2012-2013 Vermont Catamount Thread!

[uvm4life20]

Originally Posted by Jim Patrick

???? not sure what this is saying,how would him transferring put him in our 2013 class? is there a rule/scenerio i am not aware of?

not sure why i said transfer. I meant redshirt. I fixed my previous post.

and Taggart would still be a 2012 recruit but would be finishing with the 2013 class.
.

[UVM Hoop Cat]

Looks like UVM is having its own basketball media day for men's and women's teams, streaming online at 1pm:

http://uvmathletics.com/news/2012/10...nkdata=2073646

[UVM7680]

Originally Posted by UVM Hoop Cat

Looks like UVM is having its own basketball media day for men's and women's teams, streaming online at 1pm:

http://uvmathletics.com/news/2012/10...nkdata=2073646

I missed the first 5 minutes or so, but caught most of it. Where I came in, Becker had been asked to describe his incoming transfers, Candon Rusin and Trey Blue. Candon has of course had a year to learn the system and Becker said Trey had a high basketball IQ and picked everything up very quickly.

Describing the freshmen (Ethan O'Day and Brendan Kilpatrick), he said they were both ready to play right away. He described Kilpatrick as the best athlete on the team (with a smiling aside to Apfeld, sitting next to him, "Sorry, Luke!"). Coach seemed to think well of Harrison Taggart, saying he has a chance to play right away, as well. Described him as having depth and versatility. Troy Davine, the walk-on, has been playing both the 1 and 2, which isn't easy, is definitely a D1 player, and can contribute down the line.

He feels the team is much more comfortable with his system, having now had a full year to get used to it, instead of implementing in somewhat on the fly, as happened last year.

I'm assuming that the video will be posted at some point to the CatamounTV youtube site.

[UVM Hoop Cat]

Originally Posted by UVM7680

I missed the first 5 minutes or so, but caught most of it. Where I came in, Becker had been asked to describe his incoming transfers, Candon Rusin and Trey Blue. Candon has of course had a year to learn the system and Becker said Trey had a high basketball IQ and picked everything up very quickly.

Describing the freshmen (Ethan O'Day and Brendan Kilpatrick), he said they were both ready to play right away. He described Kilpatrick as the best athlete on the team (with a smiling aside to Apfeld, sitting next to him, "Sorry, Luke!"). Coach seemed to think well of Harrison Taggart, saying he has a chance to play right away, as well. Described him as having depth and versatility. Troy Davine, the walk-on, has been playing both the 1 and 2, which isn't easy, is definitely a D1 player, and can contribute down the line.

He feels the team is much more comfortable with his system, having now had a full year to get used to it, instead of implementing in somewhat on the fly, as happened last year.

I'm assuming that the video will be posted at some point to the CatamounTV youtube site.

Thank you for the recap as I was unable to watch.

All sounds good. Like what I'm hearing about Davine- I'm all about him going out and earning a scholarship a la Clancy Rugg. Have to like his odds given the availability for one his junior year if he puts in the work- favorable situation.

That's my favorite thing about Rugg getting one- he didn't just get one when it opened up, he earned it- very well earned I should add.

[UVM Hoop Cat]

Originally Posted by UVM7680

Describing the freshmen (Ethan O'Day and Brendan Kilpatrick), he said they were both ready to play right away. He described Kilpatrick as the best athlete on the team (with a smiling aside to Apfeld, sitting next to him, "Sorry, Luke!").

Just from watching the dunk contest Kilpatrick is an impressive athlete. Gets off the ground quickly. I don't doubt this.

People can say what they want about our losses from last season- and we lose some talented players- but the newcomers bring a significant upgrade in athleticism over departing players through graduation/transfer/left team.

[VT Cats Fan]

Originally Posted by UVM Hoop Cat

Just from watching the dunk contest Kilpatrick is an impressive athlete. Gets off the ground quickly. I don't doubt this.

People can say what they want about our losses from last season- and we lose some talented players- but the newcomers bring a significant upgrade in athleticism over departing players through graduation/transfer/left team.

Absolutely. We will not have the same glaring weaknesses on defense that we did last season. As Coach Becker seemed to suggest, the addition of Candon and Trey will pick up the offense we lost from the 2 guard.

[Catcountry21]

So excited to see these guys play this year. After losing Four, Bald and Glass I didn't ever think we would be putting together a team like this. I like all the pieces more and more everyday!

Should be fun watching Candon and Trey play together too.

[THE802]

Pumped for the season to start. The last 3 years we had grad and transfer losses and they just reloaded and kept the program at a high level. I think the next few years will be special, however business at hand starts Saturday. GO CATS

[dnapolit]

I love the optimism and there's good reason to have it given the recent track record of replacing the scoring loss. I will say last year we were incredibly fortunate to have very few injuries. I do think this team has a high ceiling at the same time there's a lot to live up to and realistically we are not making the tournament every year. I hope we keep this train rolling but with so many new faces on the roster and the loss of our top two scorers and wing defender let's just say I'm trying to temper my expectations.

[Vermonster]

Blue Ribbon Yearbook Preview of Vermont.

COACH AND PROGRAM

Ryan McKeaney was the first to leave. The little-used sophomore forward told Vermont coach John Becker he was transferring in March.

Brendan Bald was the next to go. Becker was disappointed but not surprised when the former America East defensive player of the year informed him that he was quitting the team to concentrate on getting ready for law school. Bald, who is remaining at Vermont, is hoping to graduate a semester early.

Forward Chris Santo who played in only 14 games as a freshman left in April.

Four McGlynn's departure was the most unexpected. The America East freshman of the year, the only player in Division I to lead his team in scoring despite not starting a single game, waited until June to announce his decision to transfer to Towson, a Colonial Athletic Association team that went 1-31 last season.

Vermont Catamounts
Last Season 24-12 (.667)
Conference Record 13-3 (2nd)
Starters Lost/Returning 1/4
Coach John Becker (Catholic '90)
Record At School 24-12 (1 year)
Career Record 24-12 (1 year)
RPI Last 5 years 190-92-117-92-127

All of a sudden, after worrying about how he was going to distribute playing time, Becker headed into his second season as the Catamounts coach concerned about having enough bodies to practice. He was down to nine scholarship players.

June is awfully late to find players to fill out a roster, but Becker managed to bring in a graduate student, two transfers -- who aren't eligible to play this season but will take the place of the departed sophomore class -- and a freshman.

"We had two kids from last year's team transfer down to Division II," Becker said. "We had four leave. We had Brendan leave. We had two kids graduate. We had quite a bit of turnover. & There's a lot going on in my head."

Depth has been a big part of Vermont's success because it allows the Catamounts to maintain their intensity on defense. Last season, nine players logged 11 minutes or more per game, and only one played more than 30 minutes. Rotating in fresh bodies helped Vermont hold its final seven regular-season opponents to an average of 51.1 points per game. In the America East championship final, the Catamounts limited Stony Brook to a season-low 43 points and 29.3 percent shooting.

In spite of the spate of departures, Becker believes he has the depth to give 10 players significant minutes each game, which means defense and rebounding are likely to remain the Catamounts' signature.

"It sounds crazy, but we weren't as deep [last season] as we are this year," Becker said. "We played five guards and five bigs last year. This year, we'll probably end up playing six guards and four bigs."

But where will the scoring come from? Vermont doesn't have a returning player whose scoring average was in double figures last season, but Becker thinks someone will emerge. He points to last season when most believed Bald would be the go-to scorer, but it was a freshman, McGlynn, who ended up filling that role.

Even though he's been around for a while, Luke Apfeld (9.9 ppg, 4.1 rpg, .539 FG, .803 FT) could turn into the Catamounts' counted-on scorer. The 6-7 junior forward has gotten better each season despite missing more than two years after three ACL surgeries. His knee troubles aside, he continues to be one of Vermont's more athletic players.

Apfeld, who doubled his scoring average from his freshman to sophomore years, is Vermont's top returning scorer.

"He's probably going to play more perimeter this year than he did last year so hopefully he can knock down some shots and stretch the court like we need our power forwards to do," Becker said. "He's our energy guy."

Becker wouldn't mind getting more scoring out of Brian Voelkel (4.6 ppg, 8.6 rpg, 5.1 apg) but he's wary that increasing Voelkel's point production might come at the cost of everything else he does for the team. The 6-6 junior forward was the most outstanding player of the America East championship despite averaging four points a game over the three games.

Voelkel has long been more of a facilitator than a scorer, and the Catamounts run much of their offense through him. He is also the conference's top rebounder.

"The one thing he hasn't done a lot of is score," Becker said. "He doesn't even really want to score. & He'll pass up some open looks, which can be frustrating. He shouldn't do that. He'd just rather give someone else an easy layup than score himself.

"A lot of teams don't guard him. If he could just make a couple 15-footers and keep the defense honest, that's going to open up passing lanes for him to do what he does easier. But I do walk the line because I don't want Brian to look to score every time he gets the ball."

Voelkel's former high school teammate, 6-2 junior Sandro Carissimo (7.1 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 2.4 apg), didn't come to Vermont as a point guard, but he's made the position his own.

"He's finally got to the point now where he's comfortable running the team and being a point guard," Becker said.

Because Carissimo is also a good scorer, Becker -- who likes to have multiple ball-handlers on the court at the same time -- will at times pair Carissimo and 6-3 junior guard Josh Elbaum (1.8 ppg, 1.5 rpg) in the backcourt. "Josh is nice because he's different than Sandro," Becker said. "He's a change of pace point guard."

Ben Crenca (4.0 ppg, 2.9 rpg), 6-10 senior center, has been cursed by injuries most of his career. He tore his ACL his freshman year and didn't return until midway through his sophomore season. Last season, he started off well, then tore a meniscus and missed a month. When healthy, he is a true, back-to-the-basket big man.

Clancy Rugg (5.0 ppg, 3.1 rpg), a 6-8 junior forward and former walk-on who earned a scholarship, was the first frontcourt substitute off the bench last season.

No one benefited more from the departures of Bald and McGlynn than Candin Rusin. After sitting out last season as a transfer from Marist, the 6-4 junior guard was behind those two on the depth chart. Now he's the likely starter at the two-guard spot.

Rusin will have competition for the job from one of Becker's late roster additions. Trey Blue had bounced around his college career, going from Fordham to Illinois State and never finding a home. The 6-3 guard has enrolled at Vermont as a graduate student with only one year left to redeem his college career.

Last season at Illinois State, Blue averaged just 1.2 points and 0.7 rebounds in 7.3 minutes per game. The year before, when he played 14.9 minutes a game, Blue averaged 4.8 points, 1.8 rebounds and 1.8 assists.

"We're pretty confident he's going to be able to come in here and pick things up and be able to contribute right away for us," Becker said.

Ethan O'Day (Northfield Mount Hermon/Mansfield, Conn.) is a 6-9 skilled freshman forward who with added strength could become a very effective player. Brendan Kilpatrick (Malvern Prep/Norristown, Pa.), a 6-5 freshman forward, may have to wait his turn playing behind Voelkel.

Another of Becker's late additions, 6-5 freshman forward Harrison Taggart (St. Paul's School/Wallingford, Vt.), chose to graduate from prep school over the summer and enroll in Vermont. Becker likes his versatility.

BLUE RIBBON ANALYSIS

BACKCOURT: B
BENCH/DEPTH: B
FRONTCOURT: A
INTANGIBLES: B

It is too soon to tell if the massive roster turnover at Vermont is addition by subtraction or a symptom of a larger problem. Regardless, the Catamounts will need time to mesh the new and veteran players, and that might lead to a slow start to the season or a lost year, depending on how quickly the players adapt to one another. Vermont also must address its scoring concerns. Defense and rebounding will get the Catamounts only so far. They also need to find a few players who can put the ball in the basket.

But if Apfeld and Crenca can stay healthy, Voelkel can add a bit of offense to his all-around game and at least one of the newcomers can take on some of the scoring load, Vermont should be right back up among the elite teams in the conference.

The Catamounts always seem to find a way to stay near the top of the standings. If they can overcome all the departures, this season should be no different.

Pretty decent review if you ask me.

Also, here's where we stack up according to team rankings. On a broad scale, this site is usually pretty accurate.

http://www.teamrankings.com/ncaa-bas...ont-catamounts

[NotDeadYet]

Vermonster, thanks for that post. I agree, it is a very decent analysis

[UVM7680]

Carissimo’s poise proves promising for Vermont
by Drew Dawson
November 15, 2012

Nice article, although interesting that the author refers to Sandro as a "true" rather than converted PG.

Mark my words – Vermont’s success this year predicates heavily on the consistent floor presence of its point guard, Sandro Carissimo, a 6-foot-2 Junior.
...
Coach Becker should be more than optimistic. He has what every coach yearns for – a true point guard to orchestrate the program’s plan. A lead guard, who radiates poise, executes with effort and knows when to exploit scoring opportunities. Carissimo brings just that.

[c00per]

Nice article. He called Carissimo a 'true point guard' because of his play vs. UConn. Great compliment. Funny though, had he opened Sandro's roster page and seen the very first line:

"Sandro’s development as a point guard, after moving to the position midway through last year..."

[UVM Hoop Cat]

Sandro is a true point guard now. He was very, very impressive handling the UConn defensive pressure and picking his spots on offense in the second half.

Nice article.