Scrimmage at the Aud

For the second year in a row the Vermont basketball teams made the trip down to the historic Barre Auditorium for an open scrimmage. The Aud is my favorite place to watch a basketball game so I am beyond delighted with this new tradition. The Cats played two 16 minute halves so the intensity was at a higher level than it was on Wednesday night. Ryan Davis continued to impress and looks like a completely different player. He looks trim and is moving noticeably better on the court. I have been blown away with his movement without the ball, particularly on screen and roll action. Davis is doing a tremendous job making himself available to his teammates and getting in a position to score. Without Lamb on the floor for these two scrimmages, Davis has looked like the Cats best player. His defensive positioning is much improved and he is getting to his spots a step faster than he was a season ago. He is going to have to continue to work on staying out of foul trouble but he looks to be on the brink of a breakout. Everett Duncan is making some great slash cuts and hard drives at the rim. His aggressiveness at the offensive end will be a interesting storyline to follow throughout the season. Aaron Deloney is fearless. He is going to be a player that can both shoot you into and out of a game. As with most freshman point guards his decision making is going to need refinement but he is oozing with potential. He has the ability to put a team on his back and carry them. His role this season is certainly going to be more of a spark off the bench but down the road he could take the reins and lead the team. Everything else I saw was consistent with what the players showed on Wednesday night. Robin Duncan knocked down a couple more threes showcasing his improved stroke, Daniel Giddens is going to have some crazy blocks and dunks, Stef Smith is money, and Duncan Demuth is going to do a little bit of everything. One concern for this team is how will they perform from the three point line. Losing Ernie Duncan was going to be tough anyway but in the same year that the three point line gets moved back is going to add another layer to replacing that production. Vermont has many capable three point shooters but it will be interesting to see if they can replace the consistency that Ernie brought to the court. We finally get some real basketball next week. Should be a great great game and a magical night honoring two more Vermont legends.