John Broom commits to the Cats

Vermont continues to build their roster, securing a commitment from 6'5" guard John Broom from Jacksonville, Alabama. Broom has spent the last three years at South Alabama, medically redshirting in 2023-2024 before playing the last two seasons. He burst on to the scene with a strong freshman season, starting every game for the 21-11 Sun Belt regular season champion Jaguars. That season, Broom averaged 5.3 points, 5.7 rebounds, and finished with 50 steals and 21 blocks across 32 games. He was named to the Sun Belt preseason all conference third team prior to last season. He struggled to crack the rotation out of the gates before regaining rotational minutes at the end of December. It was a tale of two halves for Broom, averaging 5.8 minutes per game over the first 11 games before jumping up to 20.4 minutes the rest of the way. This is a strong addition for Vermont. Broom rated as South Alabama's best defender during his freshman year (according to evanmiya.com) and has been a plus offensive player both seasons. He is the type of two way player that can thrive in the Vermont system. He has shot 44/118 (37%) over his two seasons and will bring that coveted "3 and D" element to this Catamount group. If he returns to his freshman year form, he will be a big time contributor for Vermont. He has a very high ceiling and is coming from a winning basketball program so he will be used to the high expectations. He is known as a relentless worker and has a skill set built for Vermont basketball. The coaching staff is really loading up on big guards who have the versatility to slide into the small forward spot. It feels like system fit has been prioritized this offseason as the new players skill sets play to the strengths of Vermont basketball. 

Another NE10 player to the Cats

Vermont received a commitment from 6'6" guard Hayden Johns out of Cambridge, Ontario. He completed a prep year at the Perkiomen School in Pennsylvania before spending his freshman season at St. Anselm. That makes three St. Anselm players into the America East (Will Davies and Johns to Vermont, Jovan Ristic to UMBC). Former Vermont assistant Chris Santo is running a very successful feeder program. Johns got off to a hot start this past season before missing the rest of the year following an injury. He received both a NE10 Rookie and player of the week honors and averaged 10.9 points per game in the 9 games he played. Johns scored 10 points in 23 minutes against Vermont in the exhibition game this past season. Coming out of prep school he was know as a physical finisher around the rim and has the versatility to play multiple positions. Johns has nice potential in the America East as a Swiss army knife type player. The coaching staff is taking a swing on a player who could bring versatility and toughness when he recovers fully from his injury. 

Starting frontcourt officially returns

In the words of online college basketball guru and mystery man Trilly Donovan:

"Sometimes the best gets are the ones you already have"

Noah Barnett officially removed his name from the portal and is ready to run it back for Vermont. This is awesome for the Cats as Barnett has grown into a key part of not only the rotation, but the Catamount community at large. His energy and non-stop motor shifts momentum, delights fans, and inspires his teammates. Barnett returned to the starting lineup for the final 10 games of the season and upped his averages to 7 points and 4 rebounds per game during that stretch. With so little roster continuity, returning the starting frontcourt will give Vermont a solid foundation from which to build the rest of the roster. Gus Yalden and Barnett complement each other very well on the floor and have a chance to take another jump with a full offseason together ahead. I didn't get a chance to post after Yalden announced in his return but that is as big of a portal accomplishment as any new addition. He had been quite a basketball nomad over the course of his career and finally found his home at Vermont. For the first time in his career (high school or college) he will have the same system and coaching staff to help guide him to take another leap forward. What a great thing for the Cats and now Yalden will have his running mate right there with him. The bones of this roster are looking strong and it will be exciting to see what else the coaching staff can add. 

Vermont goes international

Marko Masic, a 6'9" 20 year old German wing who played this past season for Porcshe BBA Ludwigsburg's German ProB affiliate, has committed to Vermont. It is the second year in a row that the coaching staff has reached into the international recruiting market. He averaged 10.4 points in 23 minutes per game while shooting 57% from the field. Masic is at his best using his length and athleticism to finish creatively around and above the rim. He is a highlight waiting to happen and will likely get Patrick Gym rocking with some big dunks. He is growing as a shooter and knocked down 37 threes at a 32.5% clip on high volume. This is a good complement to the current additions to the roster. After getting some help in the guard room, taking a chance on a high upside wing to bring length and athleticism is a perfect fit. Like last year with Lucas Mari there will be an adjustment period to the different style of play in college and a new country, but there is a good chance of a strong payoff in the end. Making connections in the international recruiting world is huge in this new age of roster building and has had a significant effect across all of college basketball. The roster continues to come together and is looking better and better with each addition. 

Vermont snags the NE10 player of the year in the portal

Late last night Vermont secured another big piece for next years team. Will Davies, a 6'4" point guard who played for former Catamount assistant Chris Santo at St. Anselm for the past two seasons, committed to the Cats. Davies is coming off a monster sophomore season where he averaged 13.7 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 7.1 assists while leading St. Anselm to the NE10 championship and earning NE10 player of the year honors. He was also selected as the Division II east region player of the year by the D2CCA. Davies was an absolute warrior for the Hawks, rarely leaving the floor as he averaged 35 minutes per game. He led Division II in total assists with 235 and his 7.1 assists per game average were second. Davies is from Saco, Maine where he won the state's Mr. Basketball honor his senior year before spending a prep year at St. Thomas Moore in Connecticut. So in short, this is a big time add for the Catamounts. Davies is an all around, staff stuffing, hard working player who brings tenacity and a winning mindset. The assist numbers speak for themselves as he is a strong playmaker and floor general. He has knack for finishing at the rim, shooting 191/309 (62%) form two point range over his two seasons at St. Anselm. He made 50 threes at a 33% clip, enough to keep defenders honest and Davies made them in big spots for the Hawks throughout the season. Fans may remember Davies from the barn burner of an exhibition against Vermont this past season, as he led St. Anselm with 16 points while adding 5 assists and 3 rebounds. For those counting at home that is 3 for 3 on former Catamount opponents added through the portal. Between Darell Yepdo and Davies, the Cats have given themselves great options to mix and match lineups with solid point guard play. With the portal closing today, recruiting is really going to heat up over the next week as teams and players have a more concrete idea of available options. 

Khalil Badru commits to Vermont

Better late than never!

Spent the weekend in the Kingdom area for AAU and was quite off the grid but now I am back, recovered, and ready to catch up on Catamounts news. Vermont snagged their second portal commit from 6'5" guard Khalil Badru from New Britain, CT before attending the Newman school in Massachusetts. Badru began his college career at UNH before spending last season at Iona. That makes both portal commits former America East opponents. He struggled to crack the rotation at Iona, particularly his fit in the offensive system was a struggle. At UNH, Vermont fans may remember he went on quite a heater during conference play and made the America East all rookie team. Badru should be a great fit at Vermont, taking on that Sam Alamutu type role for the Cats. He is a strong and rangy defender who is a menace on the offensive glass. While still developing his offensive game, he is great slashing to the basket and finishing above the rim. He will be able to impact the game without the ball in his hands on the offensive end and gives the Cats a good foundation to start building their defense. The roster building is off to a good start, adding two tough, hard nosed, experienced players who can step right in to an important role. Can't wait to see what the next few weeks bring to Catamount country!

Vermont gets their first portal commitment

The portal is flying fast and furious and Vermont landed their first commitment for next season from 6'0" point guard Darrel Yepdo. Fans may remember that Yepdo began his career at St. Michaels for three years before transferring to UMass Lowell last season. He played two seasons for the Purple Knights before sitting out the 24-25 season due to injury. Yepdo had a strong sophomore season where he averaged 14.9 points, 3.6 assists, and 3.8 rebounds while making the NE-10 all-conference second team and all defensive team. Last year at UMass Lowell he averaged 10.3 points, 3.2 assists, and 3.1 rebounds and passed 1,000 points for his career. Yepdo has shot 137/361 (38%) from three over his three seasons, bringing strong shooting at a high volume. For a team that needs lots of players, finding a veteran point guard who can bring shooting as well is an important piece. Yepdo has been a good playmaker throughout his career and is a strong rebounder despite his size. At times Yepdo has struggled with turnovers but will likely benefit from the Vermont system. The big question will be recapturing his defensive prowess. Lowell was not a good defensive team last season and Yepdo struggled on that side of the ball. He was a strong defender while at St. Michaels so the Vermont staff will work their magic to get him up to speed on that end of the court. Experience at the point guard position is very hard to find in the portal at the mid major level and not having true depth at point guard last season proved to be hard for the Cats. Vermont fills a big need with player who can start or come off the bench and give valuable veteran minutes. I would imagine there will be more commitments in the next few weeks as the portal picture starts to become clearer.