The Cardiac Cats are back!!
Freshman Sean Blake rescued the Catamounts in his debut with a late game tying layup and game winning free throws one possession later in the exhibition opener. Nothing like jumping right into the action. No Shamir Bogues or TJ Long, giving some other Cats an opportunity to see more minutes. The first half looked like a half of basketball where a team has been dealing with injuries and is missing some key contributors. Similar to last year Vermont could not find success from the perimeter and struggled to get shots at the rim. With no Bogues, the Cats struggled to find driving lanes. Vermont found some energy late in the second half and closed the gap. The second half was back and forth with both teams finding more offensive success. Josh Morissette was absolutely scorching for the Hawks, hitting tough shots from all over the court and finishing with a game high 27 points. Late in the game, Vermont made some key plays and emerged from the hectic action with a win. These exhibitions are designed to give the team an opportunity to smooth out the kinks before the season starts and that was certainly the case today. The offense is very much a work in progress as the coaching staff is trying to make some changes and find out what can unlock this group. The coaching staff will certainly have a lot of material for the Cats to work on in practice.
One of the big bright spots for the Cats was freshman Sean Blake. In the second half, he was the player that helped Vermont break down the defense and find driving lanes. He has electric speed and finishing ability around the rim. Blake finished with 13 points and was a catalyst for the improved offense. He looks like the future star point guard at Vermont and might carve out a role this season. Sam Alamutu was also very impressive with the coaching staff placing him in the Bogues role as the initiator of the offense. His played with incredible speed and looked very comfortable in the open floor. Amazing to see how much he as improved from a defensive specialist at this time last season. It also clear that the coaching staff wants to get him some minutes in more of a guard role this season. Alamutu finished with 13 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals including a crucial one with about 4 minutes left. Ileri Ayo-Faleye had a strong game finishing with 12 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 blocks. He made some clutch perimeter shots while playing his signature tough defense. Ayo-Faleye warmed up with both the guards and the post players as he has clearly been working on improving his perimeter shooting. TJ Hurley led Vermont with 17 points and 5 rebounds. He struggled shooting in the first half but knocked down some big shots in the second half. The post player crew (Nick Fiorillo, Noah Barnett, Seth Joba, Shy Odom) had an up and down game with some nice moments but usually followed by some not so great execution. It looks like the roles in that group are still to be defined.
Not the prettiest game but some incredible second half action to get everyone back into the swing of things. Chris Santo almost stole one from his buddies! Can't wait until Wednesday!
