Exhibition: Vermont vs Saint Anselm

Vermont 80 Saint Anselm 78

Vermont used a much improved second half to steal a victory in their second exhibition. Coach Santo must be pulling his hair out with two straight narrow losses to his old crew. The game started with a flurry and the Cats looked motivated to put the tough game behind them. Then it looked like the cord was unplugged from the wall and the Cats energy disappeared. Saint Anselm took advantage and pulled ahead. Becker was particularly heated, calling 3 timeouts early and really getting after guys. The Hawks continued to roll and took a lead into the half. The second half was back and forth with each team pulling ahead and responding to every run. The Cats became more physical down the stretch and were able to assert themselves enough to pull out the win. The lack of chemistry and inexperience with the system continued to show as Vermont tries to jump start their season. It is particularly strange to see a Becker team still struggling to make the right reads on the defensive end. There are some real concerns on that side of the ball to start this season. The second half was far more engaged and the Cats showed more grit and toughness. It was that step in the right direction that ultimately made the difference. After the heated first half, Becker shrunk the rotation and it improved in the connectivity of the group. 

TJ Hurley returned with a bang as he poured in 34 points to will the Cats to victory. It was the most impressive Hurley performance I have seen as he dominated by relentlessly attacking the basket. He looked so calm and totally in command. On the defensive end he was spectacular as well. TJ Long chipped in 15 points and also played very tough, physical defense. The TJ squared show is going to have some big moments this season. Noah Barnett really energized the team with some hustle plays and big rebounds in the second half. Sean Blake continues to play with more assertiveness and finished with 8 points. Freshman Momo Nkugwa had another impressive performance, knocking down 2 threes to go along with a massive dunk. He is playing his way into a role this season. He is very smooth and effortless with his movements on the court. David Simon started fast and finished with 8 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 blocks. He has a lot of potential if he can continue to get engaged in the system. Ben Michaels played the second most minutes for Vermont and chipped in 7 points. 

Time for the real thing next week and it is a good year to have basically two more exhibitions as this group needs more reps together. I think patience is going to be the name of the game early in the season as this group builds chemistry. 

Basketball is back!!!!!

St. Michael's 79 Vermont 74

Basketball is back and so am I! 

After a wonderful summer full of travel and a beginning of fall full of quite a significant grad school workload, it is time for another year of blogging. While I am in the middle of quite a few life changes, I am still ready to give my thoughts on the Cats for as long as humanly possible. So lets get to it!

The result was not on the side of the Cats but it was an excellent game to welcome basketball back. To start with, a tip of the cap to St. Mike's who played a great game and was probably to most well rounded Purple Knights team I have seen. One of the trickle down effects of the player movement era is Division II teams have the ability to get a significant amount of Division I talent to fill out their rosters. The zone defense was very good and there was some big time shot making in the second half. Becker has reiterated in every preseason interview that they are behind the eight ball due to injuries and that the beginning of the season was going to be a bit of a grind. It was clear in tonight's game that the group had not played together very much with lots of miscommunications that resulted in turnovers on offense and missed assignments on defense. The defense is going to be a work in progress as they try to get replace some very strong defenders from a year ago. In a very similar situation to last year, injuries are rearing their ugly head early in the season. TJ Hurley was out with a toe injury and Gus Yalden was not in the building. It has been quite a long time since a fully healthy Cats team has taken the court. 

On the positive side, what a wonderful moment to see TJ Long back on the court. It was a long road back and I am sure at times he didn't know if he was going to make it, but Catamount country is thankful to have him back. He wasted no time in putting on a show and reminding everyone just how electric he can be. Long exploded for 29 points and 8 three pointers as he tried to single-handedly will Vermont back into the game. All I want for Christmas is to see TJ and TJ play together. Sean Blake had some nice moments looking stronger and more decisive. David Simon had a roller-coaster debut with big dunks and some tough buckets but struggled with ball security and missed some bunnies at the rim. Freshman Momo Nkugwa really impressed with speed, finishing around the rim, and even knocked down a three for good measure. I don't know what his opportunities will look like with a fully healthy roster but he certainly showed some potential in this game. Lucas Mari played hard but you could see the effects of missing the summer session in getting up to speed with the system and missing time to create chemistry with teammates. His passing will be a huge asset once he makes the transition to the college game. Ben Michaels and Noah Barnett struggled to make an impact as they too are playing catch-up after missing time due to injury. 

A tough way to start the season, especially for a team looking to get a fresh start after a tough finish last year. With the exhibitions and then two non-DI games to start the season, hopefully they have the slow ramp they need to get healthy, work out the kinks, and build chemistry. 

I am not going to do an America East preview this year as my time is limited and honestly with all of the player movement in the league, it is basically impossible to make a real prediction. I will try to put out my Vermont season preview right before the first game of the season. Welcome back!