Vermont at Siena 12/29/16

Vermont 76 Siena 60

Vermont picks up a good win on the road to close out 2016, beating Siena for the seventh consecutive year. Full disclosure, I absolutely dread the Siena game every year. It is always physical and what feels like hundreds of fouls are called. This leads to terrible game flow, too many foul shots, and a game that is not fun to watch. This one was no different as there were 50 total fouls called. Pastos' behavior on the sidelines has improved from where it was years ago, which is a bonus, but the games tend to devolve into free throw shooting contests. I digress. Even though Siena has been struggling this season, this is a good win for Vermont. Siena has four 1,000 point scorers and is a very experienced team who always plays well at home. Peyton Henson's injury has challenged the Cats depth and they have responded in a big way. The credit for this win goes to the depth of Vermont and players being ready to step up when their number is called. In the first few games it was Drew Urquhart stepping up for Henson. In this game it was a collective effort led by Darren Payen. Payen had been the forgotten man this year as he struggled to be productive in limited minutes. This game saw him get back to the form he showed last year with quick decisive moves inside for easy hoops. Payen scored a season high 17 points to lead all scorers. Getting Payen some confidence before the conference schedule is crucial especially with the timetable for Henson's return still very much up in the air. Along with Payen the rest of the bench mob contributed as well. Dre Wills finished with 8 points 6 rebounds. Nate Rohrer and Cam Ward added 5 points 3 rebounds each. Vermont's defense continues to look better and better. Becker's willingness to mix in the zone this year is paying huge dividends. The mixing defenses is throwing other teams off and gives the Cats the ability to change the feel and control the pace of the game. In years past Vermont would have no answer if a team was shredding their man to man and when they played zone it always felt like a hail mary. This year the zone is a weapon. Vermont knew Siena struggled shooting the ball from the outside playing zone right out of the gates forced Siena to change their gameplan and the Saints struggled to execute. Vermont has even been able to rebound out of the zone which is a feat by itself. The Cats offense at times is still choppy and their hot outside shooting from the beginning of the year has all but disappeared. It feels like they are going to put the good offense and good defense together at some point this year. Henson's health is going to be a key factor going forward as it seems like it might be a fairly significant injury with the amount of time he is expected to miss. One more game to go before they dive into the conference schedule. Vermont has made the progress that they should have to this point in the season and are heading in the right direction.The Cats can't look ahead to conference play and need to take care of business against Harvard on Monday. Harvard is a tough team and winning games at home is very important. Winning the final non-conference game to drive the momentum into the conference schedule is crucial for the confidence of this team.

P.S. I was unable to watch the Butler and game and the holidays got the best of me so I did not post following that game. My sincerest apologies. This is my last post of 2016 and I can't wait for another year of writing down my thoughts about Vermont basketball. Happy New Year to all those who read my blog.

Eastern Michigan at Vermont 12/17/16

Vermont 82 Eastern Michigan 74

Vermont bounced back from a heartbreaking loss to Northeastern with a big win over Eastern Michigan. There are several reasons why this win is big for the Cats. First and Foremost, Eastern Michigan is a very good team. They were picked as the west division winner for the MAC. They returned all of their leading scorers and Ray Lee is the active leading scorer in the conference. James Thompson IV had 19 double doubles last year as a freshman. This season the Eagles also force turnovers at a high rate getting the fourth most steals in the nation. Last season Eastern Michigan forced Vermont into 21 turnovers en route to a 20 point victory. Secondly, Vermont was without their leading scorer and leading rebounder Payton Henson. Henson has been crucial to the Cats success this year and there is some question about how long his injury is going to keep him out. His absence thrust Drew Urquhart in a starting role and he responded in a big way. Urquhart set a new career high with 14 points, adding 5 rebounds and 2 blocks. Urquhart played with confidence and strength. He got a crucial offensive rebound and put back as Vermont was trying to put the game away. He is steadily improving and is going to be counted on with Henson sidelined. Anthony Lamb also stepped up big and set a new career high with 26 point before fouling out late. Lamb added 8 rebounds (7 offensive) and 2 blocks. Lamb scored creatively around the rim and finally got some perimeter shots to fall. Lamb sealed the win with three consecutive elbow jumpers late in the game. What a performance for a kid who is only 12 games into his career. He was battling Thompson IV from Eastern Michigan for much of the game who is one of the top rebounders in the country. I have to tip my cap to Thompson IV as he ripped down 21 rebounds including 11 offensive boards. Impressive performance for him. The unsung hero of the night was Nate Rohrer. What a gritty player. After missing the first 11 games, Rohrer was forced to play 22 minutes in his debut due to Henson's absence. He played tough and got two steals in the last minute as Eastern Michigan was trying to extend the game. He has a tremendously positive effect on the court and is such a solid player. I hope he can stay healthy because he will be a valuable player off the bench for the Cats. It was also nice to see Ernie Duncan get Vermont off to a hot start with three early deep three pointers. Duncan finished with 4 threes and 16 points. He was held scoreless against Northeastern and his shooting is a real sparkplug for the Cats. Vermont limited the Eagles leading scorer Ray Lee (19ppg) to 4 points. As a team Vermont only turned the ball over 7 times which tied a season low, Limiting the turnovers against a team that thrives on creating disruption is especially encouraging. That was the Best 40 minutes Vermont played all season.  It is great to get a big win before heading off the play their toughest opponent of the season. Vermont heads to Butler on Wednesday for what will be a tough matchup to say the least.

Northeastern at Vermont 12/10/16

Northeastern 59 Vermont 57

The wheels fell off the Vermont offense in the second half and Northeastern took advantage to hand the Cats their first home loss of the season. Vermont was awful in the second half and they continue to look sluggish. The perimeter shooting has dropped off significantly. The Cats seem hesitant to shoot from three and are not getting as many good looks from the perimeter. The offense has come to a full stop and their halfcourt sets are not yielding great results. It is kind of tough to figure out how their offense can look so different from just a few weeks ago. Their defense has improved significantly and just as that has happened the offense has been the point of struggle. Maybe the two are related but Vermont has this week to figure out what they need to do to get the ball in the hoop. Northeastern made some nice adjustments in the second half on offense but if Vermont makes any shots in the middle portion of the second half, the game would have went in a very different direction. The end of this game is hard to describe. Trae Bell-Haynes both almost saved the Cats and let the game slip away. Bell-Haynes forced three late turnovers including two tremendous steals but missed a layup, a free throw, and got blocked at the rim. Vermont is now 50% on the season when it comes to late game execution (2 last second makes, 2 poorly executed finishes). I suppose that is the law of averages and they have had as much good luck as bad. Vermont was beat badly on the boards in this game and part of that has to do with Anthony Lamb's difficulties. Lamb is clearly in Becker's doghouse a this point due to his confusion on the defensive end. Lamb looks lost on the court and has lost complete confidence in his offensive game. Becker is pulling him in and out of the game constantly and Lamb is visibly frustrated. Lamb can't get a perimeter shot to fall and looks hesitant to drive to the hoop like he was doing in the beginning of the season. This is going to be an interesting situation to monitor as the season goes on because Lamb is crucial to Vermont's success in general but especially in their ability to be tough on the boards. Cam Ward and Darren Payen have become non-factors and that is limiting the effectiveness of the Vermont bench. The depth of this team was viewed as a strength entering this year and so far that has not really come to fruition. There is still no defined rotation and the lineups look very different from game to game. That uncertainty is beginning to play out on the court as many of the Cats do not look as though they feel comfortable in their roles. The only positive is that it is still early in the season and Vermont has time to straighten things out. Vermont has shown that this team can both have a good offense and an effective defense but putting the two together has been the challenge. This could be a tough stretch to see that progress and that might define how the Cats face this early season adversity. Eastern Michigan will be a very difficult opponent next Saturday. They return basically the same team that ran all over Vermont last year in Michigan. After that game it is off to Butler and then at Siena. Those are three very tough teams that are going to be physical and pound Vermont on the glass. This team is going to have to batten down the hatches and weather the storm in order to remain focused on playing their best basketball in March. These early season losses sting but can be learning opportunities and what matters in maintaining confidence and drive so that come conference play Vermont will be ready. 

Dartmouth at Vermont 12/7/16

Vermont 73 Dartmouth 58

Vermont kicked off its three game homestand with a victory over Dartmouth. The Cats started slow and looked a little out of sync for most of the night. The players looked tentative and were almost a little too unselfish. It was one of those games where the depth and balance of Vermont was at times a detriment as players were passing up open looks in the quest for the perfect shot. These were minor hiccups and I think their first layoff of the season was a contributing factor. In the second half things started to flow a little better and shots started falling. Dartmouth was an incredibly weak opponent and I think that too negatively affected the game flow. There were many positives to this game and first off, Payton Henson shook off back to back poor games with his first career double double. Henson finished with 16 points, 10 rebounds, and 4 steals. He also had zero turnovers in what was one of his best all around games of the season. Henson looked like his calf was feeling better (he did cramp up at the end of the game) and as a result his moves around the rim were faster and more decisive. Trae Bell Haynes led the Cats in scoring with 19 points including a 9-10 effort from the foul line. Bell-Haynes had been struggling from the line to start the season so it was nice to see him get back to his normal self. Vermont as a whole was 22-26 from the line. Henson has been great from the line and Drew Urquhart has also been solid from the line. This is a tremendous improvement from the past few years and it is going to really help the Cats win those tough physical games that have given them trouble. Back to Urquhart, his play has been phenomenal. He had another very effective 12 minutes of action putting up 7 points to go along with 5 rebounds (4 offensive). He is finally using his size to get after it on the glass and is going to be a key contributor this season. I also thought Josh Hearlihy had his most productive minutes of the season. He looked more comfortable on the court and if he continues to improve could give the Cats some good minutes off the bench. Anthony Lamb is stuck in a shooting slump but contributes in so many other ways. Lamb finished with 8 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 blocks. He gets all the hustle plays and never quits. Even when his offensive game is not there he does what he can to help the team win. His shot blocking ability is going to be key to how good of a defensive team Vermont can be. Northeastern comes to town on Saturday for what will be a tough game. Northeastern has been kind of a Jekyll and Hyde team this year and it will be interesting to see which teams shows up. Vermont cannot take them lightly and has to come out with better energy than they did in the game tonight. Should be an exciting game.

P.S. In case you missed the announcement, Everett Duncan will redshirt this season which clears up the uncertainty around his lack of playing time.

Vermont at South Carolina 12/1/16

South Carolina 68 Vermont 50

I did not get a chance to watch this game so all of my opinions and observations are based purely on box score analysis. Vermont hung with South Carolina for a half and then got blitzed out of the locker room. South Carolina is a team on a roll and they showed why in the second half. This game will serve as a good experience and the Cats will be able to learn from their missteps. South Carolina's length forced the Cats into too many turnovers and turned them into a one on one team as evidenced by dishing out only 5 assists.  Payton Henson had a second consecutive ineffective game. Teams are beginning to realize that he is a little turnover prone so they are ratcheting up the defensive pressure. I am sure he will make some adjustments. Anthony Lamb had an uneven game where he was the Cats leading scorer at 14 points but also had 6 turnovers and 5 fouls. The fouls are really starting to pile up for Lamb and he is going to need to make some adjustments because he is too valuable to be losing minutes. The one stat that is starting to stick out is Kurt Steidl's three point shooting Vermont is now 9 games into the season and Steidl is sitting at 30% from three. His previous three years were 49%, 37%, and 37%. He doesn't look comfortable shooting the ball right now and he is getting good open looks. He is still doing the dirty work and playing tough defense but he needs to find his shooting stroke. The Cats now get some more rest and have a nice three game homestand coming up. They can regroup, look at the tape, and get ready to put it all together during this homestand.

Yale at Vermont 11/26/16

Vermont 67 Yale 65

Ernie Duncan to the rescue.

Duncan hit a floater from the right side with one second left and lifted Vermont to a big win over Yale. The game was a tale of two halves for both teams. In the first half offenses were fluid and shots were falling. In the second half it turned into a grinder. For the Cats the wear and tear from a whirlwind schedule to start the season looked like it finally caught up to them. They found a way and executed down the stretch to pull out the victory. The game winner by Duncan was a thing of beauty as he beat his man off the dribble and floated the ball up off glass and in. In the postgame comments, Becker said that he was going to draw up a play for Trae Bell-Haynes but Bell-Haynes suggested they run the play for Duncan. What a selfless moment and kudos to Becker and the players to have confidence and respect for Bell-Haynes and for the respect given to Duncan. Those are the marks of a winning team. While watching the Tournament earlier in the week you could see the chemistry and trust blossoming on this team. Even though Vermont made some mistakes and blew a big lead, this was a great game. The ability to dig deep and make the plays needed to win is very evident for this group. The defense came up with two big stops down the stretch and it continues to look better and better. This is a Yale team that beat Washington 98-90 to open the season. Yale is a great win for Vermont because they are a good team and they are entering a stretch of difficult games. With South Carolina and Butler sandwiched around home dates with Northeastern and Eastern Michigan, the Cats are going to be playing some very good teams. The game today was a team win where everyone contributed and wanted the win. What won Vermont this game was they won all the hustle plays throughout the game. Despite being tired, the Cats were after every loose ball and challenging every Yale shot. I said earlier in the week that Anthony Lamb was due for a breakout and it came at the right time. Lamb led Vermont with 18 points and chipped in 5 rebounds, 2 steals, and 3 blocks. His energy was terrific and he gets after it on every play. Kurt Steidl was the other player in double figures with 11 points. Drew Urquhart continued his strong play contributing 8 points and 4 rebounds. He has limited the silly mistakes and is using his big body to challenge shots at the rim and clear space on the boards. Duncan actually led Vermont with 6 boards to go along with his big time game winner. Vermont is showing that it can win in different ways and the most surprising change is how effectively they are playing zone this year. Becker has admitted he is a man to man guy but in the last two games the Cats zone has been a very effective tool. If that can continue to be a card that Becker can play it will make them an even better defensive team. Now the team can get some much needed rest before going down to South Carolina on Thursday.

Gulf Coast Showcase: Houston vs Vermont

Houston 72 Vermont 71

Heartbreak.

Houston converted a layup at the buzzer to defeat Vermont in the championship of the Gulf Coast Showcase. This one is tough. Vermont fought hard to get back into the game and took control in the final minute, only to have miscues come back to haunt them. Vermont went up 71-67 and then allowed a corner three on an out of bounds play to cut the lead to 71-70. Then Kurt Steidl came down with a huge rebound and forced a jump ball. On the ensuing inbound he was fouled with about 7 seconds left. Steidl missed the front end of the one and one. Houston then drove it right down the middle and dished it off for the winning layup. Agonizing defeat. I feel for Steidl. He worked his butt off and hit big shots in the second half, only to have the missed free throw come back to haunt him. Vermont played so hard in the second half and couldn't miss from three shooting 9-17 from deep. Ernie Duncan remained hot scoring 17 points to lead the Cats. Payton Henson had 11 points and 7 rebounds, continuing his consistent run to start the season. He did get into silly foul trouble in the first half and it was very telling when he was on the bench. He is already Vermont's most important player. The only portion of the game where Houston dominated Vermont was with Henson on the bench at the end of the first half. Vermont gave up offensive rebounds and their offense was completely stagnant. His versatility on offense and ability to rebound are very much the engine of this team. Drew Urquhart quietly had a very effective tournament and is steadily earning more and more minutes. He looks more decisive on the court and is staying away from the glaring miscues that have kept him on the bench over his first two years. Anthony Lamb only played eight minutes in the second half. I think that is due to Becker switching to a zone defense down the stretch and not trusting Lamb to play it effectively. This one is gonna sting for a while and it continues the notion that this Vermont team struggles to execute down the stretch in big games. They cant dwell on it too much as they welcome Yale on Saturday for what should he a very hard fought game. Yale has been playing extremely well and is going to be a very tough match up for Vermont. The Cats enter a very tough stretch of the schedule where they are going to be playing very good teams night in and night out. This is another in the long list of mental obstacles that this Vermont group has to overcome.

Gulf Coast Showcase: Hofstra vs Vermont

Vermont 87 Hofstra 73

Ernie Duncan poured in a career high 33 points on 7-10 shooting from three leading the Cats to a victory in the semifinals of the Gulf Coast Showcase. Duncan was unbelievable in this game. Hitting from all over the court, driving into the lane, and knocking down his free throws. Duncan broke out of his mini-slump in a big way and showed what a difference maker he can be. Just an amazing performance. For the second straight game the Vermont defense looked sharp. The energy from the Cats in the first half was tremendous. They were diving all over the floor and imposing their will on Hofstra.  The rotations are getting sharper and they have really cleaned up the defense around the three point line, forcing Hofstra to shoot 4-19 from deep. Vermont's passing was another bright spot in tonight's game. There were several beautiful pick and rolls and players were really finding cutters in the lane. The Cats only turned the ball over nine times and were really strong with the ball for much of the game. Payton Henson continued to be a workhorse scoring 16 points on 7-9 shooting and leading Vermont with 8 rebounds. He has been so consistent and has such tremendous offensive versatility. This game was a glimpse of how strong Vermont could be this year. They have an efficient offense that is versatile and scoring can come from many different sources. If the defense continues to improve, Vermont is going to be able to make it very tough on their opponents. The balance that they have been searching for the last few seasons is starting to come together. Now it is on to the championship game against the winner of Houston and South Dakota. Houston looks very strong and is a little out of place in this mid-major tournament. It will be great for this team to play for a championship even if it is a small November tourney. The experience and mental preparation in a tournament like this is crucial for the stretch run late in the season. The live feed on YouTube has be great for this tournament and I can't wait for tomorrow nights game. 7:30pm sharp. Go Cats Go!!!!

Gulf Coast Showcase: Wofford vs Vermont

Vermont 60 Wofford 59

When the team needed him. Trae Bell-Haynes stepped up.

Bell-Haynes hit a floater from the left side with 3.5 seconds left as Vermont dug deep and defeated Wofford in the opener of the Gulf Coast Showcase. This one was back and forth from the get go with neither team leading by more than seven points. The story in this game was the Vermont defense. Wofford is a program that loves the three pointer and they had already made 25 threes through their first two games. With the way Vermont had been defending the three so far this year, things could have gotten out of hand. Instead, the hedging on the perimeter was tremendous and Wofford fished 4-12 from three. Wofford didn't take or make as many threes as they are accustomed to and give full credit to the effort put forth by the Cats. The defense showed flashes of the Becker defensive teams of old. The fact that this Vermont team was able to win a grinding defensive battle is a testament to how much improved they are this year. Over the last few years when the shots don't fall, the team hasn't won. A great team effort led once again by Payton Henson with 14 points and 8 rebounds. After the calf injury scare he played a team high 35 minutes and was very tough on the boards. Bell-Haynes' passing continues to be strong as he led the Cats with 6 assists. His improved court vision is paying early dividends for Vermont. Cam Ward made the most of his limited minutes and hit two big threes, including one as a part of a 4 four point play in the first half. Anthony Lamb struggled with foul trouble and was visibly frustrated for much of the game. He managed to grab 7 rebounds and looked good on the boards. He is very close to another breakout game. Now on to the winner of Hofstra/Bradley at 5pm tomorrow.

P.S. I was able to watch the game because I had a snow day today!! Thank goodness. I wouldn't have wanted to miss this one.

Lyndon State at Vermont 11/19/16

Vermont 79 Lyndon State 20

Yikes. Lets never do that again.

I have remained positive over the years about adding the non division 1 team to the schedule. I never liked it but rationalized in every way I could. After today's game I can rationalize no more. That was not a game. That barely qualified as a scrimmage. I hope that the atrocity of today begins the conversation of ending this game being on the schedule each year. Lyndon State did not make a shot in the first half. 0-27. Zilch. Zero.  A 43-4 halftime lead is insane. There were no takeaways from this game other than Lyndon was completely over matched in every possible sense of the word. The only information to discuss from this game are some injury and playing time issues. First, Payton Henson was injured within the first 5 minutes of the game and did not return. It looked like a calf injury and his body language suggested to me that it was somewhat significant. The trainers worked on him the entire game and he iced and stretched all the way through. With three games in three days coming up any minor injury could be exaggerated by the lack of rest time. Calf injuries are notoriously difficult and it is a significant concern for the Cats. Josh Hearlihy did not play until very late in the second half which seemed very odd. If he was hurt I feel as though they wouldn't have played him at all. His usage made no sense. The biggest early season question for me right now is about Everett Duncan. He has not played at all and if he was ever going to play it would have been in this blowout. He dresses and warms up before every game which makes it seem like it is not injury related. That is a very strange situation for sure. This tournament in Florida will be interesting for Vermont. Playing  back to back to back games is taxing and always raises the injury risk. It is however an opportunity to play some good teams and work to improve their on court chemistry. The Cats depth will be tested and so will their team health. The game on Monday is at 11am so I will be unable to watch it. Wofford is going to be a tough matchup and it should be a good game.

Vermont at Marist 11/16/16

Vermont 76 Marist 72

Vermont held off a hard charging Marist team and hung on for a tough win on the road. Marist looked very poor to start out the game and Vermont jumped out to a big lead. The Red Foxes began to chip away and started to speed Vermont up on offense. This forced the Cats into too many turnovers and as a result Marist came all the way back and took the lead. Vermont executed down the stretch and was able to pull out the victory. There is a lot to unpack from this game. First, Payton Henson can really put the ball in the hoop. He led the Cats in scoring for the second game in a row finishing with 18 points. His rebounding has also been impressive as he finished with 8 boards to lead the Cats. Anthony Lamb bounced back with 13 points and 7 rebounds. Henson and Lamb give Vermont a dimension that they have never had: two post players who score inside, outside, and can put the ball on the floor and get to the rim. Trae Bell-Haynes fell one point short of a double double, finishing with 9 points and 10 assists. Dre Wills continued his strong start with 11 points and Kurt Steidl righted the ship with 10 points. Vermont got to the rim relentlessly and shot 53% from the field. Now on to the not so pretty numbers. First off Vermont committed 18 turnovers and most of them were bad turnovers on passes at the top of the key. Several times Vermont players turned to swing the ball and passed it directly to a Marist player. Those are flat out inexcusable. Henson finished with 6 turnovers and many of them were careless or sloppy. As the post play looks good for the Cats, the perimeter play is struggling. The three point shooting has been poor and opposing teams are shooting very well from three. Through the three games Vermont sits at 33% (17-51) from three and opponents are 43% (29-67). That is a significant and concerning disparity. Often when Vermont struggled in games last year it was due to that exact difficulty. Also, as was a struggle at the beginning of last year the defensive rotations are atrocious. The team at large is struggling mightily to grasp the defensive rotations and it has resulted in Becker struggling to find working lineups. So far this season Becker's substitutions and lineups are making the statement "play D or sit". That is part of the reason Wills has played so many minutes. The rotations will get better as they did last year but they certainly are not there yet. It was great to get the win but it was heart wrenching game to watch. It was good for Vermont to get some practice in a close, hard fought game and be forced to make tough plays down the stretch. Now it is time for the home opener. Certainly not the most exciting home opener but one that I wouldn't miss.

Vermont at Providence 11/14/16

Providence 80 Vermont 58

Vermont couldn't overcome a sluggish start and Providence pulled away in the second half to hand the Cats their first loss of the season. Providence dominated Vermont physically and kept the Cats from getting to the free throw line. This was an ugly one for sure. The one bright spot was Payton Henson. He looked very good for the second straight game leading the Cats with 21 points and 7 rebounds. He looked great off the dribble and fished strong around the hoop. He is going to be a matchup nightmare for opposing teams all season because of his versatility and athleticism. Dre Wills again looked like his old self and had some very good moments. It was good to see Josh Hearlihy on the floor and I really like his floor game and defensive versatility. Other than that it was kind of a train wreck. Vermont committed 17 turnovers, shot 5-20 from three, and consistently made poor decisions on both defense and offense. Trae Bell-Haynes had one of those games he has from time to time where he gets caught going too fast with nowhere to go. Anthony Lamb had a "freshman" game where he tried to force it on offense and put himself in some tough spots. I said that I wasn't concerned about Kurt Steidl after the opener and I am not ready to say concerned yet, but he has started the season about as poorly as possible. Missing shots, turning the ball over, and looking uncomfortable on the court, Steidl has got to get himself going in the right direction. The player I am deeply concerned about is Darren Payen. If Steidl has started out about as poorly as possible, then Payen has definitely started out as poorly as possible. He looks just awful at both ends of the floor which culminated in him getting stuffed by the rim on a wide open dunk in the waning moments of the game. A tough game all around but one the Cats can learn from and get better. I do want to mention that it looks as though the America East will not be as down as some prognosticators mentioned before the season. Albany and UNH already have a good win each and UMass Lowell just beat Wagner who just beat UConn. The Conference is starting to look as though it will be very competitive. Now it is time for Marist on Wednesday,

Vermont gets another 2017 commitment

Third post of the day! That is a new record.

A dynamic point guard from Canada commits to Vermont.... Stop me if you have heard this before.

The excitement around the Vermont Program continues as they receive a commitment from Canadian PG Stefan Smith for the 2017 class. Smith attends Bill Crothers Secondary School which is the same school that Trae Bell-Haynes attended. I saw Smith behind the bench at the St. Michael's scrimmage and he must have like what he saw because he was originally offered as part of the 2018 class. After watching highlights Smith has the potential to be a very good player for Vermont. Like Bell-Haynes, Smith has a strong body and uses it to get to the rim and finish through contact. He has dynamic playmaking skills and a good outside shot. Looks to be a well balanced player who will fit into the new style of play that Vermont is building. The word from some of the North Pole Hoops scouts is that he is another high character/tough defender/team leader type player. It is great to see a connection paying dividends and it is not surprising that Bell-Haynes is a great ambassador for the Vermont program. With what Bell-Haynes has accomplished at Vermont, it is exciting to get another player from the same program. Bell-Haynes was college ready both physically and mentally and without taking anything away from what a great player he is, attending Bill Crothers must have contributed to his readiness. The momentum for Vermont continues to skyrocket and will only build further if Vermont can have the kind of success they are looking for this year. To continue building for the future from a recruiting standpoint, the last area of need for Vermont is getting a few big men as part of the 2017 and 2018 classes. They have one more scholarship in 2017 and then the big year when 5 become available for the 2018 class. Vermont is continuing to make noise on the recruiting trail and setting themselves up for continued success.

Vermont at Quinnipiac 11/12/16

Vermont 94 Quinnipiac 70

Now that is a season opener.

Vermont dominated an overmatched Quinnipiac squad from start to finish and picked up their first win of the season. Quinnipiac was very weak and is going to struggle this season but the Cats first game against a Division I opponent could not have gone better. The script remained the same from the exhibition games. Anthony Lamb and Payton Henson are going to have a tremendous impact for Vermont. Lamb again looked like Vermont's best player. Finishing in traffic, hitting perimeter jumpers, knocking down free throws, and going all out on every play. Lamb led the Cats with an efficient 23 points and 9 rebounds in only 24 minutes. The eye test is even better as he made several beautiful plays that don't show up in the box score including a sequence where he stole an inbound pass and immediately threw a home run pass to Henson for a dunk. He is a very special player. Henson was just as impressive in his Catamount debut. Transfers ability to impact the game right away is notoriously difficult to predict but this time it is clear right away that Henson is going to be very good for Vermont. Henson contributed 19 points and 7 rebounds in 26 minutes. Henson too showcased his ability to score inside and out and run the floor to get easy buckets in transition. Adding two polished scorers to an already potent offense is very exciting. Vermont can spread the floor and attack the rim from almost any position when Henson and Lamb are on the floor together. Trae Bell-Haynes looked great dishing out 8 assists to go along with 16 points. Ernie Duncan added 13 points and looked much quicker going to the hoop. Dre Wills did some very nice Dre Wills things including a stretch in the second half where he had a steal on three consecutive possessions. Vermont was without Josh Hearlihy and Nate Rohrer and they were still very deep and able to use several different effective combinations. Kurt Steidl really struggled to get into rhythm but that is no cause for concern as he has proven that he bounces back. The only player who had some concerning minutes was Darren Payen who looked all out of sorts on both ends of the floor. He is definitely one of the players most in danger of losing minutes. The Hearlihy situation concerns me a little and I hope it is nothing serious because it is in games against teams like Providence on Monday where they could really use his versatility. Vermont has the capability to pull off a few upsets in the non-conference schedule because of their ability to score the ball. What a great way to open the season and get the ball rolling. Now on to Providence Monday night for what will be a great test.

P.S. It looks like they will after all redshirt Ben Shungu as planned because I did not see him on the bench (redshirts don't travel with the team). It is great that it worked out that way because he could benefit from a redshirt year.

Vermont Season Preview 2016-2017

The expectations are high for another season in Catamount country. The excitement has been building and today it is time for the hype to begin its journey into reality.

Record: 22-9 (13-3) 1 seed, win in the championship against Albany.

Starting five: Trae Bell-Haynes
                     Ernie Duncan
                     Kurt Steidl
                     Anthony Lamb (he may not start right away, but will be before long)
                     Payton Henson

Team Leaders:

Scoring: Everyone......but seriously Vermont is going to have as many as 5 players averaging between 10-12 points.

Rebounds: Lamb. He has that Voelkel-like ability to go get the ball no matter where it is.

Assists: Duncan. I think the great passing that he showed very briefly during his redshirt year comes back.  

This is the year the Cats transition from plucky young underdogs to experienced favorite. The biggest key to their success will be if they are mentally able to make that shift. The talent is there. This team will be very efficient offensively and is going to be able to run away from some teams by purely outscoring them. The defense should be slightly better, although the rule changes are going to make that process difficult. There are going to be a large number of fouls called, especially in the early part of the season as the NCAA continues the freedom of movement point of emphasis. Get ready for some ugly non-conference games. It is getting harder and harder to play tough, on the ball man to man defense in college basketball. As a result the definition of what a good defense is looks like it is changing. Much like last year, the newcomers are going to have lapses on defense early on as they get used to the system. Coach Becker admitted his "teach offensive players defense" has been more difficult than he anticipated and it will be interesting to see if he has more success with that idea this year. This is the type of team that could steal a few surprise wins in the non-conference if they are able to get the chemistry going much earlier in the season than the last few years.

Keys to Success

Managing minutes: Having too many good players is a nice problem to have but can also be a very tricky one. It seems like the players have bought into the "winning is everything" mentality. This should help limit some of the disappointment with minute fluctuation. This team also has strong leadership and a great trio of captains to remind everyone of the ultimate goal. Another difficulty with a deep team is making sure the right player is playing at the right time. Balancing when to pull a struggling player or who to put in to take advantage of a match-up can be tricky. When a team has a small rotation, the players out there are the players you got and you ride them for better or worse. This year the lineups could be vastly different game to game. This can be both a blessing and a curse as that leaves more in game decisions for the coaching staff and more in game uncertainty for the players.

Rebounding/post defense: I am going to put these two categories together as they are very closely related. On paper Vermont will be an improved rebounding team. With Albany and New Hampshire shaping up to be the biggest threats in the America East, rebounding will be at the heart of conference success. Both Albany and New Hampshire are still going to be very good rebounding teams and Vermont will hopefully be able to close the gap. The biggest loss the Cats will experience from Ethan O'Day's graduation will be his shot blocking. He was an exceptional shot blocker and bailed Vermont out often with his individual efforts. Without a great shot blocker to protect the rim, Vermont is going have to play better help side defense and not get caught up in the air trying for the big shot block. Having a great shot blocker is not a necessity to have good interior defense. Teams just have to be more diligent in their execution of the defensive scheme.

Mental toughness: Playing conference games as the favorite means everyone gives you their best shot. Teams circle you on the calendar and they all want to the the one to knock you down. To play at a high level, Vermont is going have to be mentally tougher than every other team in the conference. This group has demonstrated the ability to overcome a tremendous amount of adversity and stay together during their few years together. Vermont now is tasked with proving that they can win in the tournament. It is easy to rationalize tough playoff losses when they come after a season in which a team has overachieved. Vermont has had the luxury of being in that situation the past two years. The fact is Vermont has struggled in the playoffs for several years and the last two years they have blown significant leads in the process. The regular season success has been fun but it is time to win the title. This is the year where the team has to make a statement that they can win in the tournament. Anything short of a championship will be a colossal disappointment and the question will start to become: will they ever win in the tournament?

Beating Albany: Here is the big one. I am sure the fans know how that Albany has been a thorn in the Cats side for quite sometime, but when you look at the numbers it is startling. Vermont has lost 5 straight games overall to Albany putting their last win on 2/1/2014. That is almost three years. Ouch. When you dig deeper and look at just games in the conference tournament the dominance is overwhelming. Vermont's career record against Albany in the tournament is 1-5. They have lost 5 straight tournament games to Albany and that puts their one and only win on 3/9/2003. 2003!! That is quite a stretch of dominance for the Great Danes. Albany is going to be very good again this year and Vermont has to find a way to break through. There is no path to the championship without beating Albany.

If Vermont can remain mentally tough and focused on the ultimate goal, they will have  a great season that should result in a championship. They have a very exciting group of players and will play an exciting brand of basketball. Being a fan this year will be a high excitement/high anxiety kind of year. Whenever "your" team is the favorite it makes every single game seem that much more important as the push the tournament marches on. I really like this team this year and believe in their ability to succeed. Unfortunately there is only one result that will feel satisfying. This year there is no consolation prize. It is time to break through.

Exhibition: St. Michael's at Vermont

Vermont 94 St. Michael's 65

Vermont had their full squad and came out firing in their final exhibition game. It was great to see Ernie Duncan back on the court and he showed no ill effects from his sprained thumb leading the Catamounts with 21 points including 5-9 shooting from three. He looked like the Duncan from down the stretch last year and completely changes the dynamics of the Cats offense. His ability to rise up and shoot no matter the situation is crucial when Vermont is really looking for a bucket. Its has been since Sorrentine that Vermont has had a player that has the ability to be effective taking ten three pointers in a game. If he can remain healthy he is going to have a great season. It was also good to see Ward back on the court, but he looked a little more affected by his injury battle. Ward looked tired and not quite up to speed, the result of missing practice time. Hopefully this game is a step in the right direction towards full recovery. It is again time to gush about Anthony Lamb. That kid is on another level. He is all out on every play and goes after the ball relentlessly. He can affect the game in so many ways and did so again tonight with 18 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 blocks. I am sure there will be some growing pains but he has already looked like the best player on Vermont through the exhibition games. There are still many things the Cats need to work in in practice this week as the defense is not quite where it needs to be. The newcomers are still in the process of picking up the rotation as several players founds themselves lost on defense. After the two exhibition games there is no question that Vermont is the most talented team top to bottom in the America East. The question becomes: are they mentally tough enough to make a push for the championship? On a team this talented the only thing that will hold them back is their ability to remain focused on the goals of the team. Coach Becker has talked at length about this team only being concerned about one thing and that is winning. It is easy to talk like that when as of right now no one has lost any minutes. As the season goes on and players start to struggle, that is when winning needs to be the most important thing. The coaching staff is going to have a significant challenge in finding minutes for everyone and someone is going to have less minutes than they want. There are a lot of players deserving of minutes and only so many to go around. I think this team has committed to a goal and I hope that they can hold on to that when inevitably they face adversity. I can't wait for the opener next Saturday and to get this season rolling. I will post a Vermont season preview sometime this week. Time for the real thing.

Vermont receives its first 2017 commitment

Just a few hours ago Bailey Patella from Vermont Academy became the first player to commit to the Catamounts 2017 recruiting class. Patella is a 6-5 SF from Lenox, MA who was on campus this past weekend for an official visit. He has attended games before and is very familiar with the Vermont program. This is a great get for Vermont. Patella plays a high level of basketball at Vermont Academy and with his BABC team in the summer. Each of those teams is loaded with high level D1 talent and he is an integral part of each team. He has great athleticism and can really shoot it from deep. He is exactly the type of player Vermont needed to get for the 2017 class. With Kurt Steidl leaving there will be significant minutes available a the SF position. It is one of the few positions that will have available minutes in the 2017-2018 season. With depth at so many other positions it was important to find a versatile wing player. Patella brings exactly that skill set. He is the type of player that fits and finds success in Vermont's system. The coaching staff continues to find good shooters who have the potential to play tough defense and the athleticism to get out and run. He is a very exciting addition to the Catamounts and I think he will be a fun player to watch. Now that the first recruiting domino has fallen, it will be interesting to see if another commitment follows shortly. The signing period begins in one week and I think it is likely that the recruiting class will take shape at that point. The excitement continues to build for the Vermont program for this season and beyond.

Exhibition: UQAM at Vermont 10/29/16

Vermont 89 UQAM 66

Basketball is back and it feels so good.

Vermont fans got their first look at the 2016-2017 Catamounts and it looked like the hype surrounding the potential of this team was justified. First and foremost, Anthony Lamb is the real deal and he is a future all league caliber player. His entire repertoire was on display. Scoring at all three levels and ripping down tough rebounds. What was most impressive was his ability to get to the rim. He demonstrated a tremendous ability to catch the ball at the three point line and slash to the hoop. It was only an exhibition game but 25 points is 25 points. He is a relentless player who goes all out on every play. He has a chance to be both an elite scorer and a strong rebounder. His strengths fit perfectly to shore up some of the deficiencies that the Catamounts experienced last year. He is going to be a fun player to watch and I have to think is the favorite for rookie of the year in the America East.  To go along with the first look at Lamb, Payton Henson also made his Catamount debut. If he had made his free throws he would have challenged Lamb for the high scorer. Henson finished with 15 points and showed off an ability to put the ball in the hoop as well. He too demonstrated a tremendous ability to slash to the hoop and finish at the rim, which produced the highlight of the night when he attacked from the right side and threw down a ferocious dunk while getting fouled. He added a three pointer late in the game to round of the preview of his skill set. Henson showed tremendous athleticism and will be a tough match-up for post defenders. With the versatility in the post complimenting the versatility on the perimeter, the Cats are going to be a very efficient offensive team. The other newcomers looked good as well. Josh Hearlihy showed he can handle the ball up top and be a tough versatile defender. His offense looked like a work in progress but he will definitely be a valuable jack of all trades player this year. Ben Shungu was also very impressive. He has the size, strength, and speed to compete at the college level. His shot needs a lot of work but he showed that he could get to the rim. I don't know if the coaching staff is scratching their plan to redshirt him due to the injury situation in the backcourt. It seems to me they might be forced to, which would be too bad because there will not be too many minutes available when everyone is healthy and he could use a year to work on his offensive game without using eligibility. Everyone else looked like their normal selves although Nate Rohrer looked much quicker and more athletic than he did last season. Dre Wills is such a wild card for this team. He sometimes looks so good and really changes the game and then other times he looks very out of place in the offense. His ability to return to the form that he displayed two years ago is going to be crucial for the Cats, especially with the current injury situation. Vermont needs Ernie Duncan and Cam Ward to be healthy. Even with all of the depth this year, they are too important to the offense. UQAM was able to pack in their defense without the perimeter threats of Duncan and Ward. With the Vermont's offense being so predicated on slashing to the hoop,  the Cats need to have perimeter threats in order to open up driving lanes. It seems like the coaching staff has a good handle on Duncan's injured thumb and are confident he will be back shortly. The news on Ward has been a little more vague and that makes it far more concerning. Back spasms has been the word so far and that in and of itself is bad but when Becker has talked about the injury it seems like they don't quite have an answer about how to fix it. It sounds like hasn't been doing very much in practice and back injuries are notoriously difficult to deal with. Hopefully the rest will help and he will be ready to go when the season begins. This game only reinforced my feeling that this is the most talent that Vermont has assembled on a single team. The Cats have had very talented individual players at different times, but have never had a team all the way down the bench with as much talent. All in all it makes for a very exciting season and when fully healthy it looks like the Cats will be a force to be reckoned with.

It's been awhile/America East preview

Have no fear loyal readers, I have not disappeared! For the first time since I started this blog there was no interesting information in the offseason. No Canadian tours, no transfers, and no commitments. I had such a hard time dealing with the lack of information, my life felt so empty. Now it is only two weeks until games return and I finally have some information to post about. Before I get to the preview of how I think the league will finish, I would like to quickly talk about the lack of recruiting info. There has been a lot of grumbling about the lack of movement in getting the 2017 class together. I can understand the frustration as for several years there have been numerous and exciting commitments to Vermont basketball. The reason that recruiting has been so successful over the past few year was due to the immediate playing time that was available. One of the biggest selling points during recruiting has to go something like "You could go to a higher profile program and sit the bench or.......come to Vermont and play right away". That line is not available for this class because the team will be extremely senior heavy in the 2017-2018 season. The 2017 class is more likely to include a transfer or a "project player" rather than an instant impact freshman. The 2018 recruiting class will be the one that is more likely to include some instant impact, more high profile recruits. Another thing to keep in mind is that Ben Shungu and Kian Dalyrimple are also really part of the 2017 class as they as supposed to redshirt this year. Now on to this season and how I think it will play out.

1. Vermont
         The Catamounts have all the pieces in place to make a run to the title. They have a deep and experienced roster who are hungry for more after losing tight games to Stony Brook in the tournament the last two years. The team will be well rounded as they will add some frontcourt depth to go along with the already deep backcourt. Vermont checks every box in the title contender survey. The question really becomes how will this team handle being the chased as opposed to the chaser. The pressure is very different when as a team you are the preseason favorite as I believe Vermont will be. Games begin to mean a little more and the chatter from the fans and the media gets a little louder. Vermont has experienced several significant postseason disappointments since their last title and there is a significant amount of pressure on this group to deliver.  If the Catamounts continue to handle adversity this season as they have over the last couple seasons, they will give themselves a chance to bring home the trophy.

2. New Hampshire
          If Vermont can check all the contender boxes, New Hampshire can check almost all the boxes. The Wildcats also return an experienced and battle tested roster. They have been knocking at the door in recent years and finally look poised to break through and break up the Albany, Stony Brook, Vermont stranglehold at the top. The question will be did they add enough shooting to make that leap possible. Last year their difficulty making shots consistently really put them in tough situations, particularly against the upper echelon teams. If their offense becomes more efficient, they will be fighting for the top spot.

3. Albany
          No matter what happens, Will Brown finds a way to put together a contender. Losing the big three from a year ago including the heart and soul of the team Peter Hooley, ushers in change for the Great Danes. Albany's task, as is seems to be every year, will be to integrate a tremendous amount of new players to their system. Will Brown has proved he is the wizard of roster turnover and I have no doubt he will do it once again. As with every year, Albany will be a great unknown when the season starts and by the end of the season will be playing their best basketball.

4. Binghamton
        Will this be the year they put it together? I have seen some other lists picking the Bearcats as a sleeper in the league this year. Binghamton played tough defense last year but struggled to score consistently. The buzz is that the new additions to the roster will upgrade the offense and push them into contention. I will say the same thing I said last year: I will believe it when I see it. I know I am picking them fourth but that is more due to the losses that several other borderline teams have experienced. After the top three I believe there will be a significant drop off in consistent performance. Every year Binghamton is picked to break through. Every year they experience an obstacle that prevents them from getting there. Time will tell if this really is the year.

5. UMass-Lowell
        UMass-Lowell took a significant step forward last year and looked ready to compete for a title. They shoot the ball at a high level and run a very smooth offense. Their defense still left a lot to be desired but they swept Vermont and played very competitively all season. This is their last year of postseason ineligibility and they look poised to be a legitimate contender in 2017-2018.

6. Stony Brook
        I had Stony Brook as the fourth place finisher until the news of Ahmad Walker's suspension and possible dismissal. They already have to replace most of their team and Walker was poised to be a significant part of the new look Seawolves. With his status up in the air, Stony Brook has too many question marks.

7. Hartford
        Another team dealing with a significant loss which is a theme for teams in the bottom half. Before Pancake Thomas transferred, Hartford was poised to build off their big upset of Albany in last years quarterfinals. Instead they are looking to replace their best player on team that already struggled with depth and balanced scoring.

8. UMBC
        They have Jairus Lyles who is most likely going to lead the league in scoring and after that, many question marks. Many of the other players on the roster have failed to live up to expectations and the Retrievers are replacing their entire starting frontcourt. The top half of the league continues to be strong in the frontcourt and that does not bode well for the Retrievers chances.

9. Maine
         Another year, another exodus in Orono. With Kevin Little and Issac Vann transferring, the cupboards are once again bare for the Black Bears. It is very difficult to build a successful program when the most promising players continually leave. Maine is another team that has a very thin frontcourt in a league that will be decided in the paint.

Well there you have it. A few thoughts on the league. I will be writing up each exhibition game and a Vermont specific preview will follow before the start of the non conference. Only two more weeks and then basketball is back. Thank goodness.

Vermont gets another commitment for the 2016 class

Vermont added another piece to next years team, getting a surprise commitment from Kian Dalyrimple. Dalyrimple is a 6-5 combo guard from Half Hollow Hills West, NY. I say surprise for two reasons. One is that there is no online recruiting trail of any kind (which is very rare these days). The other reason is that I was unaware that Vermont has any more scholarships available. After counting there was one spot left (not counting Josh Speidel's scholarship) as the NCAA allots 13 scholarships per team. It is rare to have to do so much digging to find information about a recruit. From what I can see his recruitment followed a similar path to Trae Bell-Haynes. The Vermont coaching staff saw Bell-Haynes at a spring tournament and was somewhat shocked to see that he was not being recruited. They offered him and he committed prior to ever stepping foot on campus. It looks like the coaching staff watched Dalyrimple at the 2016 Hoop Group Spring Jamfest in late April. Dalyrimple's team won the 17U division and he was named MVP. The only other recruiting info I can find is a small write up from the 2015 GymRat CHALLEGE. In that write up  he is described as a "versatile player" with "good spring around the basket". It mentions that he needs to work on his "ball handling" and his "defensive positioning". The snippet concludes with  "good overall potential and looks like he will fill out. Could be a D1 or D2 player". In reading tweets and write-ups from his High School/AAU career he is a strong three point shooter who scored in bunches. After watching the highlights he looks like a player who will need to work and and refine his game. The shooting looks strong but many other aspects of his game looked like they needed improvement. He did not look exceptionally athletic and the competition level looked weak. He ran the floor well and showed good overall instincts but the increase in level of competition looks like it could be a difficult adjustment. Maybe he is going to redshirt this year while he adjusts? All of this is complete speculation on my part as there is so little information to go on. Seems like a good kid with the body and shooting ability to become a role player. Bell-Haynes had a similar lack of information and he turned out to be a great player so who knows. If Dalyrimple is a hard worker who appreciates the opportunity to play DI basketball he could find a role. Ultimately this feels like a hail mary by the coaching staff and kind of a head scratcher. Seems like one of those players (Santo, Taggart) that will ultimately end up at a D2 school. The coaching staff must see something they like. The one viewpoint I could see in support of a move like this is that putting together a team full of studs at Vermont is tough because most players that come to Vermont do so because of the availability of playing time at a winning program. In order to fill out a team you do need players who are willing to play a much smaller role. Sometimes that means taking a chance on a player who is being overlooked by in the hopes that they grow into a role player to fill out the roster. If he doesn't pan out he will likely transfer and free up a scholarship. If he does work hard and develop his game he can fill an important role alongside the big time recruits. They have had success with some of this type of player (Blakely, Wills, Bell-Haynes, Rohrer). It sometimes seems unfair to pass judgment on a player before he ever steps foot on campus and as such I would like to end this post by saying that any player with a good head on his shoulders who is willing to work hard is welcome at Vermont anytime. It is great that all his hard work has paid off and he earned a scholarship. I am happy that Dalyrimple wants to be a part of the Vermont program and hope that he can find a role on the team.

Vermont lands Quinnipiac transfer Samuel Dingba

The wait for Vermont recruiting information is over as 6-5 forward Samuel Dingba commits to the Catamounts. Dingba is transferring from Quinnipiac so he will sit out this season and join the Cats for the 2017-2018 season with two years of eligibility left. Vermont recruited him out of high school so the coaching staff is very familiar with his game. I like the move to bring in a transfer instead of shuffling a scholarship to the 2017 class. This will help bridge the recruiting gap with a more experienced player when the huge junior class leaves. He was highly recruited out of high school and was a considered an immediate impact player for Quinnipiac. A slew of injuries limited his first two years of college and as a result he did not live up to expectations. He can fill several positions for the Cats due to his defensive versatility. He is a very long 6-5 and a good shot blocker. The defensive versatility is a big plus for Vermont. Many of their current players are versatile offensively and more one dimensional defensively. With the switch to a more offensive minded team it is important to have a player who can come in a play tough defense. His greatest strength is his rebounding. Even in his limited minutes was very tough on the boards. In the game against Vermont this past season he played 22 minutes scoring 6 points a grabbing 7 rebounds (4 offensive). I was impressed by his ability to go get the ball in traffic. If you like advanced statistics, his per 40 minute numbers back up his strong rebounding ability. In his two years at Quinnipiac he averaged 8.6 and 10.3 rebounds per 40 minutes respectively. His offensive game is raw and as a result he struggled to get consistent minutes. He also struggled with foul trouble. Health will be the key factor in determining his success at Vermont. A healthy Dingba could be a solid contributor off the bench and a valuable rotation player. If he continues to struggle with injuries he may never be able to play consistent enough minutes to reach his full potential. Time will tell and the impact of transfers in notoriously difficult to predict, but right now this is a positive addition to the Vermont program. This offseason has been excruciatingly slow to follow so I hope this jump starts the information train.

Season Wrap

Boy those late night games to finish the season were not ideal for Vermont fans. I did not watch the Seattle game but managed to stay up late and watched the Nevada game. Nevada was a very strong team with tremendous shot-making athletes. The run to the CBI semifinals two years in a row is a great accomplishment and playing different teams under different circumstances is going to help this team next year. Now that the season is officially over it is time to look back and look ahead.

This was the most roller coaster season for the Vermont program in several years. The highs were very high and the lows were very low. Early in the season it was easy to blame the inconsistent play on injuries. As conference play got going, Vermont was able to get healthy but playing with their full team proved harder than anticipated. This caused some negativity to creep in as everyone struggled to explain their difficulties on the court. Once the team was fully healthy and playing as a unit they were tough to beat. Finishing the year winning 9 out of their last 11 games is an impressive accomplishment. There is always a lot of talk about how adversity builds character and this season epitomized that ideal. Through it all the team seemed to learn a lot about who they were and how they were going to come together as a team. During the late season run each player was locked into their role and bought in to the system. With the momentum that the Cats were able to build at the end of the year it is very exciting to think about what this team has the chance to accomplish next season. But first a few individual notes.

I though that Kurt Steidl's game improved tremendously this season. He expanded his ability inside of the three point line and became a very strong defender and rebounder. His leadership on the team also blossomed and will give next years team a solid senior leader. Trae Bell-Haynes is the other player that demonstrated tremendous improvement in his game. He became a threat from the outside and improved his ability to play at different speeds which allowed his passing ability to take a significant step forward. I see him continuing to improve over the course of this offseason and lead Vermont in scoring again next season. Darren Payen improved over the course of the season and cut down on the mistakes that kept him on the bench in the middle part of the schedule. He found a way to be effective in short bursts and the coaching staff did a nice job finding different ways to use him that maximized his strengths. Cam Ward and Ernie Duncan both had up and down seasons. Ward struggled with his shot for much of the season and then caught fire down the stretch. He improved his ability to finish around the rim and increased his free throw percentage. Finding consitency will be key for taking his game to the next level. Duncan struggled with a few injuries and struggled to shoot the ball at home during the middle part of the season. I thought in his first year back from a significant injury he played very well. His shooting ability is amazing to watch and down the stretch of the season it was apparent that he was finally beginning to trust his body again as he started to take the ball to the rim and expand his game inside of the three point line. He has a very high ceiling and if he can have a healthy summer I think he will have an even better sophomore season. My only disappointment watching him this year is that the tremendous passing ability he showed during his limited minutes as a freshman seemed to take a significant step back. He was able to make highlight reel passes here and there but struggled to get assists in bunches. I would like to see that passing ability return next season. Drew Urquhart once again played much better down the stretch, but struggled to consistently make positive plays on the court. He is also the player on the team that is the quickest to get in Becker's doghouse and next year he is going to have more competition for minutes. Nate Rohrer had very inconsistent playing time but his contributions to this years team cannot be understated. Rohrer gave Vermont positive contributions across the board and frankly saved their frontcourt. To get crucial contributions from a late walk on was nothing short of a miracle. He played smart and tough and had a knack for making  big plays. The only real significant disappointment for me was how much of a lost season it was for Dre Wills. He struggled with health, got suspended, and as a result never found a rhythm. He rebounded at a high level but every other part of his game took a significant step back. His offensive limitations were magnified this year because his contributions on the defensive end were not as pronounced. He has a significant amount of work to do this offseason to get healthy and get ready to come back next year and have a strong senior season.

Next season is going to be a whole different experience for this group. In this group's first two seasons they have come in to the season as a plucky underdog. Even though Vermont is always playing to win a championship, the "championship or bust" feeling has not been present. Next year will change all of that. Barring transfers, nearly the entire team is back. Add in the two transfers that sat out this season and highly regarded freshman Anthony Lamb, and Vermont will once again be expected to win. I believe they will be the preseason pick to win the league and with Stony Brook and Albany losing significant pieces to graduation, the league landscape is going to look very different for the first time in four years. Being the favorite has its own set of unique challenges and it will be interesting to see how this team responds to playing with higher expectations. Vermont is going to have a very strong team next year and if they can continue to show the mental toughness that they demonstrated at the end of this season, I believe that can have a very strong season.

CBI First Round: Western Carolina at Vermont 3/16/16

The ORIGINAL Catamounts win!!

Vermont 79 Western Carolina 74

Lose two starters? No Problem.
Take out Duncan? No worries, there is another one.

In a game that was representative of the entire last calendar year for the Catamounts, Vermont overcame adversity to win. Becker talked about the "next man up" style with which they play and it was on full display tonight. Kurt Steidl played like a man possessed and had one of the most complete games of his career. He finished with 20 points and 11 rebounds while playing tough defense. He hit the big shot of the night when his three pointer pushed the lead out late in the game. Steidl also sealed the game from the line hitting 9-10 free throws. It was like there was nothing he couldn't do. Steidl's leadership blossomed at the end of the season and in a game where Vermont needed someone to step up, he put the team on his back. He was not alone however as Everett Duncan also had a career night. The younger Duncan played 27 minutes and finished with 7 points and 8 rebounds. He played strong defense and boxed out on every possession. I had a feeling before the game that this would be his opportunity and he certainly took advantage. He was flat out tremendous in the second half. He has a very well rounded game and a high basketball IQ. Vermont also got a boost from Dylan Sinnickson in the first half as he got a nice bucket underneath and hit a three. What a tremendous testament to the Vermont program that the last half of the bench can come in ready to play in a postseason game. Trae Bell-Haynes hit an improbable three pointer with the shot clock winding down that sent Patrick into a frenzy. He also shot 11-12 from the free throw line to finish with 16 points. Now Vermont waits for the winner of Idaho/Seattle so someone is in for a long road trip. It is such a great experience for these players to play in this tournament and it is so beneficial to get experiences in games against different opponents who play different styles of basketball. Can't wait for the next one.

America East final: Vermont at Stony Brook 3/12/16

Stony Brook 80 Vermont 74

Vermont battled through injuries and foul trouble but ultimately could not overcome Jameel Warney's career day. I will start off by congratulating Warney on his tournament berth. He has worked hard to be where he is and came up big in the biggest game of his career. He was not going to let Stony Brook lose. Great player. Great Performance. Vermont played very well and almost pulled off the upset. There were just too many in game roadblocks to overcome. The game was very poorly officiated all the way around which resulted in poor game flow and foul trouble for Vermont. They were still hanging on and executing until Ethan O'Day went down with what looked like a significant knee injury. With an already thin frontcourt, that was a killer. From that point, Vermont had even less interior defense available to try and slow down Warney. Ultimately when the dust settles this was a great season for the Catamounts. They came together as a team and gave themselves a chance to make the NCAA tournament. The future is bright and some of the pieces to be excited about were on display in today's game. Trae Bell-Haynes continues to round out his game and is a tremendous scorer, leading Vermont with 17 points in today's game. If it wasn't for several flops by defenders he would have had an even stronger game. The increase in his ability to shoot the three at the end of the season should make defenders quiver. He is going to score many more points in a Vermont uniform. Ernie Duncan also looked great down the stretch. He finished with 11 points (3-5 from three) and 7 rebounds in this game. He started to expand his game at the end of the year as well and I am excited to see what he can do with a fully healthy offseason. His .448% shooting from beyond the arc this season is the second highest single season percentage all time at Vermont. Throw in Cam Ward's strong finish and the backcourt is set for the next several years. The Cats came together at the end of the year and turned themselves into a strong rebounding team. Maintaining that momentum on the boards will be important on next years team. My heart goes out to Ethan O'Day. He played his heart out this season and to finish his last game hobbled and then on the bench was tough. I hope he is okay but the injury did not look good. Both the players and the coaching staff grew tremendously this year and it will make them better and more prepared for next season. As long as Vermont can avoid having a difficult offseason (like last year) they should be the favorite to win it all next year. I will post a season recap after waiting to see if Vermont accepts a bid to the CBI or the CIT.

America East Semifinal: UNH at Vermont 3/7/16

Vermont 63 UNH 56

Vermont clawed their way back into the conference finals by holding off UNH in the semifinals on Monday night. This season has been Becker and Company's most trying and the most rewarding. To go through the list of obstacles this team has overcome to be where they are is exhausting. Vermont faced just about every kind of adversity over the past year and dug deep to overcome it all. Just one month ago the Cats were coming off a 100-93 loss to fall to 6-5 in conference play. Becker called out his players publicly and things were pretty grim in Catamount country. Fast forward to 7 wins in a row plus a trip to the finals and the Cats have had themselves another great season. This has to be the best and most satisfying (and most difficult) year of Becker's coaching career. This team has come together and is embracing the adversity and using it to make themselves better basketball players. To win an ugly physical game the way Vermont did tonight is a testament as to how far they have come. They would not have won a game like this at the beginning of the conference schedule. At the center of this resurgence has been Ethan O'Day. He has put together a tremendous senior season and put the team on his back against UNH. I have never seen him play with as much energy as he did in the first half. He was a one man defensive machine and looked liked a player who was not going to let his team lose. O'Day finished with 19 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 blocks. Over his last 5 games he has averaged 14.2 points on 62% shooting from the field and 95% (19-20!!!) from the free throw line. Throw in 7.2 rebounds and 2.8 blocks per game and you have a senior taking over and leading his team on a winning streak. Kurt Steidl also had another strong game with 13 points and 6 rebounds including some key rebounds down the stretch. Ernie Duncan continued his absolutely torrid shooting from three finishing with 11 points on 3-4 shooting from deep. That puts him at 10/13 over the last three games. Duncan's season percentage sits at 44% which is currently tied for the second highest single season percentage in the history of Vermont basketball. Dre Wills actually led the team in rebounding with 8 boards and had a positive impact on the game despite being held scoreless. Drew Urquhart also put together a strong game off the bench scoring 6 points and blocking 3 shots. Just a tremendous end of the season run by this group and now they are ready to go to the championship game and play loose. Vermont got over the semifinals hump and the "its tough to beat a team three times" curse. Now they can go down and try to pull the upset on the road. All the pressure is on Stony Brook and it should be a tremendous game in a great atmosphere.

America East Quarterfinal: Maine at Vermont 3/2/16

Vermont 99 Maine 82

Vermont shot a scorching 66% from the field and defeated Maine in the America East quarterfinals. This was going to be the last home game of the year but by virtue of Hartford's upset of Albany, Vermont will host UNH on Monday night. It is great to get another home game and should be a rocking atmosphere. As with most games during the Cats winning streak, Vermont's offense was firing on all cylinders. Cam Ward shot the absolute lights out in the first half including a Steph Curry-esque three at the halftime buzzer from just about half court. Ward finished with 24 points on 6-9 shooting from three. He is playing with a ton of confidence right now. He actually threw up in the garbage can the first time he came out of the game in the first half so his performance is even more impressive considering he may not have been 100%. Over the last four games he is shooting an astounding 15-21 (71%) from three. Fun to watch. The MVP of the game ultimately was Ethan O'Day. He put up one of the best stat lines of his career. O'Day finished with 21 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists, 5 blocks, and 3 steals. That is the performance of a senior who wants to leave it all on the floor and doesn't want his career to come to an end. Obviously when a team scores 99 points there are going to be many impressive stat lines. Kurt Steidl put together a tough 14 point 9 rebound performance and Ernie Duncan also looked good scoring 11 points and handing out 5 assists. Vermont can beat teams in so many different ways on the offensive end that it is difficult for an opposing team to string together stops. The formula during this win streak has been get off to a strong start and keep the other team at bay for the rest of the game. The biggest difference has been the improvement on the boards. It is going to be crucial to maintain that momentum against UNH on Monday. Whoever wins the rebounding battle will win the game and Vermont will have to get ready for a very physical game. In the game today the defense took a little bit of a step back. Some of that is due to playing with a big lead and losing focus. They will need to be much tighter on Monday night. The other adjustment that Vermont is going to have to make is they suddenly with be playing with some expectation and pressure again. It was going to be one thing to go on the road and try to pull an upset in the semifinal. Playing a home game where you are expected to win is a whole different ball of wax. The win at Stony Brook in the finale looms large now as they would be traveling on the road if they had not won that game. The win tonight also gives Vermont 8 straight 20 win seasons. Congratulations to all involved in the Vermont program on a wonderful accomplishment. Time for some bonus basketball at Patrick on Monday.

Vermont at Stony Brook 2/27/16

Vermont 76 Stony Brook 62

Maybe Becker should think about playing loud rap music every practice.

Vermont went on the road and finished the regular season with their biggest win of the season. In control the entire game, the Cats took the air out of the gym early on and spoiled senior night for the Seawolves. The Cats will now head in to the playoffs as the three seed and are on a five game winning streak. During the win streak the defense has finally taken shape and Vermont is truly playing their most complete basketball of the season. The offense has been clicking for most of the season and now that the players have also bought into the defensive side of the ball, Vermont is a dangerous team. They have also started to rebound the ball at a high level, finishing with a 37-31 advantage over Stony Brook. A Stony Brook team that has a +8 rebounding margin on the season. Drew Urquhart was at the center of the strong rebounding, ripping down several big rebounds in the second half and finishing with 6 points and 7 rebounds. His floor time is uneven at times but tonight he really stepped up in the second half. The story of the game was Ernie Duncan. Duncan was unconscious, scoring 23 points on 8/12 shooting (4/4 from three). He scored at the rim, from three, and in the midrange. The whole arsenal was on full display and it continued a string of strong performances down the stretch. He also added 6 rebounds and 3 assists with only 1 turnover. Just a great all around game. The 23 points tied a career high which he set in the game at Albany. Stepping up in big games on the road is a great quality to see in a young player. Trae Bell-Haynes once again came up big with the game on the line. He hit a crucial three pointer when Vermont was searching for a basket to stop a Stony Brook run and then sealed the game with two beautiful finishes around the rim. Both the drives were "and ones" as he scored 6 straight to put the game away. The threat of the three pointer is already causing defenders to respect his pump fake and it is opening up even more driving lanes. This was another game where Vermont got crucial plays from several different players and played with composure. They finish the regular season with a strong 11-5 conference record. This win also gives Vermont the opportunity to get to the 20 win plateau for the eighth consecutive season with a win in the quarterfinal against Maine. Winning consistently at the college level is no easy task and the 20 win streak is a tremendous accomplishment and the mark of a great program. There are no easy match-ups and Vermont will have to come out with a sense of purpose and determination to take care of business on Wednesday. I will tip my cap to both the coaching staff and the players for fighting through adversity and coming out the other side a stronger and more cohesive team. There has been a lot of soul searching this year and right now it has paid off and the team is better off for it. It can be frustrating to see a young team go through growing pains but also satisfying and exciting when they finally put it all together. Time to get ready for playoff basketball!!!

UNH at Vermont 2/24/16

Vermont 73 UNH 67

They are who we thought they were.

On a night when Ethan O'Day was being honored for a great career, the Cats turned the clock back and played like the teams that he has been accustomed to playing for. Vermont out-muscled and out-physicaled UNH on their way to a hard fought victory. The Cats played tough defense and forced UNH to take contested shots throughout the game. They also ended up with a 38-37 rebounding advantage against one of the best rebounding teams in the conference. Just a great all around game where everyone contributed positively and came up big in big moments. O'Day turned in a pedestrian looking 8 point, 8 rebound performance but this game was far more than a box score. O'Day played tough defense and grabbed some crucial rebounds. He also made several strong hustle plays and left it all out on the floor playing a team high 36 minutes on senior night. Even though at times he has struggled, O'Day really has put together a strong senior season where he has stayed out of foul trouble and rebounded at the highest rate of his career. It has been a joy to watch him in a Catamount uniform. Trae Bell-Haynes had one of the oddest games of his career. He led the team is scoring with 16 points despite only playing 23 minutes due to foul trouble. He scored by hitting 3-4 from three point range. That alone would not necessarily be strange, but he hit two of those threes back to back, pulling up, and with a defender right on him. Not typically part of his game but I would be happy to see him add that to his arsenal as he would become even tougher to guard. Cam Ward continued his strong play with 11 points and 5 assists to go along with zero turnovers. His ability to take care of the ball is tremendous and he always seems to be playing under control. He hit the big three pointer with the shot clock running down and a defender right in his grill. If the clock is winding down, he is the one I want with the ball. A couple other players like O'Day that played better than their boxscore were Ernie Duncan and Nate Rohrer. Duncan took the ball to the hole aggressively and it seems like he is starting to trust his body more. I think he will continue to add more dimensions to his game as he gets healthier and adjusts to the college game. Nate Rohrer continues to play valuable minutes and has really saved the Cats this year. He gives them a tough, physical, high IQ post player. He always seems to make big plays and tonight stepped up during several crucial moments. It still amazes me that he called Vermont out of the blue and joined the team. Kurt Steidl continues to do the dirty work and finished with 13 points and 6 rebounds. He has been a tremendous steady presence all year. No matter what happens with their seeding, this is a big win for Vermont. As long as they win their playoff game and give themselves a chance to go on the road and pull an upset, they will have had a good season. The Cats are playing their best basketball of the season at the right time and can go into the finale at Stony Brook loose and give them all they've got. UNH is a very tough team that has beaten Albany and taken Stony Brook to the last shot and Vermont has now swept them. For all the difficulties this season, what is most important is that Vermont has come through the other side stronger and is playing together at the right time.

P.S. It is tough to already be thinking about next year but if anyone has been following the 2016 Vermont recruit Anthony Lamb's senior season, it is hard not to get excited. Lamb averaged 30 points and 16 rebounds while leading his team to a number one seed. He is one of 4 finalists for Mr. Basketball in the state of New York and is currently trying to lead his team to back to back sectional titles. In the semifinals he led his team to an overtime victory with 45 points and 18 rebounds. His performance included scoring all 18 of his team's fourth quarter points, leading them back from 9 down and he hit 3 free throws to tie the game and send it to overtime. The kid is a beast and I absolutely cannot wait to see him in a Vermont uniform. His next game is the section final on February 28th.

Vermont at UMBC 2/20/16

Vermont 99 UMBC 54

Yowza!!!

In their most dominant effort of the year Vermont took care of business in Baltimore. Coach Becker took a timeout a minute and a half into the game after Vermont allowed two easy buckets. Whatever he said in that time out should be bottled up and repeated for the rest of the season as the Cats were one hundred percent unstoppable after that. The defense is really starting to come around and guys are hustling and playing their hearts out. Even when the Cats were struggling the offense was coming together and tonight it was a well oiled machine. Cam Ward turned in his second consecutive great performance (sorry about no Binghamton game write up, life happens). Ward had a perfect shooting day finishing 7-7 from the field, 6-6 from three, and 4-4 from the free throw line. All that adds up to a career high 24 points. It is great to see him start hitting from three again. The Bench mob was great for the second straight game as they accounted for 55 of the 99 points. Dre Wills had a monster stat stuffing game, finishing with 15 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists off the bench. Ethan O'Day scored 13 points to go along with 7 rebounds and 4 blocks. Ernie Duncan has officially broken out of his slump finishing with 11 points on 3-4 from three. That puts him in double figures for the 5th straight game during which time he is shooting 16-33(48%) from three. The Cats finally look motivated and passionate on the court and look to be coming together. They face a stiff test on Wednesday when New Hampshire comes to town. The senior night game is a very emotional atmosphere and New Hampshire is going to be motivated to avenge their worst loss of the conference season. For all the difficulties that Vermont has faced this year, they are still going to have a home playoff game and hopefully go on the road in the semifinals with a chance to pull an upset. That was ultimately what the consensus preseason prediction was. The way that Vermont has got to this point has been different and trying at times, but to put things in perspective they are about where most people thought they would be. Hindsight is 20/20 as they say and if Vermont can take care of business on Wednesday they will be set up to go to Stony Brook in the finale with nothing to lose. Here is their chance to continue the positive momentum and finish the season strong.

Hartford at Vermont 2/14/16

Vermont 92 Hartford 81

Vermont got big buckets when they needed it down the stretch and got back on the winning track against Hartford. Kurt Steidl started off hot hitting 5 threes and scoring 19 first half points. Steidl finished with a career high 26 points. He continues to step up in games after tough losses. Dre Wills and came off the bench and recorded a double double with 13 points and 12 rebounds. Most of his production came during a crucial stretch late in the game. Wills has been very up and down but still manages to make plays down the stretch when his team needs him. Darren Payen continues to shine on the offensive end of the floor finishing with 15 points. He has a beautiful soft touch around the rim. It is really unfortunate that he struggles so mightily on the defensive end. The defensive struggles continued for Vermont and it is very hard to explain why when watching the games. It seems like they find new and different ways to struggle and just when one aspect of the defense looks better, a different breakdown occurs. It is great to get a win and maybe they can build some momentum over the next week before a big showdown with New Hampshire on February 24th. I wanted to take a little time in this post to comment on some of the things that Coach Becker said about the team this week. The points he made about chemistry and leadership make sense when you consider the rotating lineups and the playing time distribution. Payen and Drew Urquhart have seen minutes come and go and Nate Rohrer has fallen completely off the depth chart. He went from starting to zero minutes in a very short amount of time. That speaks to a clear lack of identity for many of the players on the team. The comments that Becker made about some guys having their own agenda is some very harsh criticism. Combine that with his comments about guys trying to step up and lead but no one following them is even more concerning. All of these things make sense when you see the on court play this year. Players look like they are clawing and fighting to define their role on the team and that is what has lead to stretches of very poor execution. The players are struggling to execute the game plan because they haven't figured what their role in the game plan is. All of this leads me to believe that when this season ends, there will be some major changes before next season. Whether it be players transferring out or players taking on very different roles on next years team. With how things have gone I see a significant shakeup and next years team will look very different. Next year is going to definitely begin with no roles guaranteed. That type of change may not be a bad thing, and the league will be wide open next season as there will be no clear dominant team for the first time in several years. The rest of this season to me is about making sure that Vermont can maintain enough continuity, positive energy, and drive to not let this difficult season leak out into next season.

Vermont at UMass Lowell 2/8/16

UMass Lowell 100 Vermont 93

This will be a very short post.

There is really not much to say outside of the fact that Vermont absolutely cannot stop UMass Lowell. Now matter what lineup or defense the Cats put on the floor, Lowell is able to score at will. The only saving grace is that Lowell is not eligible for the playoffs and Vermont has an entire year to plan for the next match-up. Vermont played zero defense and turned the ball over a ridiculous amount. In the second half every single turnover resulted in points for Lowell as they scored 31 points off turnovers for the game. Some of the turnovers were comically bad. Darren Payen threw the ball right to a Lowell player for a fast break score twice. Just an all around pitiful game. The way the Cats have played against Lowell this season looks nothing like the way they have played against any other team. This loss is also partly on the coaching staff because it is their responsibility to come up with a game plan and they made very few adjustments from the last time these two teams played. It is at the point in the season where it is safe to say that this team has the talent but not the intangibles to win on a consistent basis. It is going to be a long week of practice before playing against Hartford on Sunday.

Vermont at Albany 2/6/16

Albany 75 Vermont 71

Vermont fought hard and played tough on the road but ultimately could not do enough to win. In the first half Vermont absolutely shot the lights out. This was mostly due to Ernie Duncan's career night. Their defense around the rim was great and they forced Albany to take contested perimeter shots. Vermont went into the locker room with a 10 point lead. Out of the gates Albany tightened up their defense and started to relentlessly take the ball at the rim. Vermont was pushed back on their heels and it looked like they were going to get run out of the building. Albany stormed all the way back and took a seven point lead. Things were looking bleak as Vermont could not hit anything from the perimeter. Then shots started to fall and Vermont clawed their way back into the game and took a one point lead at 71-70. Albany made enough free throws down the stretch and Vermont was unable to cash in on any more perimeter shots which resulted in the final margin. There were many good things and many bad things about this game. On the positive side of things, Vermont continues to play well on the road and has improved many of their weaknesses from earlier in the season. This game was Albany's Big Purple Growl event and there was a crowd of over 5,000 in attendance. Vermont not only took a big first half lead, but then fought back and almost pulled out the victory. Vermont's interior defense was much better. Individually Ernie Duncan and Cam Ward were tremendous. It was by far the best game of Duncan's young career. The live stats are not working so I do not have exact numbers but I believe he finished with a career high 23 points. He looked decisive and confident while looking a step quicker than he has been recently. It seems as though he is much more comfortable playing on the road as he continues to have more success away from Patrick Gym. Drew Urquhart also looked very good and is making the same kind of late season run he did last season. On the negative side of things, the Cats perimeter defense in the second half was atrocious. They could not and did not stop any dribble penetration and let Evan Singletary and Peter Hooley completely take over the game. Albany lives and dies at the free throw line as much as any team in the nation and this game was no different. Albany finished the game +15 at the free throw line and it was 100% the reason they won the game. Most of those free throws were the result of Vermont's perimeter defenders not moving their feet. I do not think I have seen Dre Wills play a worse game. I realize he is banged up but he had no effect on either end of the floor. This game was very much about a senior laden, experienced team knowing what to do to win. Singletary and Hooley are both clutch players who are at their best when their team needs them. Tonight was another example of what a veteran presence can do for a team.  The game was leaps and bounds better than the first meeting with Albany and gives hope that Vermont can continue to improve so they are playing their best basketball a month from now. They have to shake off this game and focus on getting revenge against UMass Lowell. This season is now focused solely on securing the third seed. In order to do that they need to go at least 5-1 the rest of the way. At this point in the season as a player you have to have a short memory because there is no more time to make up for an off game. Every game from here on out is the season. Vermont needs to bounce back and take care of business at UMass Lowell on Monday.

Maine at Vermont 2/3/16

Vermont 85 Maine 68

Happy birthday Darren Payen!!!

Vermont pulled away from Maine in the second half by dominating in the paint. At the center of it all was Payen putting in his best effort as a Catamount. Payen finished with 18 points and 13 rebounds and made several other hustle plays on both ends of the floor. After losing his starting job and looking entirely lost for the month of January, it was starting to look like Payen wasn't going to contribute in the way the coaching staff had hoped. This is only one game but he is slowly looking like he may be figuring things out. His offensive skills have been strong all year but he has been unable to stay on the court due to his defensive deficiencies. Maine doesn't exactly have an imposing frontcourt but Payen had been struggling no matter the opponent. It is nice to see him have a good game and hopefully this will boost his confidence and springboard him to a strong finish. His counterpart Ethan O'Day also had a great game and is really putting it all together. O'Day led Vermont with 23 points and contributed all around by adding 8 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 blocks. In conference play he is averaging 16.5 ppg, 7.1 rpg, and leads the conference at 2.4 bpg. He is stepping up in a big way and trying to finish his career on a high note. Trae Bell-Haynes had a nice game with 11 points and a season high 8 assists. Drew Urquhart and Dre Wills both hit double figures off the bench and played great during the run that put the game away. Wills knows how to step up in the big moments and gives this team a finisher. He still doesn't look fully healthy and at this point is seems as though it is going to linger for the rest of the season. Speaking of health, I think Ernie Duncan has hit the proverbial "freshman wall". He is really struggling to contribute positively on the court now that his outside shot has stopped falling. The rigors of a full season after sitting out for so long seem to be taking their toll. Maine still looked weak to me but I kept telling myself "this team beat Albany?!?" Maine just couldn't stop anyone around the rim as Vermont shot 20-23 (87%) from inside the three point line in the second half. Now the Cats have a brutal Saturday/Monday road trip from Albany to UMass Lowell. Two teams that beat Vermont handily and two very tough road games. They have to at least split the two games if they have any hope at earning a home playoff game. All the games are important down the stretch but this is the weekend that will determine a lot about how the rest of the season will play out for Vermont.