One of the pleasant surprises during non-conference play and even at the beginning of conference play has been Vermont. The Catamounts weren’t thought to be among the conference favorites this season given the personnel losses they sustained, but they went through the first two months with a 9-3 mark and then won the first two America East games. But the Catamounts came back to earth at Boston University last weekend, and it highlights the job that Mike Lonergan is doing with this group.
“We’ve got a lot of weaknesses, I’ve said it all along, and a lot of them got exposed today,” Lonergan said.
The biggest loss from last season is certainly Marqus Blakely, but that’s not all. Gone as well are Maurice Joseph, Garvey Young (transferred) and Nick Vier, and the last of those three might be the most important one. The Catamounts don’t have a true point guard in the program, and that has been a hindrance at times. Joey Accaoui is one of the best kids in college basketball and has given a valiant effort playing there this season, but he’s a natural shooting guard. Sophomore Simeon Marsalis hasn’t been productive, and freshman Josh Elbaum is more of a combo guard in addition to being inexperienced.
With that, the Catamounts an struggle to get much going on the offensive end, and it showed at Boston University. Besides not having a point guard, they don’t have someone who can break a defender down off the dribble. As a result, they have run a lot of their offense through wing Brian Voelkel. That has worked reasonably well, and he has won the conference’s Rookie of the Week honor four times, but it also means they’re asking quite a bit of a freshman.
Voelkel leads the conference in rebounding and hands out well over four assists per game, but Lonergan said he hasn’t been himself lately. It’s possible that he may be hitting a wall after playing over 30 minutes per game.
Evan Fjeld is having a terrific senior season and is being discussed as the Player of the Year if the season were to end today. With him alongside Voelkel, they have no concerns in the frontcourt, especially if Luke Apfeld, finally recovered from multiple ACL injuries, can give them more production and Matt Glass shoots the way he is capable of. Glass was bloodied in his eye on Sunday late in the first half and didn’t return, and the Catamounts will be cautious with him as they may suspect he got more than a cut eye. Voelkel and Fjeld set the tone for this team as their top two players.
“When they’re not real good, we’re just an average team,” said Lonergan.
Vermont’s non-conference schedule was very light, and they certainly won’t be discussed as a possible at-large team. Their best wins came at Iona and at Northeast Conference contender Quinnipiac, showing they can win on the road. Their 4-3 mark away from home bodes well for later in the conference season, as they have not lost at home all season and always have a good homecourt advantage. Their next two games come at home, including a test with Maine visiting next Tuesday. If they win these next two, they will be 4-1 heading into a stretch with four of six on the road.
America East is wide open this season. Boston University might have the most talent, but a lot of it is young and they need veterans like John Holland and Jake O’Brien to be leaders as well as their best players. Maine has a good mix of talent and experience, while Stony Brook is a wild card with Tommy Brenton out for the season. New Hampshire had a chance even with Alvin Abreu lost for the season, then Ferg Myrick went down with a season-ending knee injury that is a huge blow to them. If ever there was a season where a team as flawed as Vermont could win, this is it.
The fact that Vermont has made it this far without a true point guard and the overall lack of scoring power is a testament to Lonergan’s coaching and what the players have done buying into it. If they keep it up, contending for a conference title isn’t out of the realm of possibilities. But it won’t be a smooth ride by any stretch, as Sunday’s game showed and others to come likely will as well.
