Summer Updates

This week I beat the heat and headed down to Patrick to watch the post Becker camp pick up. I was able to watch the new players twice this week and boy did it feel good to watch some live basketball. It is always exciting to see the new players for the first time and get a feel for the new roster. This year it will be a little bit more individual talent reactions because not all of the players were playing in the games so it is hard to get a gauge on how the full roster will fit together. Ben Michaels (Great Britain) and Lucas Mari (Spain) are off readying for the U20 EuroBasket tournament in July. TJ Long is in the final stages of recovery from last years injury and newcomers Trey Woodyard and Chris Kuzemka were out as well. On to the reactions! First reaction is that this group has a feel more like the days of old when high school recruiting was king and it was exciting to see all of the developmental potential without any context from previous college stops. I think about the summer Canadian tour in 2018 and seeing the Ryan Davis, Robin Duncan, Isaiah Powell crew for the first time. There is that type of potential on this roster. The coaching staff will be looking to unlock and develop the significant talent that is present on the roster. The Vermont program's fabled player development will be on full display as they tease out what previous programs missed. Gus Yalden's talent really popped, particularly his ability to run the offense out of the high post as a screener and a passer. He is a true back to the basket big man with good touch around the rim. He is a good example of a guy who has not put it together at previous stops and if the coaching staff can mold and shape that talent, he will make a significant impact. True freshman Momo Nkugwa has effortless bounce, finishing above the rim and flashing great speed. With a loaded roster he is more of a future impact player but he is already a tough defender and is well rounded offensively. Ben Wesson, much like last year in the camp pick up, is a lights out shooter from deep. He continues to look like a great fit in the future. David Simon's length really jumps out as he towers over everyone on the court. He has tremendous potential as a shot blocker and a rim runner while also showing off a nice stroke from deep. He is still developing offensively but has an incredibly high ceiling. Ben Johnson is every bit the shooter his career at Bellarmine would suggest and looked good making decisions with the ball in his hands. It was great to see Jackson Skipper back and he looked good running the offense and scoring from different spots on the court. Sean Blake looks stronger and more physical this year as he looks to compete for point guard minutes. Noah Barnett's hustle, tenacity, and physical play continue to put him in good spots and he is a major disruptive force at both ends. TJ Hurley looks ready to cap off a strong Catamount career as the quiet leader and longest tenured Catamount. Drew Bessette continues to impress physically and he looks more comfortable on the court. When all is said and done and this roster is fully put together, they are going to be a well rounded group and have more high major size across the board than any time in Vermont history. There are potential lineups where one of the TJ's will be the "smallest" guy on the floor. This group will be a work in progress defensively but after struggling offensively over the last few seasons, I think the coaching staff will welcome a new and different challenge. This team has offensive weapons and threats up and down the roster. With more shooting, driving lanes will open up and with more traditional post options, the offense will be more multi-dimensional. Looking at the talent that the coaching staff has to work with and thinking about how effectively they have been able to develop and get buy in from players, this team has major potential. I can't wait to see how different this group looks in the fall after getting acclimated to the system and working with the coaching staff on a development plan. Get ready Catamount country, this team is going to be fun to watch. 

P.S. Fun Fact! The Catamounts have two players (Noah Barnett and Ben Michaels) who were high school teammates of the second and third picks (Dylan Harper and VJ Edgecombe) in the NBA draft. 

Vermont lands Lucas Mari

WHOA

Vermont finished up their 25-26 roster with a bang today as they added 19 year old Spanish pro player Lucas Mari. It is hard to overstate how huge a moment this is for the Vermont program. This is Vermont's first foray into the international player waters, a practice that has been made possible by the new NIL landscape and is becoming increasingly popular. It reinforces Vermont's reputation as a destination for players who want to improve and win. Mari is 6'7” point guard who was being heavily recruited to the P5 level. I read an article from the beginning of May that had possible destinations listed as Arkansas, Kansas, Kentucky, Gonzaga and Arizona. Needless to say the potential and upside here is off the charts. Mari is a top prospect in the Spanish national team system and has been playing pro ball for the last few years. He played this last season at Le Horta and averaged 10.4 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 2.6 assists. He is a stat stuffing machine who will be a regular triple double threat. He played in the Adidas Eurocamp this past weekend and if you want to watch the type of potential he has been flashing check out this game where he finished with 9 points, 7 rebounds, and 9 assists (#31). He has major size and athleticism and uses it to get to the rim and see passing lanes all over the court. His court vision and mapping is particularly impressive and has great play-making instincts. He runs the offensive with a calm, commanding presence and is excellent at running the pick and roll. He has a nice off the dribble pull up game and has made improvements as a spot up shooter. Mari has great leadership intangibles and Spain's youth development program is widely considered one of the best in the world. Valenica, the team that currently holds his rights, is one of the top teams in one of the top leagues in the world. He gives the Cats a do-it-all player that will be able to play multiple positions and impact the game at several levels. The idea of Mari spraying the ball to all of the shooters that the Cats added this offseason is tantalizing. I am ready to start calling the Mari & Sean Blake PG duo thunder and lightning. The cultural adjustment and learning the defensive system will be big challenges, but this has the potential to have a monumental impact on the Vermont program. Making connections to international pro basketball is going to be crucial moving forward in the post amateurism world and demonstrating the ability to develop pro players is an incredible feather in the cap for any program. This is the cherry on top of an incredible offseason for Vermont and the Cats have the potential to be appointment television this season. 

Vermont gets another big commitment

The offseason reload continues for Vermont with a commitment from San Diego transfer David Simon. He is a 6'11 F/C from Windsor, Canada who will have 3 years of eligibility remaining. This is a high upside commitment for the Cats who have completely remade their frontcourt this offseason. Simon was the Canadian player of the year in 2023 after a big senior season at Royal Crown Academy (same school that Sean Blake attended, different years). Simon had a medical redshirt year at San Diego before averaging 4.9 points last season. He is already an accomplished shotblocker and rim runner. With a 7'4" wingspan he makes a huge impact defensively and can be a big time lob threat at the rim. Last season he showed flashes of adding a perimeter element to his game, shooting 15/48 (31%) from three. Simon has incredible upside and potential and is a perfect compliment to frontcourt pieces that Vermont has already added. He is going to be an all court wrecker at Patrick and is a highlight waiting to happen. The coaching staff will be able to mix and match lineups and have possibly their most deep and versatile frontcourt. Vermont has hit on all cylinders this offseason, checking off the most significant team needs and then some. The fact that they were able to both rebuild their frontcourt AND reload with perimeter shooters is some serious portal work. This potential fit of the pieces that the coaching staff has assembled this offseason is huge. One more scholarship to go and I would imagine the only need left on the checklist is adding a point guard to compliment Sean Blake. This team has a chance to be electric. 

Two posts in an hour! Chris Kuzemka commits to the Cats

I am back so soon! Did you miss me?

Vermont gets their second commit of the last hour with Chris Kuzemka joining the Catamounts after four years at Loyola (MD). Kuzemka is a 6'0 guard who has had a challenging college career so far. He didn't play much as a freshman and then had a very strong sophomore year, averaging 6.5 points per game and knocking down 45 threes at a 39% clip. Since the 22-23 season he has only played in 17 total games as his junior year was cut short by injury and his senior year was cut short by illness. This commitment kind of reminds me of Matt Veretto where the coaching staff took a chance on a player who has only really had one full season of college basketball. Kuzemka has two years of eligibility remaining and will fit like a glove in the Vermont system. Crafty, quick, and moves well without the ball. A career 38% shooter from three, I can double down on what I wrote about  in the post about Ben Johnson's commitment and the Cats will certainly not lack shooters this season. During his sophomore and shortened junior season he rated as Loyola's best player by Evan Miya's metrics (evanmiya.com) and was their best defender both years as well. Getting two four year college players to join the Cats is a huge bonus in a year where teams are getting younger. 

*EDIT* Kuzemka is joining as a walk-on so still two more scholarships to go and it is time to get excited about next year's team!

Ben Johnson commits to the Catamounts

The 2025-2026 Catamounts continue to take shape with a commitment from Bellarmine transfer Ben Johnson. He is a 6'3 guard who has spent the last 4 years on the Knights roster. He was teammates with previous Bellarmine to Vermont transfer Dylan Penn during the 21-22 season (redshirt year). Since that redshirt year Johnson has put up some big numbers. He made the Atlantic Sun all freshman team in 22-23 and now sits at 937 career points and 175 made threes (at a 37% clip) in 77 career games.  This is after a prolific high school career in Kentucky where he was named Mr. Basketball in 2021. He is a flat out bucket. In the gym range and loves to play off two feet when he gets into the paint. A low turnover leader on the floor, Johnson will be able to give that Cats a big boost at both guard sports. He has also demonstrated a knack for clutch shots during his college career. Between Johnson and the TJ's, the Cats will have some lethal shooting options from deep. By the end of the season, the Cats will likely have three 1,000 point scorers at the guard position (Long: 1,070, 205 career threes at 36%, TJ Hurley: 877, 141 career threes at 38%, and Johnson). The message with this year's Catamount recruiting class is clear: the offense will be improved. This may come at the expense of some defense as that is not the strongest part of the new Catamounts' game, but the coaches are clearly prioritizing making improvements on that end of the floor. I think back to when this decade of dominance started and the quote from Becker was that he decided to "get offensive minded players and teach them how to play defense". The coaching staff is clearly leaning back into that strategy as they craft next season's roster. A really strong addition and the current roster is one that puts the Cats right back in the drivers seat for a run at a title. They still have two scholarships available and it will be interesting to see what the coaching staff does as the rotational minutes are looking pretty solid.

Jackson Skipper is back!!!!

In transfer portal terms, Vermont got a "Marfo" commitment today from Jackson Skipper. Skipper returns to Vermont after a year at Oral Roberts. I love Skipper's game and am very excited to see him back in the green and gold. He is one of those players who has a nose for the ball and plays with excitement and joy. At Oral Roberts, he averaged 4.9 points per game and shot 36% from three in 16 minutes a game (including 11 starts). He gives the Cats a versatile option as a player that knows the system and the program. His shooting ability will be a particularly nice addition. The Cats have really used the portal to add positional size and length. Skipper has two years remaining and continues the trend of Vermont signing players with multiple years remaining. This is a strong portal strategy as it serves two significant purposes. It gives the Cats a chance at continuity and a potential to retain players for more than one year. It also gives the players entering the program who are looking to increase their value and improve their earning potential motivation to buy in and work hard to expand their game. Goal 1a can be to develop and retain players and goal 1b can be to pitch prospective players on your developmental successes. It reflects strongly on the program for a player to return (particularly after they transferred to their hometown). So happy for Skipper to be back! Vermont has three more scholarships to fill and the last major need is at point guard with Sean Blake being the only true point guard on the roster. 

Trey Woodyard joins the Catamounts

Vermont added another piece to next season's roster by securing a commitment from Trey Woodyard, a 6'6" wing from London, OH. Catamount fans will be familiar with Woodyard as he played the last three seasons for New Hampshire. He spent his freshman season at Valparaiso before his time in Durham and has one season of eligibility remaining. Woodyard excelled in his junior season at UNH and was on his way to a strong senior season before suffering a season ending injury after just 6 games. Woodyard will be a great fit on the Catamounts as he bring versatility and experience. He is the ultimate glue guy who can do a little bit of everything. He is a creative and efficient finisher around the rim, using an array of fakes and footwork to get clean looks which has made him a career 57% shooter from two point range. He also has the ability to step out and knockdown open looks from three. Woodyard is a strong rebounder and has developed as a passer during his career. A solid and reliable player who can play any position and will provide the Cats with a versatile option off the bench, or in the case of last season, a spot starter due to injury. Woodyard will be taking the Sam Alamutu/Jace Roquemore role of the past two seasons. This is the type of addition that can really elevate a team as Woodyard brings a "do what the team needs to win" attitude along with experience and leadership that can be hard to come by for mid-majors during the portal era. The coaching staff continues to hit on the recruiting trail and is inching ever closer to the complete team they are looking to create for next season. This coming week will be a big one with visits, the portal closing, and teams beginning to take shape as the commitment dominoes start to fall.