BURLINGTON, Vt. – Vermont’s America East championship this season is the end of a journey, but not your ordinary one. It’s a journey that’s had journeys within it, and one of them went a long way in shaping the Catamounts’ 83-70 win over Boston University to claim the title.
Before the game, a moment of silence was observed for the mother of Catamount junior forward Evan Fjeld. Susan Fjeld passed away earlier in the week after a long battle with cancer, one that was never made public. She and her husband purchased a condo in Vermont (Evan grew up in North Carolina) to be closer to Evan and were often at the team’s games, even on the road. Her passing naturally shook up Evan, who had a breakthrough season this year, but the team was touched as well, especially since they all knew her. The head coach? He couldn’t take it because it hit close to home.
“I’m not going to lie, I left town,” said Mike Lonergan, whose mother passed away from cancer in 1995. “I said I was going to recruit, and I went to New York with my wife and I watched a day of Big East games, because my mom died of cancer in six months. I talked to Evan, gave the team one day off, and I had to just get away.”
Fjeld didn’t feel he handled it all as well as he’s getting credit for. He deflected the credit to his late mother and the team, a reminder that Vermont basketball is truly a family affair and not just with the team. As is often the case, numerous alumni were in Patrick Gym on Saturday, but this was one occasion where the family part was highlighted within the team. Marqus Blakely, the tournament MVP, noted how the Catamounts always break out of huddles saying “Family”, and as such it’s no accident that when Fjeld’s mother passed away, they all came together in support of their teammate.
“We wanted to let him know that we were there for him as his brothers, because we see ourselves as a family,” said the senior forward, who added to an already crowded trophy case.
Fjeld didn’t play his best game, but the effort was there and he felt like the game wasn’t the toughest challenge of the week. He kept some perspective in mind, knowing that there’s a game and there’s life.
“I told them before the game that we had already gone through the trial for the week, and this was just a victory lap,” Fjeld said.
For Lonergan, this is part of a long journey as a college coach, one he thought about after the game. When he took over after Tom Brennan’s retirement, it was truly the beginning of a new era, while also the culmination of moves he made to try to become a Division I coach after his success at Catholic University in Division III. That included a national championship, which he said felt similarly to the title his team just claimed on Saturday. He remembered interviewing for about a half dozen jobs before finally getting the offer at Vermont, and having to change his resume at one point to increase his chances.
His tenure almost started off in the best way, as the Catamounts reached the conference title game in his first season as the No. 6 seed, but that team was very inexperienced and had a good deal of luck in getting that far. A year later, they lost at home to Albany by one in a heart-breaker, aided by a key injury to big man Chris Holm. The third time was the charm on Saturday as they hosted it again and came out victorious. They were healthier this year and had some intangibles that helped.
“We won a lot of close games this year,” Lonergan reflected. “We’ve made free throws, we’ve also had more trust in each other and we’ve executed plays down the stretch.”
Lonergan is an intense guy and can often be seen grabbing a towel during a game. He’s known as a workaholic and has certainly put the work in to keep this program at a high level during his tenure, not an easy accomplishment by any stretch. That’s why he loves players like Joey Accaoui, the ultimate gym rat who’s changed his game to be more of a point guard now after basically no Division I program wanted him out of high school, or injured forwards Ben Crenca and Luke Apfeld, two players whose effort is never in doubt when they’re on the floor.
Although it’s inevitable that it will be talked about, Lonergan has never felt like he and his staff have been under the shadow of former head coach Tom Brennan. Brennan is a legend not just because of the three straight titles, but his personality, and a big part of his personality has shown since he retired. Lonergan called Brennan his “biggest supporter” and said he is still around from time to time. Brennan was not in the stands on Saturday because he was being honored as one of the SEC Legends at the SEC Tournament, but he was in contact with Lonergan, who added, “He’s probably got a message on my voicemail now, if he was here he’d be in the locker room.”
Before he got the job, Lonergan and Brennan didn’t know one another, but they’ve forged a great relationship ever since. It’s certainly helped Lonergan as he was new to the area but quickly found out why so many people talked about it as a special place. Lonergan said he called Brennan “Head Coach Emeritus” and a mentor for him, and now he’s followed his mentor in getting the team to the NCAA Tournament.
It’s the end of a journey, and another journey within that – and the journey within went a long way in shaping the end result.
