Exhibition: Vermont vs St. Michael's 10/29/22

Vermont 78 St. Michael's 58

Boy it felt good to be at Patrick last night!

Vermont officially kicked off their season with a exhibition win over St. Michael's. In very typical fashion the first half was full of "rust shaking" moments and and early season jitters. St. Michael's clawed their way back to force a 32-32 tie at the break. The Purple Knights played a tough and aggressive zone which forced Vermont in to several turnovers. In the second half the Cats were able to take better care of the ball and pulled away.

Aaron Deloney was the star for Vermont. He continued his impressive play from the preseason scrimmages and shot the lights out. Deloney scored 26 points on a near perfect shooting night (7-9 from the field, 5-5 from three, 7-7 from the line). With Dylan Penn sidelined it was Deloney who shouldered the load as the offensive force. Looking smooth and confident with the ball, Deloney is ready to take on a even bigger scoring role this season. Finn Sullivan really tipped the scales for Vermont in the second half with impacts on both sides on the ball. He made several big defensive plays and finished at the offensive end during a big stretch in the second half. When he gets that spark he becomes an unstoppable force. Sullivan stuffed the stat sheet with 17 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists. Always around the ball and two steps ahead at the defensive end. The big surprise from the game was Matt Veretto getting the start and playing big minutes. Slowed by injuries over the summer and out of basketball for three years, it was unclear what his role was going to be for Vermont. Last night he cemented himself as an integral piece of the rotation. Veretto scored 12 points, added 5 rebounds, 4 assists, and blocked a couple of threes on the defensive end for good measure. He has a nice shooting touch and explosive athleticism. He could really be a x-factor for Vermont and is going to be a major contributor. Our first look at a starting lineup and the clear message was that experience matters. Nick Fiorillo, and Robin Duncan joined Sullivan, Deloney, and Veretto in the starting lineup. Once again a reminder that adjusting to the college game takes time. The inexperience from the rest of the rotation was clear. Lots of tentative play and guys still very much thinking through every decision instead of feeling it. Absolutely expected at this point in the season and the growth and improvement of the young players throughout the season will be exciting to watch. 

The early hot takes from the one game sample were that the Cats will continue to score efficiently with their combination of perimeter shooting and getting shots at the rim this season. Despite having so many young players, the experienced players they do have are going to set the tone and be the main rotation guys, especially early in the season. Rebounding will be an area the Vermont will need to solidify as the season progresses. 

Very excited for the quick turnaround to be right back at Patrick for the second exhibition game on Wednesday night. Basketball is back!

P.S. Vermont had JUCO PG Tanner Cuff on an official visit at last night's game. Hope he had a great time!

Basketball at the Aud

What a beautiful weekend for a little basketball.

Today was the annual trip down to the Barre Auditorium to see the Vermont Men's basketball team intrasquad scrimmage. As always it was fun to see the action and get excited for this season's team. The biggest overall takeaway is how much talent and depth this year's team has. This is creating tremendous battles at each position and guys are working hard to improve and be ready to contribute when their number is called. There were several impressive performances from today's action but the standout was clearly Aaron Deloney. He scored from everywhere and was relentless on both sides of the ball. He certainly looks ready to build on last years breakout and fill some of the scoring void left by the graduation of Ben Shungu and Ryan Davis. Kam Gibson also impressed which carried over from the shorter scrimmage at the season ticket holder pick-up event on Wednesday night. He looks more confident and more comfortable in the offense. He showed off his ability to score at every level and demonstrated confidence in running the offense with the ball in his hands. Matt Veretto played today after missing the Canadian exhibition tour with an injury. He looked comfortable running the offensive sets and showed a great touch from the outside, knocking down a few threes. He looks ready to contribute which will be key to allow for the young post players time to learn the system and get up to speed. Ileri Ayo-Faleye also looks ready to give big minutes in the post. Long and athletic with a nice shooting touch as well. Perry Smith and Jorge Ochoa are brimming with talent but need more time to learn the defensive system. They are in a similar position as many young big men during Becker's tenor, struggling to stay out of the doghouse. The Vermont staff is very demanding of young bigs and everyone from Drew Urquhart to Ryan Davis spent many hours getting earfuls from the coaching staff in their early years. The good news is that if the players buy in and are committed they do see tremendous improvement with the most striking example being the transformation of Ryan Davis from his freshman to senior seasons. In the limited opportunities that I have been able to see Sam Alamutu play, today was the best he has performed. His defensive abilities are tremendous as he harassed ball handlers the length of the court on every possession. His physicality on the defensive end is going to be a great weapon for Vermont this season. On the offensive side he finally found some rhythm knocking down a few shots and getting to the rim. Last year's redshirt looks like a great decision and he looks more ready to contribute this season. TJ Hurley has improved each time I have seen him play. He is looking more and more like an instant contributor and a future star. Proving to be far more than a shooter today he demonstrated tremendous body control finishing around the rim. He has great size, pace, and IQ at the guard position. I love the way Jackson Skipper plays. Lost in the shuffle of more heralded recruits, Skipper is one of those players who just makes plays. He plays with a very high motor and has really well balanced skills. His might not contribute as much this season but has tremendous long term potential. Robin Duncan is the clear leader on this team and is ready to be a steady presence on both sides of the ball. He makes everyone around him better and his shot looks much improved. Nick Fiorillo really broke out last season but is poised to build on that and be a centerpiece for this team. His improvement over his career have been tremendous and is a testament to his hard work. Finn Sullivan went down hard several times in the first half and ended up sitting out most of the game with an elbow injury. In all of the games I have seen Finn play this offseason, he has been hitting the floor a lot and ending up with bumps and bruises. Last year it was clear that he was an intense player and so far this season it has gotten him into some tough spots. Hopefully it is just a string of bad luck because when he plays with focused intensity he is tremendous. The injury to Finn opened up major minutes for Michel Ndayishimiye and he played well. He has made strides on the defensive end and is lightning quick with the ball. I am excited to see the beginnings of the rotation taking shape during the exhibition games coming up as there are many different combinations that the Vermont coaching staff could deploy. I will be writing an America East conference preview sometime soon and then will have a Vermont preview shortly before the opener on November 7th. I am pretty excited that today marks the beginning of weekly Vermont basketball again. 

P.S. I have also watched the Vermont Women's team in the preseason and I would suggest getting to some games this year as well. They have a long stretch of home games during the non-conference and they look ready to make a run at the top of the league again this season. They are similar to the Men's team with a small group of experienced returners and a group of exciting young players. 

Dylan Penn injury thoughts

Yesterday John Goodman broke the news that Vermont's star transfer Dylan Penn broke a bone in his hand and is looking at a 4-6 week recovery timeline. Tough news for one of the most exciting new players on this year's Catamounts. Four weeks from today is November 5th and six weeks is November 19th. If there is any silver lining to this news it is that if he recovers within this timeline he will only miss 5 or 6 games at the most and has the potential to return for the Bahamas tournament. Certainly the missed practice time is tough but as a veteran player who strikes me as someone who will approach his rehab with intensity and commitment, the rest of season outlook should be fine. Another interesting thing to keep in mind is the Vermont program has an established history of not really skipping a beat when players go down. It speaks to the program's "next man up" philosophy and the player's commitment to each other and to winning. The Cats do have depth and experience at the guard position which will certainly help. From a playmaking perspective Finn Sullivan and Robin Duncan are very comfortable running the show and impacting the game on both sides of the ball. Aaron Deloney and impressive freshman TJ Hurley will be asked to provide a little more scoring punch. Maybe I am overly optimistic (who am I kidding, optimism is my middle name) but I think back to the opener last season on the road against a tough Northern Iowa squad. No Ryan Davis? No problem. Vermont was able to dominate that game from start to finish. The California trip will certainly test Vermont's resolve without Penn, but history suggests that the Cats are up to the task. I wish Dylan a speedy recovery and can't wait to see him out there on the court.