Vermont gets their big man

Hop on the Gus Bus!

The first portal commitment of the offseason for Vermont comes from Gus Yalden, a 6' 9", 260 lb forward from Appleton, WI. The Cats have been looking to add a big on the portal over the past few off-seasons and they have found their guy in Yalden, who has three years of eligibility left. Yalden has had quite a circuitous journey on his way to arriving at Vermont. Early in high school, he drew major power 5 interest and was rated as a 4 star prospect. He then went to IMG Academy (FL) where he struggled through foot injuries. Then after stops at the Asheville School (NC) and La Lumiere (IN), he committed to play basketball for his hometown Wisconsin Badgers. I remember following his recruitment at the time because he played for the Albany City Rocks AAU team and Vermont had expressed some interest. He red-shirted his freshman year at Wisconsin and ran into a few off-court issues. After the season he transferred to Seton Hall where he played 8 minutes a game across 26 games. Yalden comes to Vermont with a tremendous opportunity to step in a play a big role for the Catamounts. There were a few things I remember when following his recruitment. One was I thought the "Gus Bus" nickname was awesome and there was also a lot of "Baby Jokic" talk about his style of play. Being compared to the greatest basketball player of all time is a big swing but it gives an impression of how diversified his game is at his size. I love the fit at Vermont. Minutes are plentiful and he has a well rounded game. Watching interviews with Yalden, he describes himself as a "glue guy" who can do a bit of everything to help his team. He has a true back to the basket game, finishing with both hands around the hoop. He has a nice shooting touch on a little one-legged turn around and could develop into a good outside shooter. Yalden shines as a passer and is capable of playing off the dribble. He also plays with a ton of personality and fire. This is the type of post scorer the Vermont coaching staff has been searching for and Yalden gets a chance to prove himself at the college level. I think about how Ileri Ayo-Faleye had similarly red-shirted and not played much before coming to Vermont (also with 3 years remaining). The coaching staff was able to unlock his potential and he became a great player. This is a really good start to the offseason and gives the Cats some recruiting momentum as they reload. The America East will be more wide open than ever next season and adding Yalden to the returning group of guards is a great start. So excited to see the roster take shape!!

Shy Odom enters the portal

 Here we are again!

Another portal entry for the Catamounts, this time it is Shy Odom. It is unfortunate that his health never got right this season and he did not get the opportunity to showcase his skills. A healthy Odom would have been a fun player to watch in a Catamount uniform and I wish him well wherever he finds a home. This is going to be a crucial offseason for the Cats as they try to retool their roster to fill the departing defensive holes and get more dynamic on offense. To me the biggest portal needs are a post scorer and a player or two that can break the defense down off the dribble. The largest contributor to the choppy offense in my opinion was the difficulty in breaking defenses down off the dribble. If the Cats can find that more consistently, I think it will lift a lot of the other offensive areas as well. Losing Shamir Bogues, Ileri Ayo-Faleye, and Sam Alamutu leaves a pretty big hole on defense and they are going to have to address that this offseason as well. The entirety of the America East will be rebuilding this offseason as an insane amount of minutes across the league are leaving due to graduation or the portal. The league will be completely different next season.  Full disclosure, I LOVE portal season. I know that the system as it currently sits needs some tweaks and it is a crazy headache for coaching staffs, but it is really fun as a fan to see who teams are going after. The chase and search for information is addicting. I am sure I will be posting again soon!

Sam Alamutu enters the portal

Today the portal officially opened and Sam Alamutu became the second Catamount to enter the portal. Once Alamutu was recognized on Senior day, I thought this was a likely possibility. As I have said with previous grad transfers (Stef Smith, Aaron Deloney), after putting in four years and earning a degree is the perfect time to explore all of the options that might be out there. A normal process for a regular student and a great opportunity for Alamutu. During his time as a Catamount, Alamutu worked hard to carve out a role and became an indispensable player over the last two seasons. A Swiss army knife who's versatility allowed him to play and guard every position on the court. He is also a good example of the time it can take to adjust to the college game. Alamutu worked hard after his redshirt year to make the leap and remained patient when he did not crack the rotation right away. I wish him the best of luck at his next destination! With the portal officially opening today I would expect information to be coming fast and furious over the next month as teams restructure their rosters for next season. 

Seth Joba enters the transfer portal

The offseason has officially begin with the first portal activity for Vermont. Seth Joba has entered the portal after two seasons with the Cats. Joba struggled to crack the rotation and it makes sense that he would be exploring his options. He is a talented player who I think could be productive with the right fit. I wish him well and hope he finds the program he is looking for. His decision to move on continues a portal era trend of Vermont struggling to consistently find and develop post players. In the portal era, the Cats have been kinda stuck in the middle, with portal big men almost always going to a higher level and high school big men not being quite ready to be big contributors. Due to graduation and the portal, it is going to be a new era across the America East and for Vermont. This is going to be a big year for the Cats on the recruiting trail with minutes and spots up for grabs. With the offensive struggles this season, Vermont is certainly going to focus on that side of the ball in the offseason. The portal officially opens on Monday and I can't wait to see what players end up where. 

America East Semifinal: Down and Out

Maine 57 Vermont 42

After winning three consecutive championships, overcoming injuries and adversity, winning 10 games in a row down the stretch, and if you can believe it for the first time since 2015 (again throwing out the COVID year), Vermont will not be in the title game. It is someone else's turn. I say it a lot and it bears repeating, Vermont has had an unprecedented and frankly mythical run of success and to expect to never lose or have another team rise up is unrealistic. This was a roller-coaster season full of twists and turns and going all the way back to Jayhlon Young's de-commitment in June, it felt like the basketball gods were signaling that this year was going to be one full of challenges. Losing Shamir Bogues was the straw that broke the camel's back and the Cats season came to a close. 

First and foremost, a tip of the cap to Maine, who beat Vermont for the first time since 2010 (that is quite a run). They absolutely dominated the game and executed on the defensive end like I haven't seen in a long time. The Cats had their struggles but most of the turnovers and missed shots were due to an insane defensive effort from Maine. Kellen Tynes played like a man possessed and dominated end to end. Maine came in and said "we are going to smother TJ Hurley and make someone else beat us" and boy did they execute that strategy. Hurley had no space and no time as Maine threw everything but the kitchen sink to stop him. The Black Bears were hungry. Vermont came out flat for the second straight game and this time they could not recover. Maine was all over them from the tip and forced the Cats into 17 turnovers which turned into 21 points for the Black Bears. Vermont was back on their heels and played very tentatively as it seemed like Maine defenders kept coming out of nowhere to get steals and swat shots. The Cats shot 25.9% from the field and 4-26 (15.4%) from three. The Cats defense was very good as well holding Maine to 38.6% shooting and 4-17 (23.5%) from three. They could not get anything to fall against the highly motivated and energetic Maine defense. 

One incredible highlight was Sam Alamutu pulled down an herculean 21 rebounds! He worked very hard to initiate the offense and finished with 8 points. Ileri Ayo-Faleye finished with 14 points and 6 rebounds but shot 4-15 from the field. Hurley finished 1-15 from the field as he fell victim to three time defensive player of the year Kellen Tynes. I look forward to the Hurley revenge tour next season. Jace Roquemore went out with a bang, delivering quite an impressive poster dunk. 

I will reflect and recap the season in the coming weeks but I wanted to thank to the team for another exciting season in Catamount country and now on to cheering for the Vermont Women's team on Friday!!

America East Quarterfinal: Just win baby!!

Vermont 64 New Hampshire 57

Vermont overcame a sluggish start with a gutsy second half and closed the game on a 10-0 run to advance to the semifinals. In the first half the Cats were a bit tentative and New Hampshire was ready and raring to go. The Wildcats exploded out of the gate and took the fight to Vermont. The action was pretty choppy on both sides of the ball, but New Hampshire rode hot shooting from three to an eight point halftime lead. In the second half the Cats defense really dug in and took away the Wildcats perimeter scoring. Eventually Vermont's own perimeter shots began to fall and they battled their way back to emerge victorious. The big storyline was the three point shooting. First half: UNH 7-15, Vermont 1-10 from three. Second half: UNH 1-11, Vermont 6-12 From three. Honestly that pretty much sums up the difference between the two halves. Vermont's defense was tough throughout, holding New Hampshire to 36.4% shooting, finishing with a 36-24 advantage on the boards , and blocking 8 shots.  New Hampshire was very physical on the defensive end and were determined to take TJ Hurley out of the game. The Wildcats played their hearts out and executed their game plan for much of the game. The difference in this game was Vermont's mental toughness and belief in themselves. All of the adversity faced this season challenged Vermont to be mentally tougher and learn how to win close games. 

Hurley was tremendous in the second half, scoring 14 of his 18 points. When Vermont needed a big play on offense, he was there. He opened the second half with a personal 7 point flurry. His offensive rebound and bucket gave Vermont their first lead of the night and he had a quick 5 point spurt to take the lead for good. Big time performance in the face of relentless defensive pressure. Ileri Ayo-Faleye also made clutch shot after clutch shot and finished with 14 points, 10 rebounds, and 3 blocks. In the second half, he switched on to New Hampshire's leading scorer Sam Pissis and kept him from scoring the rest of the game. Nick Fiorillo knocked down the dagger three to give the Cats a two possession lead and stuffed the stat sheet with 10 points (3-6 from three), 7 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 blocks. He has become the Cats physical enforcer in the post and isn't backing down from anyone. Sam Alamutu struggled at times with the defensive pressure but finished with a solid 8 point, 7 rebound performance. Sean Blake had some nice moments and injected energy in the Cats, but had some freshman mistakes down the stretch that allowed New Hampshire to creep back into the game. Jace Roquemore finished with 6 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists.

A gritty, gutsy performance to open the playoffs and now they await their opponent on Tuesday night. Playoff atmosphere at Patrick is the best. 

Nine in a row!

Vermont 79 Albany 71

Vermont exploded offensively in the second half and secured their ninth straight victory to close out the regular season. The Cats also reached the 20 win mark once again which Coach Becker and staff have achieved every full season of his tenure (COVID season doesn't count). An incredible turnaround and a huge credit to the players and the staff who really put in the hard work this season to overcome adversity. With the two seed locked up the Cats can look forward to hopefully two more games in Patrick and with an upset maybe a third. What a great way to send off this group of seniors who have given so much to the Catamount program. 

The first half was a bit choppy and very physical. Albany stayed in the game thanks to red hot shooting from three, which was good because they only shot 3-19 from inside the arc. Thanks to a late three the Cats went into halftime with a one point lead. Out of halftime both offenses exploded with shots falling all over the gym and both teams trading runs. The Cats were able to execute down the stretch and come away with a win. The Cats finished the game shooting a scorching 58.3 % from the field and made 11 three pointers. They dominated the paint, outscoring the Great Danes 34-24 and also blocked 9 shots. After uncharacteristically giving up several offensive rebounds and second chance points in the first half, the Cats dug in and evened up the rebounding battle. This was a significant win because it marks the first game this season where you can say that Vermont won with their offense. This is the type of game the Cats were losing for much of the year. When an opponent was hot, the Cats struggled to keep up. In tonight's game they responded to every challenge with shotmaking and team offense. This will give the Cats a big confidence boost going into the playoffs knowing they have become a more complete team. Not much more you can ask for than going into the playoffs as the hottest team in the conference. 

TJ Hurley led the way with 24 points on 6-8 shooting from three. That is 17 made threes over his last 4 games at a 51.5 % clip. Scorching. Albany threw their best defender at him from the start and in the first half it limited his opportunities. Right out of the gate, the Cats made a concerted effort to get Hurley the ball and his three to open the half was a sign of things to come. Tough shot after tough shot and each one responded to a big shot made by Albany at the other end. Sam Alamutu also remained red hot with his third double double in the last four games. Alamutu finished with 16 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 blocks all while playing point guard. Stepping up big in in the absence of Shamir Bogues. It has really all come together for Alamutu down the stretch as his offense has grown leaps and bounds over the last few weeks. Jace Roquemore continued his strong play, also stepping up without Bogues. He finished with 12 points and 5 rebounds and did a nice job being disruptive on the defensive end. Nick Fiorillo played with tremendous energy on his senior night, stuffing the stat sheet and battling hard in the post. Fiorillo finished with 10 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 blocks. His blocks were particularly impressive (Must be getting tips from Ileri). Also, his three at the end of the first half was huge. What a great way to cap off six regular seasons at Patrick. Speaking of Ayo-Faleye, he finished with 10 points 4 rebounds, and 2 blocks of his own. Noah Barnett had 5 points, 2 rebounds, and 2 assists in 18 minutes. Both of his baskets were at big moments in the second half and swung the momentum in the Cats favor. His hustle continues to pay dividends for Vermont. Sean Blake scored a bucket in his 14 minutes of the bench as every Catamount who played scored. 

Playoff time is here and Vermont is playing their best basketball at the right time. Can't wait to kick things off on Saturday!!