Basketball is back and so am I!
After a wonderful summer full of travel and a beginning of fall full of quite a significant grad school workload, it is time for another year of blogging. While I am in the middle of quite a few life changes, I am still ready to give my thoughts on the Cats for as long as humanly possible. So lets get to it!
The result was not on the side of the Cats but it was an excellent game to welcome basketball back. To start with, a tip of the cap to St. Mike's who played a great game and was probably to most well rounded Purple Knights team I have seen. One of the trickle down effects of the player movement era is Division II teams have the ability to get a significant amount of Division I talent to fill out their rosters. The zone defense was very good and there was some big time shot making in the second half. Becker has reiterated in every preseason interview that they are behind the eight ball due to injuries and that the beginning of the season was going to be a bit of a grind. It was clear in tonight's game that the group had not played together very much with lots of miscommunications that resulted in turnovers on offense and missed assignments on defense. The defense is going to be a work in progress as they try to get replace some very strong defenders from a year ago. In a very similar situation to last year, injuries are rearing their ugly head early in the season. TJ Hurley was out with a toe injury and Gus Yalden was not in the building. It has been quite a long time since a fully healthy Cats team has taken the court.
On the positive side, what a wonderful moment to see TJ Long back on the court. It was a long road back and I am sure at times he didn't know if he was going to make it, but Catamount country is thankful to have him back. He wasted no time in putting on a show and reminding everyone just how electric he can be. Long exploded for 29 points and 8 three pointers as he tried to single-handedly will Vermont back into the game. All I want for Christmas is to see TJ and TJ play together. Sean Blake had some nice moments looking stronger and more decisive. David Simon had a roller-coaster debut with big dunks and some tough buckets but struggled with ball security and missed some bunnies at the rim. Freshman Momo Nkugwa really impressed with speed, finishing around the rim, and even knocked down a three for good measure. I don't know what his opportunities will look like with a fully healthy roster but he certainly showed some potential in this game. Lucas Mari played hard but you could see the effects of missing the summer session in getting up to speed with the system and missing time to create chemistry with teammates. His passing will be a huge asset once he makes the transition to the college game. Ben Michaels and Noah Barnett struggled to make an impact as they too are playing catch-up after missing time due to injury.
A tough way to start the season, especially for a team looking to get a fresh start after a tough finish last year. With the exhibitions and then two non-DI games to start the season, hopefully they have the slow ramp they need to get healthy, work out the kinks, and build chemistry.
I am not going to do an America East preview this year as my time is limited and honestly with all of the player movement in the league, it is basically impossible to make a real prediction. I will try to put out my Vermont season preview right before the first game of the season. Welcome back!
I agree with your assessment. Rough defensively and not very aggressive on offense. Seems we are back to the slow game of meander up the court and take all 30 seconds to set up the perfect shot. Seems like there were more than a few missed opportunities.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, any word on Yalden? Injury? Or other issues?
To not be in the gym, I’m guessing other issues? Hope they can be worked out.
DeleteCongrats to St Mikes. I'm sure they were tired of always getting beaten by UVM and they deserved to win this one. They look like they will have a great season in their league. I was impressed that they only turned the ball over 3 times to UVM's 12.
ReplyDeleteMari looks like he is a pass-first guard and his debut was not what I expected given the hype around him. He doesn't look like a starter at this point. It is said he's having trouble adjusting to the American college game so maybe we'll see more from him once that happens. Hopefully.
ReplyDeleteExcept for TJ Long, UVM had nobody who could bust the St. Mikes zone from outside. That should improve once Hurley gets back. Geez, another year of early season injuries.
ReplyDeleteThe turn overs and the lack of consistency took the sheen off the shine for UVM. St Mikes came ready to scrap. TJ was fun to watch and brought such relief to see his shot dropping.
ReplyDeleteSimon has some skills but somebody please feed him. His weight is listed at 190 but he needs about 50 pounds more to bang with the big guys underneath and not get pushed off the blocks. St. Anselm has a 7 footer listed at 248 pounds so we'll see how Simon matches up with him on Wednesday.
ReplyDeleteSimon lacks a shot! It’s a good thing he’s 6’11”
ReplyDeleteGotta be happy for st mikes. I’ll always be a cats fan first but seeing Vermont basketball on the rise all over the state from the college programs improving to a new aba team. It’s a really exciting time for basketball in Vermont
ReplyDeleteThe one thing that came out in last nights game is that St Mikes has the best team I have seen in a long time / they played EVERY part of the game better than we did / someone on this years team has to be able to penetrate a zone / and I am looking forward to seeing both TJ’s on the floor at the same time / GO CATS
ReplyDeleteWatch for Nkugwa rise thru the line up if given the minutes. He will deliver some of the best dunks on defenses the 802 has ever witnessed!
ReplyDelete