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!!