover. Just silly numbers. He also gave a glimpse into his exceptional athleticism with an easy two handed slam in transition. He has certainly begun to work himself into a role down the stretch and these minutes are extremely valuable for him to get comfortable playing in whatever situation Becker puts him in. If Wills can learn the system and refine his game in the off-season he could have a significant role on next years team. Buzzer Beaters are fun to watch no matter the situation. There is something inspiring about a player making a shot when he absolutely has to. Half court buzzer beaters are even more exciting because you almost never see them go in. Even though Sandro's shot had no bearing on the outcome of the game, it was pretty cool to see it drop through the net. Vermont as a group is clicking on all cylinders and certainly has the look of a championship caliber team. The Cats are in the drivers seat and they are playing like they know it. Stony Brook has been struggling for the past few games and everyone else in the conference plays like Jekyll and Hyde. Vermont is seizing their opportunity right now and this weeks games will really be important. With the match up against Stony Brook looming in two weeks, Vermont has to avoid looking ahead and running into a bad loss. The game at New Hampshire is always scary to me and they are finally playing with their full team. Having already beat Stony Brook on the road, New Hampshire is not going to back down from anybody. Shortly after that, Hartford arrives at Patrick gym and they have begun to solidify themselves as the best of the rest in the conference. Not to mention Hartford beat Vermont on their home floor last year. Either of those two games could be a "trap game" as Vermont prepares for their senior day showdown with Stony Brook. Maintaining focus and treating every game like it is their last is key to maintaining their high level of play in the last few weeks of the season..
After an eight day layoff Vermont came out with a sense of purpose and buried Lowell in the first half. Putting Lowell away so early in the game allowed the bench to get productive minutes for the second consecutive game. The all star off the bench in this game was again freshman Dre Wills. During his extended minutes in the last two games he has absolutely been the best player on the floor. In this game he had his hand on the ball every possession and played with a reckless abandon that seemed to completely change the rhythm of the game. Wills finished with 6 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 steals in only 14 minutes of action. His last two games combined? 34 minutes, 10 points (5-5 shooting), 12 rebounds, 2 assists, 5 steals, 2 blocks, and only 1 turnover. Just silly numbers. He also gave a glimpse into his exceptional athleticism with an easy two handed slam in transition. He has certainly begun to work himself into a role down the stretch and these minutes are extremely valuable for him to get comfortable playing in whatever situation Becker puts him in. If Wills can learn the system and refine his game in the off-season he could have a significant role on next years team. Buzzer Beaters are fun to watch no matter the situation. There is something inspiring about a player making a shot when he absolutely has to. Half court buzzer beaters are even more exciting because you almost never see them go in. Even though Sandro's shot had no bearing on the outcome of the game, it was pretty cool to see it drop through the net. Vermont as a group is clicking on all cylinders and certainly has the look of a championship caliber team. The Cats are in the drivers seat and they are playing like they know it. Stony Brook has been struggling for the past few games and everyone else in the conference plays like Jekyll and Hyde. Vermont is seizing their opportunity right now and this weeks games will really be important. With the match up against Stony Brook looming in two weeks, Vermont has to avoid looking ahead and running into a bad loss. The game at New Hampshire is always scary to me and they are finally playing with their full team. Having already beat Stony Brook on the road, New Hampshire is not going to back down from anybody. Shortly after that, Hartford arrives at Patrick gym and they have begun to solidify themselves as the best of the rest in the conference. Not to mention Hartford beat Vermont on their home floor last year. Either of those two games could be a "trap game" as Vermont prepares for their senior day showdown with Stony Brook. Maintaining focus and treating every game like it is their last is key to maintaining their high level of play in the last few weeks of the season..
Wednesday, February 5, 2014
Maine at Vermont 2/4/14
Vermont 93 Maine 65
Once again Vermont takes control of a game and never looks back. Now I understand that Maine is a very poor team and that mutes the excitement about a game like this. Ted Woodward has zero control over his team and they do not play any defense. Every player is going one on one and seems to be out for themselves. It is sad to see the state of that program and I sincerely hope the administration goes in a different direction for the sake of the conference, Now off my soapbox and back to the game. Sandro is back on track and completely controlled the game. It is clear that he was pressing leading up to his 1,000 point and now he looks much more relaxed on the court. Clancy Rugg also broke out of his slump and played a very complete game. I think the eight day layoff is going to be important for him as he was looking a little exhausted during this tough stretch of games. I say it after every game but Ethan O'Day is playing at a high level. His shot blocking has completely changed the complexion of the defense. It is his all out energy and hustle that allows him to block shots and run the floor, which he does as well as any big man I have seen. Candon Rusin has turned into a completely different player and it is definitely a good change. He is finally using his athleticism to go to the basket and make tough shots. It finally seems like he gets it and understands how to play to his strengths. I have to think some credit goes to the coaching staff or his teammates for convincing him to improve that aspect of his game. Obviously in a game where as a team you score 93 points and the opposing team is playing no defense there are many positives to discuss. Most everyone who played minutes in the game had a positive effect and heck even Josh Elbaum hit a three so clearly it was Vermont's night. I would like to highlight how ridiculously good Dre Wills looked in the game. Now he makes some freshman decisions and looks very lost on offense most of the time, which is why he struggles to get consistent playing time. However, as a defender he is absolutely amazing. I have never seen a player be able to block shots the way he does. He is able to block players while playing on the ball and that is a rare talent which he has been showcasing all year. In this game he stuffed the stat sheet with 4 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, and 4 blocks. Now that is affecting the game in every aspect. If he is able to learn the system and harness his energy he could be a very disruptive force. I am going to go back to how amazing his shot blocking has been. He has 9 blocks in only 80 minutes this year. Remember that he is a 6-1 guard. Before this year Sandro never had more that 9 blocks in a season. He is fun to watch. I could go on and on but I will stop there. Now Vermont gets 8 days off to recoup and get ready for the stretch run.
Once again Vermont takes control of a game and never looks back. Now I understand that Maine is a very poor team and that mutes the excitement about a game like this. Ted Woodward has zero control over his team and they do not play any defense. Every player is going one on one and seems to be out for themselves. It is sad to see the state of that program and I sincerely hope the administration goes in a different direction for the sake of the conference, Now off my soapbox and back to the game. Sandro is back on track and completely controlled the game. It is clear that he was pressing leading up to his 1,000 point and now he looks much more relaxed on the court. Clancy Rugg also broke out of his slump and played a very complete game. I think the eight day layoff is going to be important for him as he was looking a little exhausted during this tough stretch of games. I say it after every game but Ethan O'Day is playing at a high level. His shot blocking has completely changed the complexion of the defense. It is his all out energy and hustle that allows him to block shots and run the floor, which he does as well as any big man I have seen. Candon Rusin has turned into a completely different player and it is definitely a good change. He is finally using his athleticism to go to the basket and make tough shots. It finally seems like he gets it and understands how to play to his strengths. I have to think some credit goes to the coaching staff or his teammates for convincing him to improve that aspect of his game. Obviously in a game where as a team you score 93 points and the opposing team is playing no defense there are many positives to discuss. Most everyone who played minutes in the game had a positive effect and heck even Josh Elbaum hit a three so clearly it was Vermont's night. I would like to highlight how ridiculously good Dre Wills looked in the game. Now he makes some freshman decisions and looks very lost on offense most of the time, which is why he struggles to get consistent playing time. However, as a defender he is absolutely amazing. I have never seen a player be able to block shots the way he does. He is able to block players while playing on the ball and that is a rare talent which he has been showcasing all year. In this game he stuffed the stat sheet with 4 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, and 4 blocks. Now that is affecting the game in every aspect. If he is able to learn the system and harness his energy he could be a very disruptive force. I am going to go back to how amazing his shot blocking has been. He has 9 blocks in only 80 minutes this year. Remember that he is a 6-1 guard. Before this year Sandro never had more that 9 blocks in a season. He is fun to watch. I could go on and on but I will stop there. Now Vermont gets 8 days off to recoup and get ready for the stretch run.
Sunday, February 2, 2014
Milestones Milestones Everywhere
Vermont 55 Albany 45
Sandro Carissimo scored 17 points to lead all scorers and break the 1,000 point mark for his career. This is a special accomplishment and it speaks to Carissimo's tremendous consistency. Carissimo has never been rattled throughout his career and to me it is his calming influence that allows Vermont to feel like they have a chance to win no matter the game situation. It was nice to see Carissimo break out of a mini-slump and now that he has reached 1,000 hopefully the pressure is off and he will be able to go back to being steady Sandro. For Carissimo's high school teammate Brian Voelkel it was also a record breaking night. Voelkel had 8 assists to pass Mike Trimboli for the most assists in UVM history. This is just an unbelievable accomplishment after already becoming the all time rebounding leader just a short while ago. Voelkel is the most unique player in college basketball and has a place in the history of college basketball. Years down the road when another player is putting up similar statistics, Voelkel will be the answer to a trivia question. Who is the only player in NCAA history with 1,000 career rebounds and 600 career assists? Just an unbelievable player and in this game he stuffed the stat sheet with 10 rebounds, 5 points, and 5 steals to go along with the assists. Another point about the records is that Voelkel broke them so early in the season, he is going to put some serious distance between him and second place. This game was won in the trenches by the Vermont defense. I hope that as people are watching this team play they can appreciate how amazing their defense is. I don't think we will ever see a team who plays defense like this group does. This is a historically dominant Vermont team as they have now held 7 out of their 9 conference opponents under 50 points. UNDER 50. Now that this team rediscovered their defensive identity they are firing on all cylinders. This was never more evident than the hustle plays that helped seal the game. Luke Apfeld, who knows that his knees have given out and is trying to squeeze every last minute out of them, made two hustle plays on offensive rebounds that helped the Cats salt away the game. Apfeld knows what his role is on this team and is doing whatever he can to make sure they come out with a win. The seniors on this team have finally started playing with that sense of urgency that you tend to see on senior laden teams. Candon Rusin was great in the game and even scored going to the basket several times. It is nice to see him score without relying on the three. This game was important and Vermont played like they knew it. Becker called a time out after they fell behind 6-0 and from that point on they dominated the game. With 5 of their last 7 conference games at home, Vermont is set up to basically play Stony Brook for the conference title on February 27th. Much can happen in between but Vermont controls their own destiny now and they are playing like they know it.
Sandro Carissimo scored 17 points to lead all scorers and break the 1,000 point mark for his career. This is a special accomplishment and it speaks to Carissimo's tremendous consistency. Carissimo has never been rattled throughout his career and to me it is his calming influence that allows Vermont to feel like they have a chance to win no matter the game situation. It was nice to see Carissimo break out of a mini-slump and now that he has reached 1,000 hopefully the pressure is off and he will be able to go back to being steady Sandro. For Carissimo's high school teammate Brian Voelkel it was also a record breaking night. Voelkel had 8 assists to pass Mike Trimboli for the most assists in UVM history. This is just an unbelievable accomplishment after already becoming the all time rebounding leader just a short while ago. Voelkel is the most unique player in college basketball and has a place in the history of college basketball. Years down the road when another player is putting up similar statistics, Voelkel will be the answer to a trivia question. Who is the only player in NCAA history with 1,000 career rebounds and 600 career assists? Just an unbelievable player and in this game he stuffed the stat sheet with 10 rebounds, 5 points, and 5 steals to go along with the assists. Another point about the records is that Voelkel broke them so early in the season, he is going to put some serious distance between him and second place. This game was won in the trenches by the Vermont defense. I hope that as people are watching this team play they can appreciate how amazing their defense is. I don't think we will ever see a team who plays defense like this group does. This is a historically dominant Vermont team as they have now held 7 out of their 9 conference opponents under 50 points. UNDER 50. Now that this team rediscovered their defensive identity they are firing on all cylinders. This was never more evident than the hustle plays that helped seal the game. Luke Apfeld, who knows that his knees have given out and is trying to squeeze every last minute out of them, made two hustle plays on offensive rebounds that helped the Cats salt away the game. Apfeld knows what his role is on this team and is doing whatever he can to make sure they come out with a win. The seniors on this team have finally started playing with that sense of urgency that you tend to see on senior laden teams. Candon Rusin was great in the game and even scored going to the basket several times. It is nice to see him score without relying on the three. This game was important and Vermont played like they knew it. Becker called a time out after they fell behind 6-0 and from that point on they dominated the game. With 5 of their last 7 conference games at home, Vermont is set up to basically play Stony Brook for the conference title on February 27th. Much can happen in between but Vermont controls their own destiny now and they are playing like they know it.
Saturday, February 1, 2014
Hartford Recap/Albany Preview
Vermont 67 Hartford 60
Vermont fought through another slow start and shot the lights out in the second half to win on the road. Even though there have been plenty of lopsided wins against Hartford, they always make it a physical game. Hartford plays hard and plays a scrappy style of basketball. Their mission is to disrupt what you do on offense and hope that they can make enough shots to win. Playing them is rarely pretty but anytime Vermont can come out with a win, they have done their job. It was a very balanced effort and the pieces are really coming together for the Cats. With the emergence of Steidl and O'Day, Vermont has several offense options in whatever lineup they put on the floor. This is allowing Becker to adjust to whatever the opposing defense is attempting to do. Another interesting point from the game is that Hector Harold was actually being used as a defensive substitution toward the end of the game. Definitely demonstrates how far he has come. After the game, Voelkel is seven assists away from becoming the all time assists leader at UVM and Carissimo is six points shy of 1,000. Both of those marks are likely to be reached this week.
It is early in the season and much can change in the last eight conference games, but the game against Albany at this moment is extremely important. If Vermont can win tonight they will be in the drivers seat for the regular season championship and the number one seed. Vermont has already played the more difficult road games and they have the home game against Stony Brook in the second to last game of the season. Albany is always a difficult place to play and the Cats offense never seems to get going when they play there. The blowout victory in early January means little as the Great Danes are healthy and playing their best basketball of the season. Coming off a convincing victory over Stony Brook, Albany will be looking to get back into a race for the number two seed in the tourney. The keys to the game will be to not come out flat and get behind early. Many of the Cats losses this year have come because they dug themselves too big of a hole in the first half. Another key will be to get tough on the boards. Albany likes to get physical and pound teams on the boards. If Vermont can maintain the physicality they displayed in the first meeting they will be able to stay in the game. It should be a tough battle and will test the mettle of both teams.
Vermont fought through another slow start and shot the lights out in the second half to win on the road. Even though there have been plenty of lopsided wins against Hartford, they always make it a physical game. Hartford plays hard and plays a scrappy style of basketball. Their mission is to disrupt what you do on offense and hope that they can make enough shots to win. Playing them is rarely pretty but anytime Vermont can come out with a win, they have done their job. It was a very balanced effort and the pieces are really coming together for the Cats. With the emergence of Steidl and O'Day, Vermont has several offense options in whatever lineup they put on the floor. This is allowing Becker to adjust to whatever the opposing defense is attempting to do. Another interesting point from the game is that Hector Harold was actually being used as a defensive substitution toward the end of the game. Definitely demonstrates how far he has come. After the game, Voelkel is seven assists away from becoming the all time assists leader at UVM and Carissimo is six points shy of 1,000. Both of those marks are likely to be reached this week.
It is early in the season and much can change in the last eight conference games, but the game against Albany at this moment is extremely important. If Vermont can win tonight they will be in the drivers seat for the regular season championship and the number one seed. Vermont has already played the more difficult road games and they have the home game against Stony Brook in the second to last game of the season. Albany is always a difficult place to play and the Cats offense never seems to get going when they play there. The blowout victory in early January means little as the Great Danes are healthy and playing their best basketball of the season. Coming off a convincing victory over Stony Brook, Albany will be looking to get back into a race for the number two seed in the tourney. The keys to the game will be to not come out flat and get behind early. Many of the Cats losses this year have come because they dug themselves too big of a hole in the first half. Another key will be to get tough on the boards. Albany likes to get physical and pound teams on the boards. If Vermont can maintain the physicality they displayed in the first meeting they will be able to stay in the game. It should be a tough battle and will test the mettle of both teams.
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