Exhibition: Concordia

Vermont 80 Concordia 57

Felt good to be back in Patrick Gym for last nights game. There has been so much excitement and hype surrounding this team, it was nice to finally see some real game action.

Now it is time for me to add to the hype..... Holy Ernie Duncan!!!

The much heralded freshman made his debut last night and he did not disappoint. Duncan demonstrated a high level ability to create opportunities for his teammates. His court vision and anticipation of where his teammates are going to be is already off the charts. Check out the highlights. The rest of Duncan's game was on display as well. He scored in the mid range game and hit two threes. Equally as impressive was his vocal leadership on the court. He certainly looked every bit the current starter, point guard of the future, and leader on this team.

Now on to the team.......Speed? check. Talent? check. Multiple play-makers? check.

Everything that this team needed to make the transition to a different style is there. The offense was fast pace and featured quick decisive ball movement. The defensive pressure on the opposing guards was intense. Becker has these players bought into a fast paced style that is designed to maximize the talent of this team. O'Day and Pierson both looked slimmed down and much quicker. O'Day ran the floor well and was rewarded with several beautiful open court feeds. Is Pierson for real? Concordia was small and that clearly gave him an advantage but for the first time I thought he passed the eye test. He made quick decisions and showed some touch around the rim. I would love to see him build on that momentum and be an effective piece for this team. Both he and O'Day did struggle to corral rebounds and the ball was ripped or poked away several times. Rebounding was the glaring weakness with this group. It will be interesting to see if they can as a team learn to rebound the ball instead of relying on one individual. Vermont has had a top individual rebounder for 8 years in a row (Holm, Blakely, Voelkel). That will certainly be the biggest adjustment for both this team and the fans watching the game.

I was blown away by the depth of talent on this team. The battle for playing time is going to be an interesting development throughout the year. Practices are certainly going to be competitive as no one's role on this team can be guaranteed. Dre Wills built on his strong Canadian trip performance by stuffing the box score yet again. Last year Wills was lost on offense and struggled to adjust to the college game. In a limited sample this year he has been driving hard to the basket and putting himself and teammates in a positive position to score. He is the best rebounder on this team by far so it will be important for him to stay on the floor. His defense is lockdown and with the addition of Trae Bell-Haynes, Vermont now has two very quick on the ball defenders who can bother opposing guards. Brandon Hatton and Cam Ward also looked good. Hatton made several nice offensive moves and adds to the offensive depth of this team. If he can improve his defense and get time on the court he will be a positive contributor. Ward is confident with the ball and gives Vermont great depth at the point guard position. Once he adds strength he will give Becker the ability to play with several different lineups. Drew U played well and will give much needed depth in the frontcourt. Steidl and Kilpatrick both struggled mightily, but it is only the exhibition. It was a little concerning to see Steidl enter Becker's Doghouse so many times over the course of the game.

Obviously this was a game against inferior competition and it is hard to get excited after only one game. However, looking at the overall talent of this team had to get Vermont fans excited. There will be tough games and this team will take their lumps as the freshman adjust to the college game. If they can build chemistry through the non conference this team has an opportunity to make some noise during conference play.

One more exhibition next week and then the season begins.