[GoCatsGo]

One name for 2023 to remember nationally: Dajuan Wagner Jr from Camden, NJ.

I don't want to take this off-topic but I had to add this. I'm not old enough to remember Milt Wagner play at Louisville, but it was in my lifetime. But the fact that he has a grandson who is a freshman in high school...that hurts my life a little.

 

[UVM Hoop Cat]

Dajuan Wagner was who I watched a lot and would have had a long NBA career if not for career-ending illness that cut short his pro career. That feels kinda like yesterday and now his son is in HS....time flies when you’re having fun posting about UVM basketball, I guess.

 

[catpower]

I don't want to take this off-topic but I had to add this. I'm not old enough to remember Milt Wagner play at Louisville, but it was in my lifetime. But the fact that he has a grandson who is a freshman in high school...that hurts my life a little.

Did you collapse of old age in the Patrick Gym bleachers seeing Jameer Nelson Jr. on GW last week?

 

[GoCatsGo]

Did you collapse of old age in the Patrick Gym bleachers seeing Jameer Nelson Jr. on GW last week?

Yes, between that and watching Caron Butler's kid play in the tournament last year, I have become fossilized.

 

[Steve-skylar-nash]

I heard from one of Taylor's old teammates that he has his sights set on a higher level than UVM. Not sure if that's attainable, but it's a good goal to shoot for.

 

[GoCatsGo]

I heard from one of Taylor's old teammates that he has his sights set on a higher level than UVM. Not sure if that's attainable, but it's a good goal to shoot for.

Makes sense. Otherwise he probably wouldn't have left MMU after one year and reclassified to repeat his freshman year.

We'll see what happens. Would be pretty cool if he filled out, blew up, and became a star. Would also be cool if he just became a very solid mid-major player who wanted to play in the Tarrant Center.

 

[UVM Hoop Cat]

Take what a young kid says with a grain of salt, at this age. Kendrick Gray & Kam Farris wanted to go higher than UVM as well and they ended up a walk-on at ETSU (and out of hoops) and committed to Robert Morris. Bol Bowen should be hopeful UVM remains an option to him as he progresses through his prep career.

 

[benchwarmer]

Won't even try to spell his name but you know who I'm talking about, the 5'8' guard for Rice just scored 37 and went over 1000 pts as a junior. Must be one H of a shooter. I wonder if UVM has any interest. I know he's small but guards of that size have made it before.

 

[c00per]

MaxPreps has Michel Ndayishimiye listed at 5'10" now. Not sure about the accuracy of anybody's height who plays basketball, but being over average height certainly helps.

Rice's Michel Ndayishimiye notches 1,000th point in comeback win over St. Johnsbury

Green Knights junior guard pours in 35 points to hit milestone and fuel comeback win over St. Johnsbury.

www.burlingtonfreepress.com

 

[UVM Hoop Cat]

He looks like he's Deloney's size. It's hard to gauge what level he'll ultimately play at at this time IMO, but he's definitely talented and someone to keep tabs on.

 

[VCat_2015]

Ndayishme is definitely 5’8”. That said, there are PLENTY of dynamic scoring PGs at all levels of college basketball who are his size, but are usually listed at 5’11 or so. Hell, calling Aaron Deloney 5’10” is generous (I know hes listed at 6’0, but he’s not anywhere close to that).

 

[VT Cats Fan]

UVM will give him a look. He's still only a junior, so perhaps a year at Prep School...I guess it depends on what his aspirations are.

 

[catpower]

An article from November on him at an open gym series Open Gym Series Spotlight - Vermont's Michel Ndayishimiye |

Says has a goal of low D1 or D2...based on this and other things you hear, he sounds like he'd be a good program guy/take a flyer on because you've gotten lucky before with these types of kids for UVM. Shungu/Rugg path or otherwise.

 

[LakeSinclair]

I'm a UVM fan but have never lived there, so I'm wondering about all the basketball prospects in the state with African surnames. Shungu and Adiang are certainly two, but if you look up the top 10 list in VT you'll see several, especially from greater Burlington. I'm curious about what accounts for the apparent influx of African immigrants to the state?

 

[catpower]

I'm a UVM fan but have never lived there, so I'm wondering about all the basketball prospects in the state with African surnames. Shungu and Adiang are certainly two, but if you look up the top 10 list in VT you'll see several, especially from greater Burlington. I'm curious about what accounts for the apparent influx of African immigrants to the state?

Vermont takes in a number of refugees (or did up until the current White House administration put a stop to refugee resettlement). Throughout the 2000s many refugees from East African countries like Somalia, Sudan, Kenya, DR Congo etc. were resettled here. In the 1990s there was an influx of Bosnian refugees after the conflict over there as well. There were a few Syrians resettled in Rutland a few years ago. So, a lot of these kids either came here when they were young, or in some cases were born here which is why you would see many African immigrants or those of immigrant families at VT high schools...mostly Chittenden County.

 

[c00per]

Catpower beat me to it:
Refugee Resettlement is big, especially in US towns that have resources within walking distance (e.g. Winooski & Burlington in Vermont). Don't know if any local ballers went through the program but the people I know that did a few years ago are great people. Some of them have since scattered throughout the country but a few still live in Winooski.

Data Dive: Vermont's Refugee Resettlement in Three Revealing Charts

Since 1989, nearly 8,000 refugees from all over the world have resettled in Vermont, arriving from Africa, Europe and Asia. Seven Days has looked at...

www.sevendaysvt.com

 

[LakeSinclair]

That's an astute move by a state that needs population. In addition to building short-term citizenry, the introduction of greater diversity will probably make relocating to VT more appealing for many Americans in the future.

 

[joseneopaney]

He just got an

Take what a young kid says with a grain of salt, at this age. Kendrick Gray & Kam Farris wanted to go higher than UVM as well and they ended up a walk-on at ETSU (and out of hoops) and committed to Robert Morris. Bol Bowen should be hopeful UVM remains an option to him as he progresses through his prep career.

offer from George Mason and UVM today

 

[joseneopaney]

he is 5’10”

 

[vtballerfan]

I'm a UVM fan but have never lived there, so I'm wondering about all the basketball prospects in the state with African surnames. Shungu and Adiang are certainly two, but if you look up the top 10 list in VT you'll see several, especially from greater Burlington. I'm curious about what accounts for the apparent influx of African immigrants to the state?

Did you go to UVM? I am curious how you became a fan?