Why has it taken so long to finish my wrap up of the season? I think it is because I have so much to say about the season that I am having a hard time finding the words. I have started and stopped, reflected on the season, looked ahead to next season and everything in between. What I keep coming back to is this was a season for the ages. The Catamount program has achieved so much success over the past 15 years that individual seasons and accomplishments can get lost in the sea of success. This season was special in the rarefied air of the Coppenrath/Sorrentine era. Every year the program takes another step forward. This year's group made noise with a great run through the non-conference schedule and a strong showing the the NCAA tourney. The Cats are now in a place where they believe that no matter the opponent, they expect to win. Pushing to the program to these heights has changed the expectations surrounding the program and put Vermont in a place where winning a NCAA tournament game becomes a goal. Anthony Lamb is at the center of Vermont's raised profile. Lamb had an all time great season. He improved in every aspect of his game an became a dominant force. The improvements on the defensive side of the ball were the most impressive and crucial to Vermont's success this season. He was so good this season it begs the question, Can he really make another leap next season? Lamb is a hard worker who is never satisfied and will always work to improve every aspect of his game. He is following in Trae Bell-Haynes footsteps and entering the NBA draft process in order to get feedback and further refine his game. I fully expect him to return and he will enter next season as one of the best mid-major players in the country.
Ernie Duncan leaves a legacy as maybe the best shooter to ever play at Vermont. Ernie etched his name at the top of several career shooting categories and left as big a mark as anyone on the Vermont program. He was the first person to commit to the program changing 2014 recruiting class. He got the ball rolling and really started the new era of recruiting that Vermont has entered into. Not to mention the fact that he also had several brothers who followed him to the Green Mountain State. He left his mark both on an off the court, demonstrating a unending desire to win while becoming a strong leader. He might be the most unassumingly great player in Vermont history and definitely my favorite player (so I might be a little biased). He, along with Lamb and Bell-Haynes set the expectation that as a player in the Vermont program you are never satisfied and improvements can always be made. My favorite example is that Ernie could have been satisfied with just being a great shooter a stopped at that. Instead, he kept adding dimensions to his game including becoming a lockdown defender. I think you saw the trickle down effect in a player like Drew Urquhart and are seeing a player like Ben Shungu pushing for greatness. That is what the Vermont program has become, a place where every player has an opportunity to improve and become the best player they can be. The program has seen tremendous success with using redshirt years to improve and mold players. Players like Nate Rohrer and Samuel Dingba also demonstrated that the coaching staff works just as hard to help the end of the bench improve and be ready when their number is called. The effects of that success are demonstrated in the amount of players that want to walk on an be a part of the Vermont program. This past week Vermont got another walk on commitment from Nick Fiorillo, a 6-8 forward from Maine. Players know that they will be given a chance to compete and improve.
Now the coaching staff isn't perfect and I think Ra Kpedi's transfer is an example of a tough set of circumstances. Kpedi is a player that would've benefited immensely from a redshirt year but was thrust into a role two seasons ago due to injuries. Then this season he could never quite stay on the court to get up to speed. One of the areas that continues to be a struggle for the Vermont coaching staff is getting the young big men in the program up to speed on the defensive end of the floor. The system that Vermont runs demands a lot from the big men and as a result it is harder for them to stay on the court and get the reps they need. It is something that will be interesting for next year as they will be very thin in the frontcourt and asking a lot of a young group of post players.
There is a lot to be excited about for next season as Vermont will once again be at the top of the America East and a mid-major program on the national radar. It goes without saying that Lamb is poised to dominate yet again, but Stef Smith is equally on the cusp of stardom. He found more consistency last season and at times was very clearly Vermont's second best player. He still has areas to improve upon and with increased opportunity and becoming one of the veterans next season, he is ready to raise his game to the next level. The addition of highly touted freshman Aaron Deloney from Oregon will give the Cats a dynamic scoring option off the bench. Deloney is a two time player of the year in the state of Oregon and can put up points in a hurry. Last year's bench unit struggled to find a go to scoring option and Deloney help fill that role. He plays with an intensity and edge that reminds me a little of Dre Wills. Eric Beckett also joins the team as a 6-5 do it all guard/forward who will is poised to make an immediate impact. I would expect the coaching staff to add a transfer and maybe even a grad transfer to help fill a role in the frontcourt as they still have two scholarships that they can use. Transfer commitments will be coming fast and furious over the next few weeks and I would expect to see some recruiting information trickling down. So much excitement around the Vermont program with the on court success and the new arena finally taking shape. It is a great time to be living in Catamount country.
