Exhibition: Concordia at Vermont 10/27/18

Vermont 80 Concordia 43

The season is off and running with Vermont putting Concordia away with a strong second half in exhibition number one. The first half was pretty slow as everyone shook off rust and overcame first game jitters. The number one takeaway from this game was that Robin Duncan is a next level player. He played a team high 30 minutes and had the poise of a seasoned veteran. His is the best passer on the team by a wide margin and has an strong ability to get to the rim. It is going to be hard to keep him off the floor. He gives Vermont the dynamic pass first play maker they have been looking for.  There is a very good chance that all three Duncan brothers will be in the starting lineup. This is not a knock against Stef Smith who also looked good, but Duncan's ability to initiate the offense is too good to keep off the floor. He uses his body to shield the defender very well and because his is so tall at the point guard spot, he can see the whole floor. He has looked better and better every time I have watched him. Isaiah Moll led the Cats with 19 pts and 7 rbs. His quickness allows him to get a shot whenever he wants and is going to provide instant offense for the Cats. He showcased his entire arsenal scoring at all three levels. He plays a little fast and is sometimes going to force shots up, but he is going to have some monster games for the Cats this season. Ra Kpedi got the start and played well finishing 6-6 from the field on his way to 14 points. He looks much improved and is going to give the Cats good minutes this season. I was surprised to see Vermont struggle so much from the outside and they were atrocious from the free throw line but I will chalk that up to early season jitters. Learning to play together is going to be the biggest storyline early in the season. Last years team was a well oiled machine and as a result they were steady as a rock. This year team is going to be a little more unpredictable as each player figures out their role. The bigger news today was that the new arena is getting closer to being a reality. The Board of Trustees approved the project and as long as the money keeps rolling in, construction will begin this winter. That would put the Cats in the new arena for the 2020-2021 season. Just incredible news and will help keep this Vermont basketball program moving forward. It has been a long and arduous process to get to this point and it feels good that it is actually going to happen. Vermont also hosted Eric Beckett, a 6-5 2019 guard from the Tilton school via Canada for an official visit this weekend. He attended the game tonight so maybe he will kick off the 2019 class in the coming weeks. Every time I see this team play I get more excited for the season to start.