Vermont filled their last scholarship this morning with a commitment from Noah Barnett, a 6'9 forward out of Don Bosco Prep in New Jersey. Barnett is coming off a very successful season with the Ironmen where he (and top '24 recruit Dylan Harper) helped lead the team to the Bergan County Jamboree title and Barnett made first team All-County. Barnett is a force on both sides of the floor. He is a hard working forward who can control the paint with his athleticism and strength. On the offensive side of the ball he crashes the glass hard and has the ability to face up and get to the rim. He is also comfortable with the ball in his hands in the open floor. He is physical on defense and has good shot blocking instincts. This is a great way to fill the last scholarship as Barnett has a chance to develop into a very good player. Paring him with Seth Joba in this freshman class gives Vermont two big post players who have all league potential down the road. Now I know Catamount fans might be little gun shy as last year's two freshman big men struggled to acclimate to the program, struggled to learn the defensive system, and ultimately decided to transfer. That is certainly something to keep in mind as big men have traditionally struggled in their first year in the Vermont program (I know I say this a lot but it bears repeating). The strategy by the coaching staff is sound as they need to get younger and depth in the post is something that is hard to find (especially in the portal era). So even though last year did not quite go as planned with the freshman post players, I am very excited about the future of Vermont's post game. Barnett and Joba's games complement each other nicely with Joba as more of a stretch player and Barnett doing work in the paint. Both have good shot blocking instincts which is exciting as rim protection is an area of need for the Cats. Both freshman will be able to work into the rotation with less pressure this season as Matt Veretto, Ileri Ayo-Faleye and Nick Fiorillo will give them a veteran presence but also an opportunity for minutes. This has been a great offseason for Vermont and they have once again put themselves in position to compete for a championship. An underrated aspect of their additions is that (barring transferring decisions) next offseason will feel a little more normal with only 3 open scholarships. The coaching staff did a great job building not only for this season but for future seasons as well.
P.S. A while ago Vermont also added walk on Charlie Moore from the New Hampton School to next year's team. Moore is 6'4 guard originally from California who played for former Catamount coach Andrew Gale this past season.
