Speidel to Vermont

Becker got his man.

Josh Speidel a 6’7 210lb PF from Indiana committed to Vermont today for the 2015 recruiting class. This is an important moment for Vermont basketball for several reasons. First and foremost, Speidel is going to be a great player in the America East. He is tough, versatile, and a winner. From highlight videos and articles I have read, they all agree that Speidel can hit shots from the perimeter and still bang down low. He has a nice touch around the rim and isn’t afraid to get physical. With the guard heavy freshman class on campus now, Speidel fits the need for a big man to balance out the roster. The second reason I believe this is an important signing is that Becker made Speidel his priority, traveled all over the country, and sold the Vermont program. This signals two things. One is that this is officially Becker’s program. He has a roster full of his guys who play the game the way he wants to play. The second and most important piece is that the Vermont program has begun to compete on a national scale for recruits. Becker now has the ability to sell the Vermont basketball program to kids that may not have heard of UVM. Gone are the days where the only players UVM could get were from the New England area. I have to take a moment to give Becker and round of applause for doing the hard work it took to build a program. It is going to be an exciting time in Catamount Country, which I am now officially nicknaming “Indiana North”.

Canadian trip wrap up

I thought I would just write down a few of my reactions and observations now that the Canadian trip is complete. First and foremost I think that this was a great experience and invaluable for this team in particular. This is another case where I believe Becker pushed the right button and continued to demonstrate his knack for player development. To have the opportunity to see these recruits in live action and see how all of the new pieces fit together is going to be necessary to expedite the cohesion of this team. Coach Becker went into the trip with a plan in place and executed it very well. As far as reactions to the play of the team, only time will tell. This tour was mostly about seeing the individual talents of each player and how they play together on a basketball court. It is very hard to make a judgement about the success of the team itself due to the unknown level of competition and inconsistent lineups. As far as the individual talent level on this Vermont team, it seems to be very high. It has been a long time since Vermont has had offensive threats at so many different positions. This Vermont team will be more fast paced and has more shooters that they have ever had at one time. The deciding factor will be how well will they play as a team and how quickly they mature and reduce the freshman mistakes. This team will most certainly take its lumps this season but has the look of a team that will improve as the season goes on.

The players that stood out were Trae Bell-Haynes, Dre Wills, Hector Harold, Kurt Steidl, Zach McRoberts, and Brendan Kilpatrick. Trae looked very strong, fast, and had a nice ability to finish around the rim. His play combined with what everyone thinks Ernie Duncan is going to bring to the table, makes the point guard spot seems like a strength for this team. Even though they are both freshman, they will bring a dynamic presence to this team. Trae turned the ball over a ton on the trip but that is to be expected as he gets used to the college game and his teammates. The player I was most intrigued by is Wills. His offensive game was so poor last year he could not stay on the court for extended periods of time. When he was on the court last year he dominated the game defensively and on the boards. I laughed when I read an article in the Burlington Free Press talking to Becker about the trip and he said that last year Wills was a "6-2 power forward". During the Canadian trip, Wills looked comfortable with the ball in his hands and was slightly more refined on the offensive end. The 16 point 12 rebound performance in the last game demonstrated just how dangerous he can be if he can stay on the court. He is a exceptional rebounder for a guard and can really disrupt play on the defensive end. I am interested to see if he has improved enough offensively to crack the rotation this year. Hector Harold looked more confident and focused on the court. Anyone who watched his good games last year could see the potential. His struggles last year were purely mental and when focused and hungry he was often the best player on the court. Last year he suffered from what will forever be "Candon Rusin syndrome(CRS)". The symptoms of CRS involve inconsistent play due in large part to what results a player's early touches produce. When Harold's first few touches resulted in baskets and positive plays he focused into the game and each positive moment seemed to build momentum. When his first touches resulted in turnovers and bad shots, he withdrew from the game and looked both lost and unfocused. If Harold can overcome his mental demons he can be the best player on this team. My main observation about Steidl is just how much stronger he looked. With the added strength he should be able to finish around the rim and if he is able to add that dimension to his game...watch out. I was very impressed with Zach McRoberts' attitude and poise on the court. He made great decisions with the ball and seemed to be one of those players who often finds themselves in the right place at the right time and does the little things to help his team win. He looks like a winner and a great teammate who will fill whatever role he needs to. Those players are invaluable to a young team. Last but not least was Brendan Kilpatrick. Now, he only played two games because of the injury bug (and that certainly is a major problem), however he looked very good when he was on the floor. He was aggressive and made tough shots while demonstrating the same athleticism and toughness he showed before his foot surgeries. If he can stay healthy, which is clearly a BIG if, he will help this team in all facets of the game.

There are other players and things that I saw but that would involve me writing a thesis length post and that is just to much to digest. The bottom line is Catamount fans can be excited about the upcoming season as this team certainly has the talent to again compete for the top spot in the America East. That is all for now.

Hopefully my next post is about landing Josh Speidel.

Coverage in Canada

BASKETBALL IS BACK!!!

After obsessively watching highlight videos for months it was great to see Vermont play some real (mostly) basketball. The first exhibition game against Queens college was a resounding success. Vermont dominated the game and cruised to a 95-53 victory. The score was not what really mattered in a game like this as it was an opportunity to get a first look at the talent and potential of this team and of this much heralded freshman class. They did not disappoint. Becker rapidly substituted throughout the game and asked each player to adjust on the fly and play whatever position he wanted them to. This meant that every player had equal opportunity to showcase their abilities. Here are a few things that stood out.

With Ernie Duncan nursing a sore back, Trae Bell-Haynes and Cam Ward split the point guard duties. Both players excelled throughout the game. Trae attacked the rim repeatedly and showed an ability to finish in traffic. With a quick first step, Trae was able to get by his defender and create open shots for teammates. Trae also played tremendous defense and came up with several steals. Cam was calm with the ball and also attacked the rim and finished in traffic with an array of circus like finishes. Kurt Steidl looked like a star. He looked stronger and more confident. Steidl can score from anywhere and looks poised for a breakout year. Hector Harold hit a few three pointers and looked confident out on the court. He certainly showed tremendous talent in flashes last year and it would be nice to see him execute more consistently this season. Dre Wills looked as though he was more comfortable on the court and displayed the tenacity and athleticism that was present in his minutes last year. His athleticism is just through the roof. Brendan Kilpatrick looked very strong and aggressive in his first action in quite some time. The athleticism it still there after his foot problems and he was in attack mode on the offensive end, making several tough shots. Brandon Hatton showed a smooth jumper and Zach McRoberts played very smart and under control. Zach also threw down a nice fastbreak dunk. Ethan O'Day did his thing and looked good doing it. Drew Urquhart had some nice moments and some tough moments. He showed a good offensive game but struggled on the defensive end, looking a step slow and lost on the court. Becker was unhappy with him several times for not knowing how to run the defense or the offense. Lastly Ryan Pierson.....looked much like last years version of Ryan Pierson. A step slow, in the wrong place at the wrong time. I just don't know if he is going to get it back.

This team has tremendous potential. The pieces are there and the talent is definitely there to compete for the top spot in the America East. However, there a long way to go before Vermont can reach that potential. The new offense is going to be exciting and fast paced which is a welcome change. There is definitely going to be a significant step back defensively, especially defending opposing post players. It will be weird to have a team without a dominant individual rebounder as Vermont has gone from Holm to Blakely to Voelkel over the past 9 years. That is a decade of rebounding dominance. There is not a rebounder like that on this team. The major issue this year will be inexperience (obviously). There will be many "freshman mistakes" and the hope is those will be fewer and fewer as the season goes on. Vermont has not had this many offensive play makers and shot makers on the same team in their history as far as I am concerned.

All in all a great experience and a fun way to get a very early preview of the makeup of this team. Sadly this is the only Canadian game I will be able to attend. It is a long wait until October. As a final thought, Is there any better name in college basketball than Hamlet Tibbs, the new assistant coach Vermont hired? Awesome.