Non-conference schedule release

Today the Vermont men's basketball non-conference schedule was officially released and I thought I would hop on and write a little bit about it. Here is the entire non-conference slate:

Saturday, Oct. 29: vs. St. Michael's (exhibition)

Wednesday, Oct. 2: vs. Middlebury(exhibition)

Monday, Nov. 7: vs. Brown

Thursday, Nov. 10: at St. Mary's

Sunday, Nov. 13: at Cal State Fullerton

Tuesday, Nov. 15: at Southern California

Friday, Nov. 18: vs. Iona at Mohegan Sun Arena 

Tuesday, Nov. 22: at Yale

Friday, Nov. 25: vs. Ball State at Baha Mar Hoops Nassau Championship in Bahamas

Saturday, Nov. 26: at Baha Mar Hoops Nassau Championship in Bahamas

Sunday, Nov. 27: at Baha Mar Hoops Nassau Championship in Bahamas

Thursday, Dec. 1: vs. NVU Lyndon

Sunday, Dec. 4: at Merrimack

Tuesday, Dec. 6: at Dartmouth

Saturday, Dec. 10: at Colgate

Tuesday, Dec. 20: vs. Toledo

Wednesday, Dec. 28: at Miami (FL)

This is one of the best schedules they have put together. They were able to get good games against strong programs and are not taking it easy on one of the younger teams Vermont has had. Having the season opener at home with the return of TJ Sorrentine is a pretty amazing way to kickoff the season. The California swing is going to be a great early test against three strong programs. They have some great northeast road games with a really nice neutral site game against Iona. My favorite game is the post Christmas trip to Miami FL because it is so rare to get a buy game at the end of the non-conference schedule. This team has a chance to build chemistry and get their feet under them and then have a strong test right before heading into conference play. I am also very excited to check out Toledo at Patrick gym because it is always fun to see a new and different program live. It is also nice to play all Vermont schools as the Non-D1 and exhibition games. What a great way to see all the local college teams. The Bahamas tourney field has some strong mid-majors as well which makes this schedule a trial by fire for the new players. With such a young team, the Cats could certainly take some lumps. They will be challenged and ready to go come the new year and conference play. I reflect on how much the non-conference games galvanized last season's team and this schedule can certainly do the same for these Cats. No matter the wins and losses playing in tight games, road arenas, tough crowds, back to back games, etc. puts the players in every type of situation and prepares the team to respond to whatever comes their way in conference play. There are a ton of fun games to watch this fall and I can not wait. 

Canadian tour game three: UQAM vs Vermont

Vermont 72 UQAM 59

Vermont closed out their weekend trip 3-0 with a complete team win. With Dylan Penn out and Finn Sullivan tweaking an injury early on, the rest of the team needed to step up. Everyone that played showed flashes of the potential skills they will be bringing to Catamount country this season. Robin Duncan capped off a strong weekend with another all around performance. As the longest tenured Catamount he is expected to be a leader on this team and he showed that this weekend. As always Robin stuffed the stat sheet and provided a confident, veteran presence on the court. It was a small sample size but his shot looked much improved and looked more confident on the perimeter. He looks primed to give the Cats whatever they need this season. Aaron Deloney made some big shots and looks ready to reprise his role as instant offense. Perry Smith Jr. showed flashes of potential today with hard work on the offensive glass and finishing at the rim. UQAM had more traditional post players who didn't drift out to the perimeter which helped simplify the defensive rotations for the Vermont bigs. Kam Gibson had a nice run in the third quarter by himself, knocking down some big shots. Becker really let the young guys roll toward the end of the game with mostly freshman lineups and Jackson Skipper really had a strong finish. He plays very hard and looks like a guy who will develop the ability to impact the game in a variety of ways. Skipper showed a nose for the ball and strong motor. Sam Alamutu is a very good rebounder out of the guard position and an imposing physical defender. He grabbed some big rebounds down the stretch and had a nice steal and dunk. You could see as each game went on how important a trip like this is for a young team. What a great way to accelerate the learning process and give players real feedback on their strengths and weaknesses. The weekend in Montreal was a blast for my family and I. The games were all exciting and Montreal is a fun city to explore. After watching the three games as a whole there is a ton to be excited about this season in Catamount country. I can't wait to see how much the players change and grow between now and when we see them again at the Barre Auditorium in October. Until then thanks for reading!!

Canadian tour game two: McGill vs Vermont

Vermont 70 McGill 61

TJ Hurley to the rescue!

After watching most of his shots roll out for the first game and a half on the exhibition tour, freshman guard TJ Hurley caught fire from deep and knocked down 5 threes in the fourth quarter to hold off a hard charging Redbird team. As I have said previously Hurley's mechanics are a thing of beauty and every time he shoots it looks like it is going in. He is going to be a key piece for the Cats this season. These first two games have had great atmosphere with tight games and teams trading big buckets one after the other. It means that execution and efficiency have suffered a bit for the Cats but it makes for a great experience. McGill was ready to play and made tough shots. I love the fight in both of the first two opponents this weekend. I seriously can't get enough of Nick Fiorillo passing out of the high post. He has such a great feel for how to deliver the ball and puts his teammates in great spots to score. Dylan Penn was frustrated by McGill's physical defense for most of the game and then took a hard fall late. He was in a considerable amount of pain so I hope that it is nothing serious. Finn Sullivan sat today from the get go with what seemed like a minor tweak. The other young guys who missed yesterday's game got their first run with mixed results. Jorge Ochoa provided a nice offensive spark in the first half. He has a really nice stop and pop game. On the defensive end he is still struggling with the rotations, which is to be expected. Perry Smith Jr. also struggled to find a rhythm because of difficulties with the defensive rotations. The Vermont defensive system asks a lot of its bigs and because these rookies are going to be looked to for an immediate impact this season, they have a steep learning curve. Those froncourt minutes are going to go to whoever gets up to speed the fastest. Sam Alamutu saw his first minutes and he is on the opposite side of the spectrum. Offensively he is still trying to find his place but he gives the Cats a big, strong, physical presence on the defensive end. Overall after the first two games Vermont looks exactly like a team trying to incorporate seven new players. The chemistry has come and gone, roles have been gray and undefined, and many of the new guys are still adjusting to the college game. On the defensive side on the ball, the kinks are usually worked out by the start of the season because eventually the players that are comfortable in the system get the minutes and the ones that don't, work their butts off so they can get on the court. Offensively, finding out where the scoring is going to come from and who is option A, B, or C are the biggest questions this team will be looking to answer come the regular season. TJ Hurley made a case for the shotmaking role in today's game. All it took was one to go down and he never looked back. Man, what an exciting final quarter.  One more and then back into basketball purgatory until October. Can't wait for tomorrow!

Canadian tour game one: Concordia vs Vermont

Vermont 76 Concordia 71

Summer Basketball!!

What a rush to see the Catamounts playing again. Sometimes with the exhibition games, the atmosphere can suffer from low stakes and or a competition mismatch. That was not the case in this evening's contest. College Jean de Brebeuf has a tiny seating area but it was packed to the gills. The fans for both teams were into the game from the get go and the game stayed close throughout, fueling a midseason atmosphere. Concordia played intense physical defense and the stingers 6'0' guard Sami Jahan couldn't miss. I mean he seriously was unstoppable. What a performance. Hats off to him and Concordia for a great game. On to the Cats. As with any early season contest there are going to be some kinks. The perimeter shooting was uneven and the defensive rotations a bit slow. But, all that matters at this stage is getting to see the players out on the court doing what they love. With so many new faces it was exciting to get a first glimpse at what they are going to bring to Catamount country. First off Dylan Penn lived up to the well deserved hype as a major impact transfer and player of the year candidate. He led the Cats in scoring and wowed with an array of nifty finishes around the rim. In person his ability to knife to the rim is even more impressive. If Penn even has a sliver of daylight he can accelerate to the rim with tremendous speed. He will be the leading scorer this year without a doubt and has a chance to be a dominant player in the Vermont system. Tonight was the first time I have seen Ileri Ayo-Faleye in game action and after a slow start he made some big hoops down the stretch when the Cats were looking to pull away. He can absolutely jump out of the gym but showed some nice touch by knocking down his free throws and a three pointer as well. He was a bit out of control on occasion but looks like he will provide a spark and some highlights for sure. Nick Fiorillo looked very good, particularly passing the ball and running the offense from the high post. He had several beautiful assists and looks so comfortable in the offensive sets. Fiorillo is set up for a monster breakout. Finn Sullivan got himself into a bit of foul trouble but had a big three to ice the game late. Aaron Deloney also hit some big shots late to hold off a hold charging Stingers team. The starters tonight were Sullivan, Fiorillo, Penn, Kam Gibson, and TJ Hurley. Perry Smith Jr, Jorge Ochoa, and Sam Alamutu were unavailable for a team rules violation but will be in action for the rest of the weekend. Matt Veretto was on the sidelines as well still battling some foot issues I believe. That about wraps it up for today! What a fun night and I am already excited for tomorrow's game.