Exhibition: Vermont vs Catholic 10/28/23

Vermont 85 Catholic 59

Basketball is officially back!

First look at the new team this afternoon at Patrick and it did not disappoint. What a nice full circle moment for Becker coaching against his alma mater. Catholic played hard and certainly made the Cats run all over on the defensive end. Takeaways from these early games against the lower tier competition are always challenging to sort through but there is always a lot of value in seeing the guys during game action and how they respond to differing challenges and how they make adjustments. The first half was electric on both sides of the ball for Vermont. Shamir Bogues was as advertised on the defensive end with a few great steals and is an absolute hawk in the passing lanes. Unfortunately he rolled his ankle at the end of the first half and sat out the entire second half. It didn't look too serious so I will hope for a speedy recovery. His injury really deflated the atmosphere and Vermont came out very flat in the second half which demonstrated his importance to the team. Matt Veretto looked good, knocking down some early threes and getting come nice hoops going to the rim. If he is able to expand his game by adding some more chances at the rim he could really explode this season and get that "final season bump" we have seen from other seniors. Aaron Deloney looked as cool and calm as ever, seamlessly transitioning into the starting lineup and a leadership role. Deloney was knocking down shots with ease and led the Cats with 4 assists, which has been an area of emphasis for him this offseason. The most impressive performance was from Fairfield transfer TJ Long. He led the Cats with 17 points in a team high 24 minutes. Long was 3-8 from three and had some nice finishes at the rim. He is TOUGH and plays with an edge. He is going to be one of those guys that could explode at any minute and can make tough shots when the offense needs a bucket. I could see him sliding in the Deloney role off the bench as the guy that Becker can go to for some offensive punch. TJ Hurley looked good as well and if you blink you could confuse the two TJs. Their games are very similar and they give Becker great interchangeable pieces as shooters who are also big and strong enough to get to the rim if the defense commits to hard on the close out. Ileri Ayo-Faleye lived up to the preseason hype, looking much calmer and more under control. He has a defined role this season as the starter in the middle and looks ready to take advantage. Jackson Skipper looked a little overly hyped up for his first game action but was able to settle down in the second half and make some nice plays. Jace Roquemore really impressed in the second half, stepping in at point guard with Bogues going down. Roquemore has a very calm presence and made good decisions with the ball. He knocked down a three and had a nice dunk on the baseline.  Brenton Mills gives the Cats a nice veteran presence off the bench and knocked down his free throws. Seth Joba and Noah Barnett played sparingly with Barnett demonstrating great hustle and Joba making some nice passes. Overall takeaways are that this team has elite defenders in Bogues and Ayo-Faleye and elite shooters in Deloney, Veretto, Hurley, and Long. Those two strengths are going to win the Cas a lot of games. Concerns from this game are similar to last season with the frontcourt a little thin and inexperienced. Rebounding will be key as they are going to again have to rely on strong team rebounding. Last year Robin Duncan saved them on the boards and someone is going to have emerge from this group to be a leader and set the tone on the boards. I will go more in depth into all things Catamount basketball in my season preview which I will post next weekend before the season opener. So glad to have basketball back!