Quinnipiac at Vermont 11/18/15

Vermont 83 Quinnipiac 70

Welcome to Vermont Nate Rohrer.

In dominating fashion Vermont won their home opener over Quinnipiac. The MVP of the game was Nate Rohrer, the walk on who grew up in Vermont and called to offer to come play for the Catamounts. The coaching staff may have found a diamond in the rough as Rohrer looked tremendous in the win. Rohrer finished with creativity around the rim and did all the little things to help Vermont win. Rohrer hedged beautifully on screens and played tough physical defense underneath. He knows where to be on the floor and has a great nose for the ball. I have been saying all along he would be a contributor but it has happened much more quickly than expected. I will also give my obligatory "Ernie Duncan is amazing" assessment. His ability to pass the ball out on the break is tremendous and he puts the ball right where his teammates need to have an opportunity to score. In the first few games he shot tremendously and carried the offense. Tonight he only took two shots and still made the offense go. Trae Bell-Haynes looked great again, using his tremendous speed to get to the rim. He also showed the new and improved jumper with great results. If he can continue to develop his jumper he will be nearly impossible to stop. Darren Payen started off the game with a flurry and looked silky smooth finishing down low. Ethan O'Day struggled with turnovers but had his way down low, scoring at will. Vermont's offense continues to look very strong and versatile. They can score in so many different ways and it is very hard to stop any one player. They have the ability to score inside, outside, and get to the rim off the dribble. There are still several kinks to work out but the team is starting to shape. When fully healthy Vermont is going to be a very tough opponent. I also have to give a shout to Kurt Steidl. He was clearly hurt and hobbling around, but still played a great game. He continues to impress on the boards with 8 rebounds. He also chipped in 9 points on 7-7 shooting from the free throw line. A tough gritty performance from one of the captains. On to the Hall of Fame tip-off this weekend and hopefully over the next few weeks, the Cats can get healthy. This teams believes in each other and already seems to be creating good chemistry. Can't wait to see what they can do when they have a full squad.