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.