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, Nate 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!
Becker needs to give the keys to the car to Blake and let him drive. Forget about being a freshman - he's a very impressive player - probably better than Deloney was at the same stage of his career. Combine him with Bogues and you've got a dynamic backcourt. Now the bad news - this team still is a very poor shooting team. Struggling to put up 68 points against a DII team doesn't bode well for the rest of the season. The first half offense in particular was painful to watch. Hats off to St Anselm - they looked great - Santo has done a good job with them.
ReplyDeleteBlake is an undeniable talent, however I am sure there will be growing pains throughout the year. He reminds more of Trae Bell-Haynes than any other former Catamount. The finishing ability around the rim is elite. A scoring role off the bench is ideally suited. The shooting will be something to watch for sure.
DeleteThanks for the report and optimism. Kind of wondering about the turnovers, 3 point defense and (lack of) assists. Guess they're a work in progress. I expected Vermont to dominate St A's. Even without Bogues and Long they had a number of returning players against a D2 opponent. Unless the box score is misleading they didn't get much out of the transfers, Odom or Perriman. That is concerning. I'd expect guys with D1 experience to be ready to go, at least on offense, on day 1.
ReplyDeleteOdom is coming off an injury, so who knows what he can offer. Perriman didn't play at his former school. In short, they need some run and then we'll see.
DeleteI love AD. However, he really struggled at times early in his career, so it's not a great compliment to Blake. That said, I agree: Blake should probably be in the backcourt with Shamir. As far as Shamir, everyone knows that he elevates everyone around him. When he's not playing, it's an enormous hole, to say the least.
Odom may not regain his pre injury form. Back injuries are notoriously fickle. He is very much a wait and see player. Perryman has no DI game experience and likely would not have much of a role if the Cats were healthy. All teams are a work in progress at this point. It will say a lot to see how they respond in Wednesday's exhibition. Bogues in an essential player, hard to replace what he does. As I said above Trae Bell-Haynes to me is the best Blake comparison.
DeleteSt Mikes must be licking their chops thinking that this is the year they can take down UVM. St Mikes ranked first in the NE10 preseason rankings - St Anselm ranked 8th or 9th.
ReplyDeleteSt Mike's beat Vermont in the 2014 exhibition game 63-61 so maybe it is a once a decade or years that end in 4 thing.
DeleteEarly season style turnovers combined with serious perimeter shooting woes; sounds like the start of another season of Vermont basketball! The talent is there but the team concept is not. The coaching staff is too savvy to let the weaknesses slide by.
ReplyDeleteAgreed. Looked like a classic early season game!
DeleteFirst half was a tough watch. Couldn’t buy a 3 basically the entire game which is clearly a staple of the offense. Alamutu kept them in striking distance early otherwise they likely would have been out of it after the first half.
ReplyDeleteBlake looks polished with a little AD flair. So many missed shots, a ton of non-calls, and a lack of cohesiveness (something we’ve seen the last few years as the season starts) had me shaking my head. They better come to play against St. Mikes. It was a tough game last year and this year they lack a lot of the 5th year leaders they had that helped them pull off the win.
Shaking off the rust was real tough in this one. They have plenty of 6th (Fiorillo, Roquemore) and 5th (Bogues, Ayo-Faleye) year guys who will help them regroup.
DeleteBlake goes from being thought of as a red shirt to potentially having a big role. I love the way Becker doesn’t promise anyone playing time, let the players decide. If Blake plays like this Jace could see a smaller role. We need both TJs to be able to knock down 3s if Blake and Bogues will be successful driving. I hope we get at least 2 of the big guys to rise up and be difference makers. Like most UVM teams, they always get better. I’m not sure they are ready for UAB and Auburn next week!!!
ReplyDeleteBlake improvement over the past calendar year has been incredible. Exceeded all expectations. This team will figure it out. The coaching staff always finds the right tweaks.
DeleteThis was an exhibition game where Coach Becker plays different players to see how they react under pressure . It’s very early in the season and I believe things will sort out and the Cats have a lot of experience and depth.That Blake kid can really fly and has great skills
ReplyDeleteCats will have a very good season I feel
Agreed. Throwing everything at the wall to see what he has. As the rotation takes shape much of the other stuff will fall into place. Blake is going to be very good.
DeleteThanks Lee. Sean Blake, out of no where! BTW just saw that the Cats are #6 in the preseason
ReplyDeletemid-major poll: https://collegeinsider.com/mens-mid-major-top-25
Exciting!
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