*Team Stats updated with conference only figures
11-5, third place
2014-15 Record
12-4 (5-3 road, 7-1 home), tied for second
2014-15 Attendance
2,211 average, 17,687 total
2014-15 PPG
67.5, 1st in America East
2014-15 Opp PPG
55.0, 1st in America East
2014-15 3 Point FG %
36.9%, 3rd in America East
2014-15 FT %
71.5%, 3rd in America East
2014-15 Rebound Margin
+3.7, 4th in America East
2014-15 Assists
13.1, 1st in America East
2014-15 T/O Margin
+0.31, 4th in America East
What's Gone
Vermont loses 5 total players from their 2014-15 roster; 2 to graduation, 2 to transfer, while Zach McRoberts leaves the program to explore other opportunities. Hector Harold graduates coming off of a 14-15 season in which he averaged 8.1 points and 3.9 rebounds in just over 22 minutes per game for the Catamounts. Harold showed up big time in the America East tournament averaging 15.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, while shooting over 58% from deep.
McRoberts leaves Vermont after a Freshman season in which he averaged 4.2 point and 4.4 rebounds in 20 minutes per game. Along with contributing on the glass, McRoberts helped Vermont spread the floor. While he only attempted 17 three point field goals on the season, he made 35.3% of those attempts.
Brandon Hatton and Brendan Kilpatrick both decided to transfer out of the Vermont program after the 2014-15 season. Hatton averaged 3.9 points and 1.7 rebounds in 14.4 minutes per game while Kilpatrick averaged 3.6 points and 1.6 rebounds in 12 minutes per contest for the Catamounts.
Ryan Pierson graduates after appearing in 26 games for the Catamounts during the 2014-15 season. During the season Pierson averaged 3.2 points and 1.8 rebounds in 10 minutes of action per game.
Overall the Catamounts lose 34.3% of their offense and 32% of their minutes played during the 2014-15 season.
McRoberts leaves Vermont after a Freshman season in which he averaged 4.2 point and 4.4 rebounds in 20 minutes per game. Along with contributing on the glass, McRoberts helped Vermont spread the floor. While he only attempted 17 three point field goals on the season, he made 35.3% of those attempts.
Brandon Hatton and Brendan Kilpatrick both decided to transfer out of the Vermont program after the 2014-15 season. Hatton averaged 3.9 points and 1.7 rebounds in 14.4 minutes per game while Kilpatrick averaged 3.6 points and 1.6 rebounds in 12 minutes per contest for the Catamounts.
Ryan Pierson graduates after appearing in 26 games for the Catamounts during the 2014-15 season. During the season Pierson averaged 3.2 points and 1.8 rebounds in 10 minutes of action per game.
Overall the Catamounts lose 34.3% of their offense and 32% of their minutes played during the 2014-15 season.
What Arrives
#5 Dylan Sinnickson (Gr) 6'5'' 195 pound forward. Spends his graduate year at Vermont after averaging 17.5 ppg and 10.5 rpg for Middlebury College who play in the NESCAC under coach Jeff Brown. Played both basketball and baseball at Middlebury.
#12 Darren Payen (Jr) 6'8'' 217 pound forward. Sat out the 2014-15 season after transferring from Hofstra where he averaged 3.1 points and 2.2 rebounds in 10.3 minutes per game during the 2013-14 basketball season.
#21 Everett Duncan (Fr) 6'6'' 165 pound guard. Averaged 22 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists as a senior at Evansville Harrison High School. Enjoys the movie Hoosiers and short walks on the beach (actually could be Ernie, I get the two confused).
#44 Nate Rohrer (So) 6'7'' 205 pound forward. Comes in from West Valley College in California where he averaged 14.8 point and 7.3 rebounds during the 2014-15 season. Here's a link to some of his highlights as a freshman at West Valley.
The Red Shirts
#1 Josh Hearlihy (Jr) 6'8'' 213 pound guard/forward. Comes to Vermont after averaging 1.5 points in 8.5 minutes per game for Tulane during the 2014-15 season.
#35 Payton Henson (Jr) 6'8'' 215 pound forward. Played in 64 games total for Tulane in 2 seasons averaging 17.2 minutes per game, 4.8 points per game and 3.3 rebounds per game. Scored 2,239 points during high school in Arkansas.
#35 Payton Henson (Jr) 6'8'' 215 pound forward. Played in 64 games total for Tulane in 2 seasons averaging 17.2 minutes per game, 4.8 points per game and 3.3 rebounds per game. Scored 2,239 points during high school in Arkansas.
What Returns
#32 Ethan O'Day (Sr) 6'9'' 201 pound forward. 1st team all conference, 1st team all defense during the 2014-15 season that saw him average 12.7 ppg during America East play; good for 8th in the conference. While only playing just over 25 minutes per game during the 14-15 season O'Day averaged 5.6 rebounds and made 41 free throws; both led Vermont during conference play. Expect larger minutes leading to bigger stat lines for O'Day during the 2015-16 season.
#24 Dre Wills (Jr) 6'1'' 177 pound guard. 2nd team all conference, 1st team all defense during the 2014-15 season. Wills led the Catamounts in minutes; averaging 28.3 per contest. His 60.9% field goal percentage led Vermont in conference play, as did his 44 steals (2.8 p/g); good for tops in the America East.
#34 Kurt Steidl (Jr) 6'6'' 181 pound forward. Averaged 8.3 points and 3.5 rebounds in 26.8 minutes per game for Vermont during the 14-15 season. Steidl led Vermont with 26 made three point field goals (37.7% from deep) while also leading the Catamounts shooting 82.4% from the charity stripe.
#14 Cam Ward (So) 6'2'' 155 pound guard. Sharpshooter who led Vermont shooting 45.7% from three point range during the 2014-15 season. Ward averaged 8.0 points and 2.2 assists in 21.4 minutes for the Catamounts. Expect him to improve upon his 60% shooting from the free throw line last season.
#2 Trae Bell-Haynes (So) 6'2'' 170 pound guard. Led Vermont with 64 assists averaging 4 per game during the 2015-15 season. Scored 7.9 points per game in 26.8 minutes while finishing second in steals for the Catamounts with 11. Bell-Haynes shot 61.5% from deep; however he only attempted 13 three point field goals during 14-15 conference play.
#25 Drew Urquhart (So) 6'8'' 219 pound forward. Averaged 2.2 points and 1.5 rebounds for the Catamounts in 6.5 minutes per game for the Catamounts. Appeared in 13 out of 16 conference games during the 2014-15 season.
#20 Ernie Duncan (Fr) 6'3'' 192 pound guard. Ernie I left you out by accident initially so you'll get some extra love. The original ED redshirted the 2014-15 season due to a back injury after playing and starting in 4 games for the Catamounts. Duncan scored a career high 6 points and tallied 3 assists in 20 minutes in his first ever appearance in a Vermont uniform. Ernie came to Burlington as the first ever Evansville Harrison High School player to reach the 1,000 point plateau by his junior season. The shorter, but better looking brother for the Catamounts (based on the fact UVM doesn't have a picture up for Everett yet); Ernie averaged 20 points, 6 assists and 4 rebounds during his senior year of high school. I'm not sure what deal he made with Dre Wills to get number 20, but rumor is that it involves a pair of One Direction tickets the next time they make a stop in the Burlington area.
#20 Ernie Duncan (Fr) 6'3'' 192 pound guard. Ernie I left you out by accident initially so you'll get some extra love. The original ED redshirted the 2014-15 season due to a back injury after playing and starting in 4 games for the Catamounts. Duncan scored a career high 6 points and tallied 3 assists in 20 minutes in his first ever appearance in a Vermont uniform. Ernie came to Burlington as the first ever Evansville Harrison High School player to reach the 1,000 point plateau by his junior season. The shorter, but better looking brother for the Catamounts (based on the fact UVM doesn't have a picture up for Everett yet); Ernie averaged 20 points, 6 assists and 4 rebounds during his senior year of high school. I'm not sure what deal he made with Dre Wills to get number 20, but rumor is that it involves a pair of One Direction tickets the next time they make a stop in the Burlington area.
#4 David Urso (So) 6'2'' 195 pound guard. Walk on who appeared in 6 conference games for Vermont during the 2014-15 season. Shot 100% from three point range (1-1).
Coaching Staff
John Becker - Head Coach
Kyle Cieplicki - Associate Head Coach
Ryan Schneider - Assistant Coach
Hamlet Tibbs - Assistant Coach
Greg Snyder - Director of Basketball Operations
Vermont with a relatively young roster exceeded expectations for the 2014-15 season finishing at 12-4; tied with Stony Brook for second place in the conference. While the graduation of Hector Harold will certainly hurt the Catamounts they return their top 5 scorers from a 14-15 squad that finished 2nd in the America East with 67 points per game.
The Catamounts offense relied heavily on their ability to make shots during the 14-15 campaign. Vermont fans should expect more of the same in 2015-16 as they return 4 out of their top 5 players in field goal percentage; an area they led the America East in during conference play for the 2014-15 season.
While Vermont was able to shoot a high percentage from the floor during the 14-15 season, they were also able to limit their opponents to an America East worst (or best) 38.6% overall field goal percentage. The Vermont defense is perimeter oriented as they possess the ability to switch and trap with their guards; evident by their America East leading three point field goal percentage defense.
Expect the Catamounts to improve upon their 5th rated assist/turnover margin from last season. Now with a year of America East play under his belt Trae Bell-Haynes should have better pace to his game rather than playing at full throttle on almost every possession. The same goes for Dre Wills as he must find a nice balance between when to attack and when to pull back on the break.
Vermont may have an issue with their interior defense as they've lost bodies from 2014-15; a season in which they were already vulnerable inside against the top tier America East front lines.
Thought to be a year or two off from returning to their accustomed place atop the America East standings due to their young roster; Vermont surprised many by finishing tied for second in 2014-15. While The Catamounts have the talent to win the conference in 15-16, the top of the conference is stacked; with Stony Brook and Albany looking like the early favorites...they may just sneak into the club however. Look for Vermont to be the league favorite heading into the 2016-17 season.
Unofficial Player Quote
"Teen drinking is very bad, yo I got a fake ID though"
Biased Outlook
I dig their talent and guard play but it's not quite their time to shine. Vermont's won 5 America East regular season titles since the 2004-5 season, while winning the America East tournament 3 times during the same stretch. Their last dance came after the 2011-12 season and as far as I'm concerned their song ain't playing yet.
I'm 83% sure I saw someone sitting in a recliner on their base line during a home game which may be the coolest seat in sports.
I'm 83% sure I saw someone sitting in a recliner on their base line during a home game which may be the coolest seat in sports.
Next Up: New Hampshire Wildcats
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