Brandon Hatton transfers from Vermont

In a last minute decision, Brandon Hatton has left the Vermont basketball team and will continue his basketball career elsewhere. Before the conspiracy theorists start whispering about chemistry issues or coaching mistakes, lets take a look at this years team. While this leaves Vermont short on bodies, the on court product is going to look no different. All last season I felt that Hatton was destined to transfer and waited for it all spring. I am not surprised at all by this decision because Hatton's playing time on a healthy Vermont team was going to be zero. Last year Hatton showed some flashes of knock down shooting, but ultimately left a lot to be desired on the court. His defense was poor and his shooting was wildly inconsistent. Outside of the Stony Brook game where he single-handedly led the team to victory, he struggled to stay on the court and consistently contribute. This year with a healthy Ernie Duncan, Hatton's minutes were gone. He would have been fighting Duncan, Bell-Haynes, Ward, Wills, Steidl, and Everett Duncan for minutes. I can't speak for the younger Duncan but the rest of that group has far superior talent. Hatton suffered the fate of many high school players who's physical build causes them to be a tweener at the next level. Hatton was too short to be a forward and too slow to be a guard. I wish him luck at his next school and I hope he finds a place where there are minutes available. He is not a bad player, just a player without a spot on this team. This does leave Vermont in the lurch and there is little that they can do at this point. Unless they have someone waiting in the wings, it will be hard to add a player for the upcoming season. It is very rare for a team to enter the season with multiple unused scholarships so it will be interesting to see what the coaching staff does. If by some miracle Vermont is able to stay healthy all year, the team will be in good shape. If there are any injuries the team will have a very hard time remaining competitive. This has been a very wild off-season for the Cats and it only builds the anticipation for the upcoming season. Two months from today!!!!!!

A Vermont native walks on to a basketball team...

Another walk-on joins the Catamounts as the coaching staff continues to get creative and find low risk high reward players to fill out their roster. Vermont dipped into the junior college (JUCO) ranks for the first time since I have been a fan and grabbed 6’7” forward Nate Rohrer from West Valley College in California. The interesting twist is that Rohrer actually lived in Jericho, Vermont until 2009. He seems excited about the homecoming and it could be a nice fit for the Cats. JUCO players do not have to sit out a year when they transfer so he will be eligible for this season with 3 years remaining. He has the opportunity to help shore up a frontcourt that was left very thin by Zach McRoberts' unexpected departure. In watching Rohrer’s highlight video, he looks like he could be a great fit for Vermont. In fact he reminded me quite a bit of the aforementioned McRoberts. Rohrer looked very springy and finished well around the rim. He showed good timing both in rebounding and blocking shots. His footwork and post moves looked solid and he also had a nice touch from the outside. There were also several highlights of him getting steals and diving on the floor for loose balls. Seems like the type of player that maximizes his abilities and plays hard. This is another great find by the coaching staff and if Rohrer can get up to speed with his teammates and get ready physically for Division One basketball, he should be able to contribute right away. However, the impact of JUCO players is notoriously hard to predict. Albany has been recruiting JUCO players for several years and some have come right in and been great (Evans, Singletary, Sanders) and some have been awful (Shengalia, Haas). It is very hard to judge the level of competition they are playing against and how they fit into a D1 program. Some people look down on the practice of recruiting junior college players and make assumptions about the type of player that attends a JUCO. There is absolutely nothing wrong with a player attending a junior college in order to provide them with their best chance at playing Division One basketball. Any avenue that allows a player with a dream of playing basketball who may need to take a different route to get there is fine by me. I think Rohrer looks like a great fit and having him possibly be a member of the team for three years is a bonus. Getting a guy who wants to be on the team and who is working to earn a scholarship is a great situation for a team. I have a feeling that Rohrer is coming to Vermont to work very hard in an attempt to earn a scholarship. I would rather have a player who will be around for several years instead of trying to find a graduate transfer to fill a scholarship that will only be around for one. There is more investment from players and coaches when they know they are in it for the long haul. It seems like once again the coaching staff took their time and found a player who they feel fits their program. The fact the he is from Vermont already makes him a good fit in my book! I can’t wait for this season as this summer has felt like an eternity. October can’t come soon enough.