Hello from sunny Florida!!
I am writing this up on my phone while exploring Disney Springs! In another very exciting game the Cats fell short to the Liberty Flames. The script was similar to most games so far this year. Slow start followed by keeping it close and then a much improved second half. Liberty was as good as advertised and used an ultra efficient offense to keep Vermont at arms length. I thought Vermont played well and the defense made some incremental improvements. I continue to be impressed by the grit and fight this team has displayed this season to not let games get away from them and they are consistently responding to runs from the other teams with runs of their own. This stretch of games coming up is going to be very tough and they may take their lumps. This will be the most difficult few weeks of the season. As long as they can keep their mentality intact and focus on the ultimate goal, there will be a big payoff at the end of the season.
TJ Long bounced back from a very tough game at Buffalo and led the Cats with 19 points and added 5 rebounds. His shot wasn’t falling but he found other ways to score. Gus Yalden added 17 points in only 19 minutes as the coaching staff tried some offense/defense switching with Yalden in a tough spot defensively against a guard heavy Liberty team. His growth throughout the season will have a huge impact on the ceiling for the Cats. Lucas Mari finished with his first career double double, contributing 10 points and 11 rebounds. Mari, like Yalden, has so much room to grow within the Vermont system and has already improved significantly. His ceiling is sky high. Momo Nkugwa earned 27 minutes on the back of his tough perimeter defense and continues to impress as a true freshman. TJ Hurley, as always, chipped in a businesslike 15 points as he closes in on 1,000 career points. Sean Blake found little room to work on the offensive end but finished with 4 rebounds and 5 assists as he is finding ways to impact the game beyond scoring.
The early season this year is certainly quite process focused with an eye toward the future, and I think Vermont keeps taking steps in the right direction despite a few tough results. Each game this season has had moments where Vermont was teetering on the edge of letting a game get away from them and has battled hard to stay within striking distance. That is a good sign as they continue to build toward the conference season. Can’t wait for the game tomorrow! In the meantime, fun in the sun!
P.S. Ken Griffey Jr. was in the crowd! Pretty cool!
