Vermont 63 UNH 56
Vermont clawed their way back into the conference finals by holding off UNH in the semifinals on Monday night. This season has been Becker and Company's most trying and the most rewarding. To go through the list of obstacles this team has overcome to be where they are is exhausting. Vermont faced just about every kind of adversity over the past year and dug deep to overcome it all. Just one month ago the Cats were coming off a 100-93 loss to fall to 6-5 in conference play. Becker called out his players publicly and things were pretty grim in Catamount country. Fast forward to 7 wins in a row plus a trip to the finals and the Cats have had themselves another great season. This has to be the best and most satisfying (and most difficult) year of Becker's coaching career. This team has come together and is embracing the adversity and using it to make themselves better basketball players. To win an ugly physical game the way Vermont did tonight is a testament as to how far they have come. They would not have won a game like this at the beginning of the conference schedule. At the center of this resurgence has been Ethan O'Day. He has put together a tremendous senior season and put the team on his back against UNH. I have never seen him play with as much energy as he did in the first half. He was a one man defensive machine and looked liked a player who was not going to let his team lose. O'Day finished with 19 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 blocks. Over his last 5 games he has averaged 14.2 points on 62% shooting from the field and 95% (19-20!!!) from the free throw line. Throw in 7.2 rebounds and 2.8 blocks per game and you have a senior taking over and leading his team on a winning streak. Kurt Steidl also had another strong game with 13 points and 6 rebounds including some key rebounds down the stretch. Ernie Duncan continued his absolutely torrid shooting from three finishing with 11 points on 3-4 shooting from deep. That puts him at 10/13 over the last three games. Duncan's season percentage sits at 44% which is currently tied for the second highest single season percentage in the history of Vermont basketball. Dre Wills actually led the team in rebounding with 8 boards and had a positive impact on the game despite being held scoreless. Drew Urquhart also put together a strong game off the bench scoring 6 points and blocking 3 shots. Just a tremendous end of the season run by this group and now they are ready to go to the championship game and play loose. Vermont got over the semifinals hump and the "its tough to beat a team three times" curse. Now they can go down and try to pull the upset on the road. All the pressure is on Stony Brook and it should be a tremendous game in a great atmosphere.
Monday, March 7, 2016
Wednesday, March 2, 2016
America East Quarterfinal: Maine at Vermont 3/2/16
Vermont 99 Maine 82
Vermont shot a scorching 66% from the field and defeated Maine in the America East quarterfinals. This was going to be the last home game of the year but by virtue of Hartford's upset of Albany, Vermont will host UNH on Monday night. It is great to get another home game and should be a rocking atmosphere. As with most games during the Cats winning streak, Vermont's offense was firing on all cylinders. Cam Ward shot the absolute lights out in the first half including a Steph Curry-esque three at the halftime buzzer from just about half court. Ward finished with 24 points on 6-9 shooting from three. He is playing with a ton of confidence right now. He actually threw up in the garbage can the first time he came out of the game in the first half so his performance is even more impressive considering he may not have been 100%. Over the last four games he is shooting an astounding 15-21 (71%) from three. Fun to watch. The MVP of the game ultimately was Ethan O'Day. He put up one of the best stat lines of his career. O'Day finished with 21 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists, 5 blocks, and 3 steals. That is the performance of a senior who wants to leave it all on the floor and doesn't want his career to come to an end. Obviously when a team scores 99 points there are going to be many impressive stat lines. Kurt Steidl put together a tough 14 point 9 rebound performance and Ernie Duncan also looked good scoring 11 points and handing out 5 assists. Vermont can beat teams in so many different ways on the offensive end that it is difficult for an opposing team to string together stops. The formula during this win streak has been get off to a strong start and keep the other team at bay for the rest of the game. The biggest difference has been the improvement on the boards. It is going to be crucial to maintain that momentum against UNH on Monday. Whoever wins the rebounding battle will win the game and Vermont will have to get ready for a very physical game. In the game today the defense took a little bit of a step back. Some of that is due to playing with a big lead and losing focus. They will need to be much tighter on Monday night. The other adjustment that Vermont is going to have to make is they suddenly with be playing with some expectation and pressure again. It was going to be one thing to go on the road and try to pull an upset in the semifinal. Playing a home game where you are expected to win is a whole different ball of wax. The win at Stony Brook in the finale looms large now as they would be traveling on the road if they had not won that game. The win tonight also gives Vermont 8 straight 20 win seasons. Congratulations to all involved in the Vermont program on a wonderful accomplishment. Time for some bonus basketball at Patrick on Monday.
Vermont shot a scorching 66% from the field and defeated Maine in the America East quarterfinals. This was going to be the last home game of the year but by virtue of Hartford's upset of Albany, Vermont will host UNH on Monday night. It is great to get another home game and should be a rocking atmosphere. As with most games during the Cats winning streak, Vermont's offense was firing on all cylinders. Cam Ward shot the absolute lights out in the first half including a Steph Curry-esque three at the halftime buzzer from just about half court. Ward finished with 24 points on 6-9 shooting from three. He is playing with a ton of confidence right now. He actually threw up in the garbage can the first time he came out of the game in the first half so his performance is even more impressive considering he may not have been 100%. Over the last four games he is shooting an astounding 15-21 (71%) from three. Fun to watch. The MVP of the game ultimately was Ethan O'Day. He put up one of the best stat lines of his career. O'Day finished with 21 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists, 5 blocks, and 3 steals. That is the performance of a senior who wants to leave it all on the floor and doesn't want his career to come to an end. Obviously when a team scores 99 points there are going to be many impressive stat lines. Kurt Steidl put together a tough 14 point 9 rebound performance and Ernie Duncan also looked good scoring 11 points and handing out 5 assists. Vermont can beat teams in so many different ways on the offensive end that it is difficult for an opposing team to string together stops. The formula during this win streak has been get off to a strong start and keep the other team at bay for the rest of the game. The biggest difference has been the improvement on the boards. It is going to be crucial to maintain that momentum against UNH on Monday. Whoever wins the rebounding battle will win the game and Vermont will have to get ready for a very physical game. In the game today the defense took a little bit of a step back. Some of that is due to playing with a big lead and losing focus. They will need to be much tighter on Monday night. The other adjustment that Vermont is going to have to make is they suddenly with be playing with some expectation and pressure again. It was going to be one thing to go on the road and try to pull an upset in the semifinal. Playing a home game where you are expected to win is a whole different ball of wax. The win at Stony Brook in the finale looms large now as they would be traveling on the road if they had not won that game. The win tonight also gives Vermont 8 straight 20 win seasons. Congratulations to all involved in the Vermont program on a wonderful accomplishment. Time for some bonus basketball at Patrick on Monday.
Saturday, February 27, 2016
Vermont at Stony Brook 2/27/16
Vermont 76 Stony Brook 62
Maybe Becker should think about playing loud rap music every practice.
Vermont went on the road and finished the regular season with their biggest win of the season. In control the entire game, the Cats took the air out of the gym early on and spoiled senior night for the Seawolves. The Cats will now head in to the playoffs as the three seed and are on a five game winning streak. During the win streak the defense has finally taken shape and Vermont is truly playing their most complete basketball of the season. The offense has been clicking for most of the season and now that the players have also bought into the defensive side of the ball, Vermont is a dangerous team. They have also started to rebound the ball at a high level, finishing with a 37-31 advantage over Stony Brook. A Stony Brook team that has a +8 rebounding margin on the season. Drew Urquhart was at the center of the strong rebounding, ripping down several big rebounds in the second half and finishing with 6 points and 7 rebounds. His floor time is uneven at times but tonight he really stepped up in the second half. The story of the game was Ernie Duncan. Duncan was unconscious, scoring 23 points on 8/12 shooting (4/4 from three). He scored at the rim, from three, and in the midrange. The whole arsenal was on full display and it continued a string of strong performances down the stretch. He also added 6 rebounds and 3 assists with only 1 turnover. Just a great all around game. The 23 points tied a career high which he set in the game at Albany. Stepping up in big games on the road is a great quality to see in a young player. Trae Bell-Haynes once again came up big with the game on the line. He hit a crucial three pointer when Vermont was searching for a basket to stop a Stony Brook run and then sealed the game with two beautiful finishes around the rim. Both the drives were "and ones" as he scored 6 straight to put the game away. The threat of the three pointer is already causing defenders to respect his pump fake and it is opening up even more driving lanes. This was another game where Vermont got crucial plays from several different players and played with composure. They finish the regular season with a strong 11-5 conference record. This win also gives Vermont the opportunity to get to the 20 win plateau for the eighth consecutive season with a win in the quarterfinal against Maine. Winning consistently at the college level is no easy task and the 20 win streak is a tremendous accomplishment and the mark of a great program. There are no easy match-ups and Vermont will have to come out with a sense of purpose and determination to take care of business on Wednesday. I will tip my cap to both the coaching staff and the players for fighting through adversity and coming out the other side a stronger and more cohesive team. There has been a lot of soul searching this year and right now it has paid off and the team is better off for it. It can be frustrating to see a young team go through growing pains but also satisfying and exciting when they finally put it all together. Time to get ready for playoff basketball!!!
Maybe Becker should think about playing loud rap music every practice.
Vermont went on the road and finished the regular season with their biggest win of the season. In control the entire game, the Cats took the air out of the gym early on and spoiled senior night for the Seawolves. The Cats will now head in to the playoffs as the three seed and are on a five game winning streak. During the win streak the defense has finally taken shape and Vermont is truly playing their most complete basketball of the season. The offense has been clicking for most of the season and now that the players have also bought into the defensive side of the ball, Vermont is a dangerous team. They have also started to rebound the ball at a high level, finishing with a 37-31 advantage over Stony Brook. A Stony Brook team that has a +8 rebounding margin on the season. Drew Urquhart was at the center of the strong rebounding, ripping down several big rebounds in the second half and finishing with 6 points and 7 rebounds. His floor time is uneven at times but tonight he really stepped up in the second half. The story of the game was Ernie Duncan. Duncan was unconscious, scoring 23 points on 8/12 shooting (4/4 from three). He scored at the rim, from three, and in the midrange. The whole arsenal was on full display and it continued a string of strong performances down the stretch. He also added 6 rebounds and 3 assists with only 1 turnover. Just a great all around game. The 23 points tied a career high which he set in the game at Albany. Stepping up in big games on the road is a great quality to see in a young player. Trae Bell-Haynes once again came up big with the game on the line. He hit a crucial three pointer when Vermont was searching for a basket to stop a Stony Brook run and then sealed the game with two beautiful finishes around the rim. Both the drives were "and ones" as he scored 6 straight to put the game away. The threat of the three pointer is already causing defenders to respect his pump fake and it is opening up even more driving lanes. This was another game where Vermont got crucial plays from several different players and played with composure. They finish the regular season with a strong 11-5 conference record. This win also gives Vermont the opportunity to get to the 20 win plateau for the eighth consecutive season with a win in the quarterfinal against Maine. Winning consistently at the college level is no easy task and the 20 win streak is a tremendous accomplishment and the mark of a great program. There are no easy match-ups and Vermont will have to come out with a sense of purpose and determination to take care of business on Wednesday. I will tip my cap to both the coaching staff and the players for fighting through adversity and coming out the other side a stronger and more cohesive team. There has been a lot of soul searching this year and right now it has paid off and the team is better off for it. It can be frustrating to see a young team go through growing pains but also satisfying and exciting when they finally put it all together. Time to get ready for playoff basketball!!!
Wednesday, February 24, 2016
UNH at Vermont 2/24/16
Vermont 73 UNH 67
They are who we thought they were.
On a night when Ethan O'Day was being honored for a great career, the Cats turned the clock back and played like the teams that he has been accustomed to playing for. Vermont out-muscled and out-physicaled UNH on their way to a hard fought victory. The Cats played tough defense and forced UNH to take contested shots throughout the game. They also ended up with a 38-37 rebounding advantage against one of the best rebounding teams in the conference. Just a great all around game where everyone contributed positively and came up big in big moments. O'Day turned in a pedestrian looking 8 point, 8 rebound performance but this game was far more than a box score. O'Day played tough defense and grabbed some crucial rebounds. He also made several strong hustle plays and left it all out on the floor playing a team high 36 minutes on senior night. Even though at times he has struggled, O'Day really has put together a strong senior season where he has stayed out of foul trouble and rebounded at the highest rate of his career. It has been a joy to watch him in a Catamount uniform. Trae Bell-Haynes had one of the oddest games of his career. He led the team is scoring with 16 points despite only playing 23 minutes due to foul trouble. He scored by hitting 3-4 from three point range. That alone would not necessarily be strange, but he hit two of those threes back to back, pulling up, and with a defender right on him. Not typically part of his game but I would be happy to see him add that to his arsenal as he would become even tougher to guard. Cam Ward continued his strong play with 11 points and 5 assists to go along with zero turnovers. His ability to take care of the ball is tremendous and he always seems to be playing under control. He hit the big three pointer with the shot clock running down and a defender right in his grill. If the clock is winding down, he is the one I want with the ball. A couple other players like O'Day that played better than their boxscore were Ernie Duncan and Nate Rohrer. Duncan took the ball to the hole aggressively and it seems like he is starting to trust his body more. I think he will continue to add more dimensions to his game as he gets healthier and adjusts to the college game. Nate Rohrer continues to play valuable minutes and has really saved the Cats this year. He gives them a tough, physical, high IQ post player. He always seems to make big plays and tonight stepped up during several crucial moments. It still amazes me that he called Vermont out of the blue and joined the team. Kurt Steidl continues to do the dirty work and finished with 13 points and 6 rebounds. He has been a tremendous steady presence all year. No matter what happens with their seeding, this is a big win for Vermont. As long as they win their playoff game and give themselves a chance to go on the road and pull an upset, they will have had a good season. The Cats are playing their best basketball of the season at the right time and can go into the finale at Stony Brook loose and give them all they've got. UNH is a very tough team that has beaten Albany and taken Stony Brook to the last shot and Vermont has now swept them. For all the difficulties this season, what is most important is that Vermont has come through the other side stronger and is playing together at the right time.
P.S. It is tough to already be thinking about next year but if anyone has been following the 2016 Vermont recruit Anthony Lamb's senior season, it is hard not to get excited. Lamb averaged 30 points and 16 rebounds while leading his team to a number one seed. He is one of 4 finalists for Mr. Basketball in the state of New York and is currently trying to lead his team to back to back sectional titles. In the semifinals he led his team to an overtime victory with 45 points and 18 rebounds. His performance included scoring all 18 of his team's fourth quarter points, leading them back from 9 down and he hit 3 free throws to tie the game and send it to overtime. The kid is a beast and I absolutely cannot wait to see him in a Vermont uniform. His next game is the section final on February 28th.
They are who we thought they were.
On a night when Ethan O'Day was being honored for a great career, the Cats turned the clock back and played like the teams that he has been accustomed to playing for. Vermont out-muscled and out-physicaled UNH on their way to a hard fought victory. The Cats played tough defense and forced UNH to take contested shots throughout the game. They also ended up with a 38-37 rebounding advantage against one of the best rebounding teams in the conference. Just a great all around game where everyone contributed positively and came up big in big moments. O'Day turned in a pedestrian looking 8 point, 8 rebound performance but this game was far more than a box score. O'Day played tough defense and grabbed some crucial rebounds. He also made several strong hustle plays and left it all out on the floor playing a team high 36 minutes on senior night. Even though at times he has struggled, O'Day really has put together a strong senior season where he has stayed out of foul trouble and rebounded at the highest rate of his career. It has been a joy to watch him in a Catamount uniform. Trae Bell-Haynes had one of the oddest games of his career. He led the team is scoring with 16 points despite only playing 23 minutes due to foul trouble. He scored by hitting 3-4 from three point range. That alone would not necessarily be strange, but he hit two of those threes back to back, pulling up, and with a defender right on him. Not typically part of his game but I would be happy to see him add that to his arsenal as he would become even tougher to guard. Cam Ward continued his strong play with 11 points and 5 assists to go along with zero turnovers. His ability to take care of the ball is tremendous and he always seems to be playing under control. He hit the big three pointer with the shot clock running down and a defender right in his grill. If the clock is winding down, he is the one I want with the ball. A couple other players like O'Day that played better than their boxscore were Ernie Duncan and Nate Rohrer. Duncan took the ball to the hole aggressively and it seems like he is starting to trust his body more. I think he will continue to add more dimensions to his game as he gets healthier and adjusts to the college game. Nate Rohrer continues to play valuable minutes and has really saved the Cats this year. He gives them a tough, physical, high IQ post player. He always seems to make big plays and tonight stepped up during several crucial moments. It still amazes me that he called Vermont out of the blue and joined the team. Kurt Steidl continues to do the dirty work and finished with 13 points and 6 rebounds. He has been a tremendous steady presence all year. No matter what happens with their seeding, this is a big win for Vermont. As long as they win their playoff game and give themselves a chance to go on the road and pull an upset, they will have had a good season. The Cats are playing their best basketball of the season at the right time and can go into the finale at Stony Brook loose and give them all they've got. UNH is a very tough team that has beaten Albany and taken Stony Brook to the last shot and Vermont has now swept them. For all the difficulties this season, what is most important is that Vermont has come through the other side stronger and is playing together at the right time.
P.S. It is tough to already be thinking about next year but if anyone has been following the 2016 Vermont recruit Anthony Lamb's senior season, it is hard not to get excited. Lamb averaged 30 points and 16 rebounds while leading his team to a number one seed. He is one of 4 finalists for Mr. Basketball in the state of New York and is currently trying to lead his team to back to back sectional titles. In the semifinals he led his team to an overtime victory with 45 points and 18 rebounds. His performance included scoring all 18 of his team's fourth quarter points, leading them back from 9 down and he hit 3 free throws to tie the game and send it to overtime. The kid is a beast and I absolutely cannot wait to see him in a Vermont uniform. His next game is the section final on February 28th.
Saturday, February 20, 2016
Vermont at UMBC 2/20/16
Vermont 99 UMBC 54
Yowza!!!
In their most dominant effort of the year Vermont took care of business in Baltimore. Coach Becker took a timeout a minute and a half into the game after Vermont allowed two easy buckets. Whatever he said in that time out should be bottled up and repeated for the rest of the season as the Cats were one hundred percent unstoppable after that. The defense is really starting to come around and guys are hustling and playing their hearts out. Even when the Cats were struggling the offense was coming together and tonight it was a well oiled machine. Cam Ward turned in his second consecutive great performance (sorry about no Binghamton game write up, life happens). Ward had a perfect shooting day finishing 7-7 from the field, 6-6 from three, and 4-4 from the free throw line. All that adds up to a career high 24 points. It is great to see him start hitting from three again. The Bench mob was great for the second straight game as they accounted for 55 of the 99 points. Dre Wills had a monster stat stuffing game, finishing with 15 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists off the bench. Ethan O'Day scored 13 points to go along with 7 rebounds and 4 blocks. Ernie Duncan has officially broken out of his slump finishing with 11 points on 3-4 from three. That puts him in double figures for the 5th straight game during which time he is shooting 16-33(48%) from three. The Cats finally look motivated and passionate on the court and look to be coming together. They face a stiff test on Wednesday when New Hampshire comes to town. The senior night game is a very emotional atmosphere and New Hampshire is going to be motivated to avenge their worst loss of the conference season. For all the difficulties that Vermont has faced this year, they are still going to have a home playoff game and hopefully go on the road in the semifinals with a chance to pull an upset. That was ultimately what the consensus preseason prediction was. The way that Vermont has got to this point has been different and trying at times, but to put things in perspective they are about where most people thought they would be. Hindsight is 20/20 as they say and if Vermont can take care of business on Wednesday they will be set up to go to Stony Brook in the finale with nothing to lose. Here is their chance to continue the positive momentum and finish the season strong.
Yowza!!!
In their most dominant effort of the year Vermont took care of business in Baltimore. Coach Becker took a timeout a minute and a half into the game after Vermont allowed two easy buckets. Whatever he said in that time out should be bottled up and repeated for the rest of the season as the Cats were one hundred percent unstoppable after that. The defense is really starting to come around and guys are hustling and playing their hearts out. Even when the Cats were struggling the offense was coming together and tonight it was a well oiled machine. Cam Ward turned in his second consecutive great performance (sorry about no Binghamton game write up, life happens). Ward had a perfect shooting day finishing 7-7 from the field, 6-6 from three, and 4-4 from the free throw line. All that adds up to a career high 24 points. It is great to see him start hitting from three again. The Bench mob was great for the second straight game as they accounted for 55 of the 99 points. Dre Wills had a monster stat stuffing game, finishing with 15 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists off the bench. Ethan O'Day scored 13 points to go along with 7 rebounds and 4 blocks. Ernie Duncan has officially broken out of his slump finishing with 11 points on 3-4 from three. That puts him in double figures for the 5th straight game during which time he is shooting 16-33(48%) from three. The Cats finally look motivated and passionate on the court and look to be coming together. They face a stiff test on Wednesday when New Hampshire comes to town. The senior night game is a very emotional atmosphere and New Hampshire is going to be motivated to avenge their worst loss of the conference season. For all the difficulties that Vermont has faced this year, they are still going to have a home playoff game and hopefully go on the road in the semifinals with a chance to pull an upset. That was ultimately what the consensus preseason prediction was. The way that Vermont has got to this point has been different and trying at times, but to put things in perspective they are about where most people thought they would be. Hindsight is 20/20 as they say and if Vermont can take care of business on Wednesday they will be set up to go to Stony Brook in the finale with nothing to lose. Here is their chance to continue the positive momentum and finish the season strong.
Sunday, February 14, 2016
Hartford at Vermont 2/14/16
Vermont 92 Hartford 81
Vermont got big buckets when they needed it down the stretch and got back on the winning track against Hartford. Kurt Steidl started off hot hitting 5 threes and scoring 19 first half points. Steidl finished with a career high 26 points. He continues to step up in games after tough losses. Dre Wills and came off the bench and recorded a double double with 13 points and 12 rebounds. Most of his production came during a crucial stretch late in the game. Wills has been very up and down but still manages to make plays down the stretch when his team needs him. Darren Payen continues to shine on the offensive end of the floor finishing with 15 points. He has a beautiful soft touch around the rim. It is really unfortunate that he struggles so mightily on the defensive end. The defensive struggles continued for Vermont and it is very hard to explain why when watching the games. It seems like they find new and different ways to struggle and just when one aspect of the defense looks better, a different breakdown occurs. It is great to get a win and maybe they can build some momentum over the next week before a big showdown with New Hampshire on February 24th. I wanted to take a little time in this post to comment on some of the things that Coach Becker said about the team this week. The points he made about chemistry and leadership make sense when you consider the rotating lineups and the playing time distribution. Payen and Drew Urquhart have seen minutes come and go and Nate Rohrer has fallen completely off the depth chart. He went from starting to zero minutes in a very short amount of time. That speaks to a clear lack of identity for many of the players on the team. The comments that Becker made about some guys having their own agenda is some very harsh criticism. Combine that with his comments about guys trying to step up and lead but no one following them is even more concerning. All of these things make sense when you see the on court play this year. Players look like they are clawing and fighting to define their role on the team and that is what has lead to stretches of very poor execution. The players are struggling to execute the game plan because they haven't figured what their role in the game plan is. All of this leads me to believe that when this season ends, there will be some major changes before next season. Whether it be players transferring out or players taking on very different roles on next years team. With how things have gone I see a significant shakeup and next years team will look very different. Next year is going to definitely begin with no roles guaranteed. That type of change may not be a bad thing, and the league will be wide open next season as there will be no clear dominant team for the first time in several years. The rest of this season to me is about making sure that Vermont can maintain enough continuity, positive energy, and drive to not let this difficult season leak out into next season.
Vermont got big buckets when they needed it down the stretch and got back on the winning track against Hartford. Kurt Steidl started off hot hitting 5 threes and scoring 19 first half points. Steidl finished with a career high 26 points. He continues to step up in games after tough losses. Dre Wills and came off the bench and recorded a double double with 13 points and 12 rebounds. Most of his production came during a crucial stretch late in the game. Wills has been very up and down but still manages to make plays down the stretch when his team needs him. Darren Payen continues to shine on the offensive end of the floor finishing with 15 points. He has a beautiful soft touch around the rim. It is really unfortunate that he struggles so mightily on the defensive end. The defensive struggles continued for Vermont and it is very hard to explain why when watching the games. It seems like they find new and different ways to struggle and just when one aspect of the defense looks better, a different breakdown occurs. It is great to get a win and maybe they can build some momentum over the next week before a big showdown with New Hampshire on February 24th. I wanted to take a little time in this post to comment on some of the things that Coach Becker said about the team this week. The points he made about chemistry and leadership make sense when you consider the rotating lineups and the playing time distribution. Payen and Drew Urquhart have seen minutes come and go and Nate Rohrer has fallen completely off the depth chart. He went from starting to zero minutes in a very short amount of time. That speaks to a clear lack of identity for many of the players on the team. The comments that Becker made about some guys having their own agenda is some very harsh criticism. Combine that with his comments about guys trying to step up and lead but no one following them is even more concerning. All of these things make sense when you see the on court play this year. Players look like they are clawing and fighting to define their role on the team and that is what has lead to stretches of very poor execution. The players are struggling to execute the game plan because they haven't figured what their role in the game plan is. All of this leads me to believe that when this season ends, there will be some major changes before next season. Whether it be players transferring out or players taking on very different roles on next years team. With how things have gone I see a significant shakeup and next years team will look very different. Next year is going to definitely begin with no roles guaranteed. That type of change may not be a bad thing, and the league will be wide open next season as there will be no clear dominant team for the first time in several years. The rest of this season to me is about making sure that Vermont can maintain enough continuity, positive energy, and drive to not let this difficult season leak out into next season.
Monday, February 8, 2016
Vermont at UMass Lowell 2/8/16
UMass Lowell 100 Vermont 93
This will be a very short post.
There is really not much to say outside of the fact that Vermont absolutely cannot stop UMass Lowell. Now matter what lineup or defense the Cats put on the floor, Lowell is able to score at will. The only saving grace is that Lowell is not eligible for the playoffs and Vermont has an entire year to plan for the next match-up. Vermont played zero defense and turned the ball over a ridiculous amount. In the second half every single turnover resulted in points for Lowell as they scored 31 points off turnovers for the game. Some of the turnovers were comically bad. Darren Payen threw the ball right to a Lowell player for a fast break score twice. Just an all around pitiful game. The way the Cats have played against Lowell this season looks nothing like the way they have played against any other team. This loss is also partly on the coaching staff because it is their responsibility to come up with a game plan and they made very few adjustments from the last time these two teams played. It is at the point in the season where it is safe to say that this team has the talent but not the intangibles to win on a consistent basis. It is going to be a long week of practice before playing against Hartford on Sunday.
This will be a very short post.
There is really not much to say outside of the fact that Vermont absolutely cannot stop UMass Lowell. Now matter what lineup or defense the Cats put on the floor, Lowell is able to score at will. The only saving grace is that Lowell is not eligible for the playoffs and Vermont has an entire year to plan for the next match-up. Vermont played zero defense and turned the ball over a ridiculous amount. In the second half every single turnover resulted in points for Lowell as they scored 31 points off turnovers for the game. Some of the turnovers were comically bad. Darren Payen threw the ball right to a Lowell player for a fast break score twice. Just an all around pitiful game. The way the Cats have played against Lowell this season looks nothing like the way they have played against any other team. This loss is also partly on the coaching staff because it is their responsibility to come up with a game plan and they made very few adjustments from the last time these two teams played. It is at the point in the season where it is safe to say that this team has the talent but not the intangibles to win on a consistent basis. It is going to be a long week of practice before playing against Hartford on Sunday.
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