TJ Hurley caught fire in the second half to lift Vermont to a victory over Middlebury. He was a bright spot in what was otherwise a tough go for the Catamounts. Middlebury played hard and Alex Sobel dominated Vermont down low. Becker was yanking guys in and out and emptied the bench in an attempt to light a fire in the Cats. In similar fashion to the St. Mike's game, Vermont was out physicaled underneath and struggled to rebound the basketball. Strong rebounding, particularly on the defensive glass has been a hallmark of the Vermont program over the years. This years team has quite a hill to climb in order to bring their performance up to that level. The inexperience in the frontcourt was very apparent during the two exhibition games. Teams with a strong low post presence are going to give Vermont fits early in the season. With a very difficult non-conference slate ahead of the Cats, they could be taking some pretty big lumps as the coaches try to get froncourt rotation figured out.
Much like he did on the Canadian tour, Hurley scored with a burst in the second half. He finished with 21 points on 8-13 shooting (4-8 from three). His ability to score is going to be a huge asset to the Cats this season and I would expect him to have some big games. Finn Sullivan continued to stuff the staff sheet and might be the most integral cog for Vermont on both sides of the ball. Perry Smith Jr had some nice moments finishing with 10 points and 5 rebounds. He still needs more time to learn the system and get up to game speed but the Cats need his rebounding ability so he is going to be challenged to accelerate his timeline. Sam Alamutu is also earning minutes due to his defense and rebounding ability as he too tries to accelerate his growth. Nick Fiorillo and Matt Veretto struggle mightily, getting out physicaled underneath and struggling to rebound effectively. Neither is a tradition low post big man and are going to be asked to be physical post defenders this season.
Vermont struggled more during this exhibition slate than I have seen in quite some time. The inexperience is clear and the chemistry and integration of new players is coming along slowly. It is certainly not surprising with so many new faces and losing a centerpiece player in Dylan Penn to injury. Penn returning will certainly help the offense but the frontcourt is a work in progress. Rarely has so much been needed so quickly out of a young frontcourt and their development will be crucial to Vermont's success.
I will post my America East conference preview tomorrow and then my Vermont season preview on Saturday evening or Sunday morning. Then it is on to the regular season. Thanks to all the readers who I have gotten a chance to connect with throughout this offseason, whether that be through the comments or in person. I truly love getting to chat about Vermont basketball and appreciate all of the kind words.
I will post my America East conference preview tomorrow and then my Vermont season preview on Saturday evening or Sunday morning. Then it is on to the regular season. Thanks to all the readers who I have gotten a chance to connect with throughout this offseason, whether that be through the comments or in person. I truly love getting to chat about Vermont basketball and appreciate all of the kind words.
Appreciate the coverage. What do you think is the eventual/ultimate solution for the Cats' frontcourt? Like Nick a lot but don't think he's really a five man, for more than a minute here, minute there. In short, he's being asked to do what he isn't and probably won't ever be. He's more of a guard/forward. Hope Dylan returns next week.
ReplyDeleteFiorillo is certainly being asked to play out of position. Perry Smith Jr is gonna have to get up to speed fast because ultimately he is the solution. At the very least someone from the inexperienced young frontcourt group will improve their defense enough to earn minutes. That will be the key.
DeleteI agree; your coverage is outstanding! I look forward to your analysis and commentary… I think Perry Smith Jr is the option that needs to step up. The preseason will forge a solution. He’s a talented fresh. He, Nick, and Matt could gel in time. The coaches will earn every penny this year starting with the road trip.
ReplyDeleteThe early part of this season is the coaching staff's biggest challenge in several years. They are going to have to get creative in order to find lineups that will work defensively and the rotations will change game to game based on matchups until someone emerges from the inexperienced group.
DeleteI'm going out on a limb here but I could see the Cats playing five guards at moments, depending on the matchups. Finn, Robin and TJ are all "big" guards, at least for AEast. Keep the great coverage coming. Beat Brown. Beat Grasso.
ReplyDeleteA small lineup is definitely on the table. It would be effective during conference play but not as effective in the non-conference portion. Lineup flexibility has often been a bonus for the coaching staff. It is fine to go small as matchups dictate but needing to go small out of necessity because of roster construction does not always yield great results. Thank you for reading!
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