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Vermont has always offered guys early that eventually "blow up" and they have no hopes of actually landing. Bryant does the same thing, just 3X as much.
2023 America East Recruiting Thread
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Right! How does that translate to 20 years of success?
I’m also not clear on why the “luck” of Coppenrath developing into who he did, was not, in part due to training and coaching staff.
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"I understand that is the "wrong" way to do things in Vermont's eyes, but we can't all have a coach who finished in the top half of the league twice in fifteen years stumble ass backwards into a pudgy local kid who gets into shape and becomes one of the four best players in league history and then parlay that into 20 years of good basketball and excellent sanctimony."
This is silly. I am not going to comment further, others have already done so much more astutely then I can.
I think some of you guys are taking the wrong insult and in doing so missing the compliment.
The insult is that UVM was shit lucky to have a phenomenal three year run fueled by Coppenrath turning out to be a gem instead of the dud that was, say, Jordan Cook.
The compliment is that UVM parlayed that luck into two decades of sustained success thanks to smart coaching hires, institutional support, and good recruiting.
The insult is that UVM was shit lucky to have a phenomenal three year run fueled by Coppenrath turning out to be a gem instead of the dud that was, say, Jordan Cook.
The compliment is that UVM parlayed that luck into two decades of sustained success thanks to smart coaching hires, institutional support, and good recruiting.
PS a huge percentage of my saltiness towards Brennan may or may not stem from this game: Vermont vs. Maine Box Score (Men), February 27, 2005 | College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com
Ok, now THIS is the kind of long-game irrational grudge holding that we can all get behind and that makes this board great!
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Yikes...that roster....no wonder we lost that game.
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Heck of a game by Timmy McCrory
That was the year that UVM was like 25th in the RPI, getting a ton of national love, involved in "if they need it could they get an at large?" discussions...
Maine went to Burlington in January and led by 1 near the end of the game. Got a rebound, braced for the foul, which came, but instead the ref called it a jump ball, possession Catamounts. Vermont scores, Vermont wins by 1.
I cannot tell you how excited campus was for the return game. We were going to beat Vermont, with Coppenrath and Sorrentine, and end the talk of them getting an at large. Most games were me and like seven other students. There was a Maine hockey-style line for student tickets at that game. And Brennan sat Coppenrath and Sorrentine for "rest." He gave interviews saying that UVM was never getting an at large (probably true) and that the team would be better in the long run if its studs were rested (also probably true). But Maine never got its second crack at the best team in league history, and I am still salty at Brennan about it.
Maine went to Burlington in January and led by 1 near the end of the game. Got a rebound, braced for the foul, which came, but instead the ref called it a jump ball, possession Catamounts. Vermont scores, Vermont wins by 1.
I cannot tell you how excited campus was for the return game. We were going to beat Vermont, with Coppenrath and Sorrentine, and end the talk of them getting an at large. Most games were me and like seven other students. There was a Maine hockey-style line for student tickets at that game. And Brennan sat Coppenrath and Sorrentine for "rest." He gave interviews saying that UVM was never getting an at large (probably true) and that the team would be better in the long run if its studs were rested (also probably true). But Maine never got its second crack at the best team in league history, and I am still salty at Brennan about it.
I believe this was also the game that Jesse Agel sulked like a little baby at the end of the bench and refused to coach because he'd just been informed that UVM would not be moving forward with his candidacy as the next men's basketball coach. Another lucky decision that paid off for UVM.
Edit: Yes, I was right, 2 days before they offered the job to Lonergan https://www.washingtonpost.com/arch...vermont/28565e54-682b-4291-a92d-8fa21bbab1ff/
(and that "source close to the Terrapins program" was definitely Lonergan himself)
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Yeah, it's probably good that Agel didn't get hired, but I'm not sure that Lonergan was any great savior.
I don't like the guy at all, but hiring Mike Lonergan is the reason you, me, and every other UVM fan are here in 2023. He did the one thing any coach needed to do after 2005: kept winning and handed off a winner to the next guy who kept winning at a bigger level (which is also extremely lucky because that was no sure bet at the time either). All before his asshole shit caught up with him like it did at his next stop. Also, lucky lucky UVM. So yeah, he's a "savior." An asshole savior, but Agel would have been a nightmare and UVM would have just been a cute little story to remember for 3 seasons.
Agreed. And out of curiosity, in what ways did "his asshole shit" catch up with him at UVM? Had there been complaints, etc.?
It caught up with him at GW, hence his firing. All the stuff that came out about him in the Washington Post article, that shit was happening at UVM. Most the guys who transferred out (and there were a lot of them) just left and kept their mouths shut, because Longeran is pretty vindictive. But, there were guys who wanted to stay at UVM because they liked being here (including the current associate HC), but could not play for the man anymore because of how he acted/treated players. There's a reason the guy never sued the Washington Post for libel like he claimed: he'd have to say where the lie was.
Asshole human, might be among one of the worst people I've met personally. But he also was a really good basketball coach who UVM fans don't have to, and shouldn't like...but have to acknowledge he played a pretty big part in the program being where it's at right now in terms of on-court play.
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I went back to look at the Lonergan years and was surprised he lasted six years there. I remember hearing about things early on in his time at UVM from my brother, an 84 graduate, who was on some alumni committee during that time. There were rumblings about his treatment of players and others that did not sit well with many alumni, like my brother, who are an important part of ongoing financial support of the University.
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I know that Trapani, Garvey Young and a guard from the DC area (can't think of his name) transferred out but who were the others?
And are you saying that Becker did not like him? I wouldn't be surprised if this were the case. Unless I missed it, Becker did not thank Lonergan when he got Wins record. He thanked a lot of others.
You might be thinking of Jason Green.
A big red flag to me was when Ryan Schneider and Josh Duell left. They stayed after Brennan
left and then bailed after one year with Lonergan.
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Bingo!
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