After taking a 9-point lead into halftime of last season’s America East (AE) Championship game, it seemed as though Vermont would get a chance to play in the NCAA Tournament. Instead, the Catamounts’ season ended 20 minutes later following a dismal second half that allowed Stony Brook to march into the “Big Dance.”
Vermont’s then-inexperienced lineup allowed 53 points in the second alone on that Saturday in early March. But Vermont will return to the floor this season with the core of its lineup largely intact. Four starters from last year’s squad will take the court again for the Catamounts in 2016-17. In his sixth year as head coach, John Becker will attempt to guide the Catamounts to their first AE Championship since 2012.
“I think there has been a tremendous amount of growth in our players,” Becker said. “I think the experience of ending the year the way we did will really put us in a position … to hopefully finish it off.”
Even though the Catamounts came short of winning the championship last year, consistency has been a hallmark of the program. Vermont has tallied at least 20 wins in each of the past eight seasons.
“I think we have a good culture,” Becker said. “The guys are expected to win. They feel a responsibility to the players that have come before them to continue the tradition of winning. It has been a lot of good players that have bought into our culture here and have achieved an amazing amount of consistency.”
Ethan O’Day, an athletic four-man who averaged 11.5 points and 6.3 rebounds per game last year, starred for four of those 20-plus win teams. Now that he’s graduated, Becker plans to use a committee of forwards to replace him.
“Ethan [O’Day] was obviously a big loss,” Becker said. “But I think we will be able to replace his production up front.”
Among those expected to step up are the team’s newly minted captains — junior guard Trae Bell-Haynes, senior guard Dre Wills and senior forward Kurt Steidl. Bell-Haynes was named to the AE Preseason All-Conference Team after shooting a 47 percent clip last season, which ranked second among the conference’s guards. Steidl believes that the experience he gained last season laid the groundwork for a championship run.
“It’s my last year so obviously I want to go out with a championship,” Steidl said. “It’s definitely a little bit more of a burden to be captain, but it’s a great opportunity to lead this team so that we can get to where we want to go.”
Despite ranking in the middle of the conference in scoring defense last season, Becker remained unsatisfied with his team’s defense. Vermont placed fifth after giving up 70.6 points per game.
“I don’t think anybody was happy with the way we played defense last year,” Becker said. “We’re working on it and I think we’re in a better place than we were last year. My expectations will be a lot higher on that side of the ball.”
A spate of injuries to key players has hampered Vermont’s preseason preparation. Redshirt sophomore guard Ernie Duncan is day-to-day while nursing a wrist injury. Junior guard Cam Ward is also day-to-day while dealing with back spasms. Both are questionable to play in the season opener.
Prior to last season, junior redshirt forwards Payton Henson and Josh Hearlihy transferred from Tulane and sat on the bench due to NCAA restrictions. Both expect to play a role in the committee that is bound to replace O’Day. Freshman forward Anthony Lamb is also expected to contribute after averaging 30 points and 17 rebounds per game last year as a senior in high school.
“Anthony is going to be a really, really good player here,” Steidl said. “He’s going to have an impact on our game this year.”
AE coaches ranked Vermont No. 1 in the preseason poll. While the Catamounts were last ranked at the top in 2013, Becker believes they will meet this year’s lofty expectations.
“It’s a different group this year,” Becker said. “The guys are older and they really understand what we need to do.”