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.