Unranked: A Whole New World

After 10 short months, I've decided to retire From the Parking Lot. I will be joining forces with former members of America Least and Purple and Gold Nation to form an America East superblog for SBNation.com. The blog will be called "Unranked", and I promise to continue to write homer-inspired entries about our beloved Vermont Catamounts.

It's been fun. Let's cue it up one more time.




SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS...OH! MY GOODNESS!! SORRENTINE HIT THAT ONE FROM THE PARKING LOT.

Brian Voelkel featured in Slam Online

It's always nice when your players get national attention. According to Slam Online, Brian Voelkel can expect more to come if he continues to be the do-it-all man for the Catamounts.

Non-Conference Schedule Released

When it comes to a mid-major's non-conference schedule, I'm not a huge believer in playing the best to get better. It's undebatable that you don't learn all that much from scrimmaging teams like St. Michael's or Concordia, but it is just as true that you don't learn anything from getting pounded by teams like BYU (that game last year was ugly). This is precisely why I love Vermont's 2011-2012 non-conference schedule: there are almost zero games where the Catamounts will be over their heads, and there aren't many games where they will be heavily favored.

10/29: Saint Michael's (Preseason)
11/5: Concordia (Preseason)
11/12: @South Florida
11/16: @Dartmouth

Hall of Fame Tip-Off (Uncasville, CT)
11/19: Marist
11/20: Long Island/Radford

11/23: @Old Dominion
11/26: Siena
12/1: Harvard
12/3: @Yale
12/7: @Saint Louis
12/11: Quinnipiac
12/17: Iona
12/21: @Fairleigh Dickinson
12/23: @Towson
12/30: Northeastern

I love the Harvard game. Harvard returns every player from last year's team that was tournament bound until Princeton hit a buzzer beater. That will be a tough early season test.
Old Dominion is another game that is no joke. They lose three of their top four scorers, but you can always count on the Monarchs to reload. I look at this game as replacing the George Mason game that was on the schedule for a few years. ODU is still a top-tier CAA team, and that is a good thing to have on your schedule as a mid-major.
Saint Louis is another nice game. They aren't the most formidable A-10 opponent you could hope for, but they are an A-10 team all the same.

Those are the three highlights from this year's non-conference schedule. Sure, it would have been nice to see the defending-champion Huskies on the schedule again, but would that really be productive? What did the Cats learn from that game last year? That they could hang with anyone in the country during one half of a basketball game. The Huskies ended up being a completely different team by the time the NCAA tournament came around. Better to play some competitive basketball and hope you get better as the season gets closer to March.

Three months until the start of the season, ladies and gentlemen. Three months.

Last Season's Highlights

Oh, hell yeah! I was starting to worry that I wouldn't have any material this summer and then the "Vermont Catamounts" Facebook fan site comes through with this video:


My favorite? Voekel's behind the back pass to Fjeld at the :34 second mark.

John Becker In As Coach

Coach Becker. I can get down with that.

The University of Vermont made John Becker the head coach of the men's basketball program on Friday. The hire was not as juicy as it could have been, but it was a safe and calculated hire. The team will face less of a transition period going into next season, assuming that Becker's style of coaching will not differ dramatically from that of former Coach Mike Lonergan. Also, returning players and recruits who committed to play at Vermont will be less likely to look into playing at another program, which is often a concern when you hire a coach from outside of your program.

Becker has previous head coaching experience at Division III Gallaudet University, a school for the deaf and hearing impaired. He then moved on to being an assistant coach at Catholic University (where Lonergan used to coach) before coming to Vermont to be an assistant under Lonergan. That type of experience had to be what set Becker apart from Lonergan's top assistant at Vermont, Hajj Turner, who will be going to GW with Lonergan.

Apparently, Becker had tears in his eyes while he was being announced as the head coach. Imagine how hard he will be bawling when Vermont wins an NCAA tournament game.

Coaching Search Continues

In the midst of Vermont's search for a new coach, I have been on a four day, 2,300 mile road trip back to Vermont (I took a bizarre route to make sure I saw some old friends). That is the my excuse for the lack of coverage detailing UVM's ongoing coaching search. Sporting Vermont recently ran a great piece covering this subject, and, as that article points out, John Fantino has also done a predictably good job keeping the Catamount faithful up to speed.

So here's what we know: former Lonergan assistant John Becker is the interim head coach -- a great choice because he helped keep recruits committed to UVM, and he has helped keep current players from transferring (so far). Keep in mind how many schools would love to have Brian Voelkel, Luke Apfeld, or Sandro Carissimo and their three years of remaining eligibility. We know that Middlebury coach Jeff Brown is not interested in the job. As our friend Oscar, who writes for America Least, pointed out, Brown has a really good situation at Middlebury. You have to respect coaches who know that good is good enough. Just ask Dan Munson. Or Billy Gillespie. Or Jeff Capel. It's a long list, and those are only a few high profile cases of coaches who sprung for "better" coaching jobs that turned out to be a whole lot worse. We also know that Hajj Turner, Lonergan's top assistant, will be headed down to GW with Lonergan.

Other than that, several names have been thrown around as possible candidates to take over at UVM. Don't count Becker out, but I would personally be surprised if he landed the head coaching job without the "interim" part attached to the title. He was not even Lonergan's top assistant, and though he has legitimate experience coaching at the Division III level, you would think UVM would look for a bigger name. It will be interesting to see how it unfolds.

Sure is nice to be back home in Vermont.

Lonergan Leaves For GW

The Vermont men's basketball team has no head coach. Mike Lonergan announced last night via text message that he will be coaching the George Washington Colonials next season.

During Lonergan's six years at Vermont, the Catamounts enjoyed a record of 126-68 and qualified for one NCAA tournament, a CBI, and two NIT appearances. They won the regular season crown twice during his tenure (and shared it a third time).

The national search for a new head coach to fill the gaping hole at Vermont will begin immediately. The front runner for this job will likely be somebody with no Division I head coaching experience -- remember, Lonergan did not have any when he first came to Burlington. Jeff Brown, who graduated from UVM in 1982, seems to be the people's choice (I know this because of twitter). Brown is considered a great tactician and recruiter at the Division III level, down the road at Middlebury, where he has coached for the past fourteen years. All the Panthers did this past season was go 28-2 en route to the NCAA semifinals.

Another possible candidate would have to be Hajj Turner, Lonergan's former top assistant. Turner was rumored to be going back to his alma mater, Louisville, to become an assistant under Rick Pitino. It seems like that has fallen through.

The dark horse, the crazy-hire, the are-you-out-of-your-mind-candidate is your boy, T.J. Sorrentine, who has been a top assistant at Brown the last two seasons. Lord knows, Sorrentine would be welcomed back to Patrick with arms wide open. If you foolishly clicked that link, I apologize.

So today we say goodbye to Mike Lonergan and wish him the best of luck in the future. I can already picture the odd frequency with which I will find myself on the GW athletics page, quietly hoping that Lonergan can make us proud, and the strange warm feeling that I will get when a GW game is on television and the ESPN announcers are obliged to say, "Lonergan had great success at his previous job, coaching up in Burlington. (Second announcer): He coached at UVM, where he replaced our buddy, Tom Brennan." And UVM basketball will get a little more well-deserved respect. And for that, Coach Lonergan, we thank you.

Hewitt In At George Mason

Former Georgia Tech head coach Paul Hewitt has been hired at George Mason to the same title. Hewitt seemed like he was on the proverbial hot seat for the last three decades in Atlanta, but it was probably more like the last three years. He was finally fired at the end of this season sometime during March (dates in that month don't actually exist due to the NCAA tournament). After reaching the NCAA title game in 2004 (and losing to UConn), Hewitt and the Yellow Jackets were never able to achieve the same level of success: they reached the second round twice in those seven years and missed the tournament four times.

This means that Coach Lonergan remains an obvious candidate at only one school, George Washington. This may have already been established considering that Lonergan never even interviewed at George Mason (to my knowledge), while his interview at George Washington was openly publicized.

It took Mason about a week to hire a coach. Monday will mark a week since George Washington fired Karl Hobbs, so you might anticipate hearing about who will be the new coach at GW early this week.

Buckle up -- the coaching carousel is awhirl.

GW To Interview Lonergan

According to the Burlington Free Press, UVM head coach Mike Lonergan will interview for the open George Washington coaching job.

Lonergan has rarely shown any interest in interviewing for other jobs, so it would appear that he is definitively attracted to this job. I guess you can take the coach out of Washington D.C., but you can't keep him in Vermont unless you pay him more money. That's the saying, right?

Hobbs Out at GW -- Lonergan a Candidate There, Too?

The plot thickens. George Washington University announced on Monday that head coach Karl Hobbs has been fired. The highlight of Hobbs' ten year run in Washington D.C. was a 27-3 record in 2005-2006. The Colonels made the tournament again the next year before slipping into Atlantic 10 mediocrity the last few seasons.

Why is this significant in terms of UVM Basketball? For two reasons. It means two intriguing coaching jobs have opened up in the Washington D.C. area in the last few days. Coach Lonergan is from there, and has various coaching experience in the area, as my previous post takes note of. Perhaps more importantly, the man who fired Hobbs, Patrick Nero, had just been hired as the new athletic director at GW. His previous position? Commissioner of the America East conference. Nero will lead the search for a new coach to head the Colonels, and you have to believe Mike Lonergan is somewhere on that list.

The Nero connection is what UVM fans who hope to see Lonergan stay should be worried about; the GW job is not quite as alluring as the George Mason job. George Mason is coming off a solid season in which they were ranked in the top five of the mid-major poll for upwards of a month. They made it to the second round of the NCAA tournament only to suffer a brutal loss at the hands of Ohio State's shooting display that can only be described as hot fuego (my own words). Mason returns four out of five of their leading scorers from last season. Meanwhile, George Washington showed some signs of life last season, finishing fourth in the Atlantic ten, but they are not nearly as polished a product as the Patriots. That is to say, stepping into the George Mason job would seem to be much more desirable. Also, George Mason's iconic status as a mid-major juggernaut seems to have had some pull in the recruiting world over the last five seasons, something any coach must be attracted to.

With potential options springing up for Lonergan, Catamount country remains on high alert.

Lonergan Leaving?

WPTZ sports reported this evening that UVM Coach Mike Lonergan is a finalist for the coaching vacancy at George Mason. The other finalist, Bill Courtney -- head coach at Cornell -- has stronger ties to George Mason, having helped departing Coach Jim Larranaga build George Mason into a mid-major powerhouse. If you think "mid-major powerhouse" is an oxymoron, you may be right, but if it does in fact exist, George Mason helped that term become a reality with their amazing run to the 2006 Final Four. Larranaga left Mason a couple of days ago to become the head coach at the University of Miami, a decision that must have come down to money. I mean, honestly, who wants to coach the Hurricanes?

Why would Lonergan make sense at George Mason? He was born and raised in the Washington, D.C. area, which happens to be where George Mason is located. He won the NCAA Division III National Championship coaching the Catholic University of America, which is in D.C. He moved on to be an assistant coach at the neighboring University of Maryland in 2004, before joining the coaching staff at UVM shortly thereafter. You would imagine Lonergan and his family like Washington D.C.

The decision on who will fill the coaching vacancy will probably be made within the next couple of days, so we will keep our eyes on that. Some part of me thinks Lonergan really enjoys being at UVM, but I suppose that's what every naive college fan of a small school thinks until their coach up and leaves.

Who would be a good fit to fill Lonergan's shoes if he did leave? Here's my list:

Phil Jackson
Rudy Tomjanovich
John Thompson Jr.

Jokes!

I will create a real list if Lonergan actually does leave. Until then, I will continue to believe our coach is staying.

Houston, We Have a Contract

Marqus Blakely signed a three year, non-guaranteed contract with the Houston Rockets early yesterday morning. Blakely immediately flew into Minneapolis for the Rockets season finale so that he could, well, ride the bench for the evening. What does this all mean? It means at least one NBA team, and probably others, are interested in Blakely's future services. Does it mean we can expect to see him in a Rockets uniform next year? Absolutely not.

Blakely-- who is attempting to become the first UVM alumnus to play in an NBA game -- would need to make the Rocket's fifteen man squad at the end of next season's training camp for his contract to become solidified. This is the same deal that Blakely faced toward the end of training camp last summer, with the Los Angeles Clippers. He was the last man cut by the Clippers and played the 2010-11 season with the Bakersfield Jam and Iowa Energy of the NBDL.

It is significant that the Rockets made this decision just before their season came to a close (they finished ninth in the West at 43-39, so they will not be in the playoffs): it means they want Marqus to be working out with other Houston players this summer. This could help him impress his peers and coaches and give him an advantage over potential summer signees he will be competing against for a spot on the team in preseason camp.

One reason we shouldn't get too excited about seeing Blakely in a Rocket's jersey next season is due to the impending NBA lockout. Personally, I have trouble believing there will not be an NBA season played next year. I have a similar amount of trouble believing there will not be an NFL season next year. But people who know what they're talking about more so I seem to think there will be a lockout, so I'll give them the benefit of the doubt.

Meanwhile, Marqus Blakely and his devout followers will await the day we can finally don an NBA jersey with his name on the back. Now that will be some sweet stuff.

Marqus Blakely: Your Neighborhood Glass Cleaner

All Marqus Blakely did in 28 minutes of action last night was pull down 13 boards -- 6 of them offensive -- and score 15 points. Last night was the first game of the playoffs for Marqus' team, the Iowa Energy, who go into the NBDL playoffs as the top seed in the Eastern Conference. I cannot explain why this means they play the fifth seed in the Western Conference (the Utah Flash), but I'm sure there is a (not so) good reason. Trying to figure out the NBDL playoff system is kind of like trying to figure out why VCU made the NCAA tournament this year. Wait... they went to the Final Four? Seriously??!! Okay, bad example. But seriously, the NBDL playoff system makes zero sense. Two teams from the Eastern Conference made the playoffs while six from the Western Conference made it. And then it would appear random seeds play each other. Why have conferences?

Regardless, Blakely's passionate performance helped spark the Energy to a 103-96 road victory over the Flash to take a 1-0 lead in the best of three series. The next two games are Monday and Tuesday (if necessary) in Iowa.

Marqus also converted a nice alley-oop dunk at the start of the second quarter, which is always fun to see. Blakely was on the receiving end of that "didn't-you-learn-how-to-defend-this-backdoor-alley-oop-when-you-were-in-high-school" play which seems to work at every level of basketball for some reason. Let's just say he converted.

You can see highlights of the game here. That link leads to a website, NBA Futurecast, where you can actually watch all of the NBDL's games live and for free. I just found that out for myself this week and have enjoyed keeping up with Marqus via games being broadcast online.

Vermont Hung With The Top Dogs

As Jim Nantz inflicted us with his latest cheesy declaration of the college basketball season coming to a close -- this year it was "UConn is Top Dog in 2011" -- Vermont fans had to be thinking about a game that took place nearly five months ago. On November 17th, the Catamounts led the 2011 national champion Connecticut Huskies 36-33 at the half. They would go on to lose the game 89-73 thanks to Kemba Walker's 42 points (a career high, and likely to remain just that when he enters the draft in the next twelve minutes or so).

Vermont, or any other team from Divisions I-III would have had a good chance at beating Butler tonight, as UConn did. The Bulldogs shot an absurd 12-64 from the field in the national championship game. That is futility that will be remembered for a very long time, unfortunately. Butler was an exciting team to watch throughout the month of March, but tonight was absolutely excruciating. Their big men looked like Muggsy Bogues vs. Manute Bol in the paint. Their guards tried their best to imitate T.J. Sorrentine every time down the floor. It was a disappointing outcome all around. And assuming Butler does not make another crazy run in March anytime soon, it will be a bad way to remember a team that gave inspiration to mid-majors everywhere during two straight NCAA tournaments.

Meanwhile, the Catamounts watched from Burlington, considering the next time they might see a Vermont jersey during the annual version of "One Shining Moment".

For a reminder on what that looks like, we go to the tape:

Marsalis Bids Team Ado

Simeon Marsalis has cut ties with Vermont's basketball team according to the Burlington Free Press' Sports Blog, "On Campus".

While the news is not extremely damaging to the team's outlook next season -- Marsalis' role with the team became more marginal as this past season progressed -- it is disappointing all the same. I actually would be surprised if his decrease in playing time was a deciding factor for Marsalis leaving the team. Marsalis always appeared to be a class act and a team player in the two seasons he played for the Cats. Sometimes kids get tired of being student-athletes, and if that is how they feel, then who can blame them for leaving their team?

It sounds like Marsalis will continue his education at the University of Vermont, which is good to hear.

We wish you the best of luck, Simeon.

You have to wonder what Coach Lonergan is going to do with that extra scholarship.

Panther Pride

I'm about two weeks late on this update, but I meant to congratulate the 2011 Thetford Academy Panthers on a great season. My proud alma mater came up just short, once again, falling to Winooski in the Division 3 state championship game, 49-43. The fourth-seeded Panthers upset two-time defending champion Hazen -- a longtime Barre foe -- in the semifinals.

This season's campaign marked the eighth time in the last ten years that Thetford advanced to the semifinals, a great run for any school. No team in divisions 2-4 ever takes a trip to the Barre Auditorium (the neutral site of Vermont's semifinal and championship rounds) for granted, and Thetford is definitely no different.

The loss is Thetford's third straight loss in a state championship game. On the heels of state championships in 2002 and 2004, the Panthers were state runners-up in 2006, 2007, and now 2011 is added to that list. Being runner-up is obviously hard to swallow, but it is a proud achievement nonetheless. Someone once told me a little secret about sports: if you make it to the championship, you've got a fifty percent chance to win, no matter who you play. I agree. One of these years the Thetford Academy Panthers will be state champs once again, and the team will parade down Route 113 in firetrucks, and it will be made all the sweeter by those three close calls.


So despite this being a Vermont Catamounts blog -- or, perhaps, because of this being a Vermont Catamounts blog -- we pause to congratulate this year's Panthers.

Looking Forward from March (The March Forward)

What fun it is to look forward to the next season. I already discussed the schedule that the Catamounts are putting together in a previous post, but now it's time to look at what type of team they will be putting forth for that schedule. These projections are, of course, barring injuries, transfers, or players leaving school early for the NBA (I'm kidding... but seriously if Brian Voelkel put his name in the draft admit that you would think for a split second: "hmm....". But no, I'm kidding. Okay, 99% kidding). I'm going to deliver this on three different levels:
A) Things that are set in stone. These things are, ostensibly, unarguable facts about Vermont's depth chart in 2011-2012.
B) Potentialities. Nuff said.
C) Wild Ideas. This is my favorite section, where I get to try and predict crazy things about Vermont's team next year.

A) Things That Are Set In Stone.
This is interesting, mostly because what in the world is set in stone about Brian Voelkel's role with the team next year? Okay, a few things are: he will be the most important player for Vermont next season, he will rebound like Dennis Rodman on drugs (so, Dennis Rodman), and will make Bob Cousy look like only a decent passer (I'm probably kidding). Basically, what I'm trying to say, is that Voelkel will hopefully not be asked to play much point guard next season because someone will have stepped into that role, so what position will he play? Maybe it just doesn't matter. But it makes it hard to project who will play the other positions. So more on this in "Potentialities".
Brendan Bald is one player I think we can pin down. Bald will play the 2. He will continue to get better on the offensive side while playing stellar defense as the returning DPOY in America East. Bald was the most dependable 3-point shooter for Vermont this past season at 41% (50-122), though that's not exactly high praise on a team that struggled from distance all season long. I expect huge things from Bald during his junior campaign, like first or second team all-conference honors.

It's sad that I have no more in this section... but instead, let's interpret that as exciting.

B) Potentialities.
This is where it gets fun. Bear with me.
Vermont's point guard spot is Sandro Carissimo's to lose. It's a fact. This is partially due to the fact that Vermont is not bringing in any true point guards a season after struggling to find just that. Coach Lonergan tried to spoon feed the position to Carissimo toward the end of the season, and Sandro took little baby bites. Things that need to change: Sandro needs to feel more comfortable shooting the basketball. He was 17-37 from 3 -- 46% -- but he only attempted 37 threes. He turned the ball over 1.2 times a game and dished out 1.4 assists a game. It doesn't matter what level you're playing, a 1.1 A/TO ratio is not good for a point guard. Third graders get called out for that. Yet, Carissimo came on strong toward the end of the season. He proved he could score, but he needs to prove he can do that, dish out assists and turn the ball over less. Then he will secure a spot as the Cats starting point guard.
Matt Glass. The X Factor. Could the 2011-2012 season hinge on Glass' performance? I don't think that's crazy. Look, Brendan Bald is the only established scorer the Catamounts have returning, and even that could be considered a stretch (I personally don't think it is or I wouldn't have written it). Glass needs to shoot the basketball the way he did in the first half of the season, or at least score the way he did in the first half of the season: He dropped double figures (including 24 against UConn on 9-14 shooting) 9 out of his first 16 games. He sat out against UMBC, and then scored in double figures 2 out of the next 15 games. A split like that makes you wonder if the guy was hurt. Regardless of what may have been going on, Glass did a lot of good things for UVM this year. He adds size, defense, and hopefully can begin to be a key contributor on offense next season. He certainly has that potential (as long as we're talking about potentiality, am I right?).
Four McGlynn. When I first read this kids name I thought I was dreaming. And then I watched his highlights. The kid can shoot. I don't know if he can shoot from Antoine Walker's Land Of Fours, but he can shoot from distance. He has some nice steals on Youtube -- whatever that means. He will definitely compete for playing time with Carissimo at the 1 spot (though I honestly have no idea what kind of a ball handler he is), and will be able to spell Bald at the 2. I look forward to McGlynn's presence in Vermont's rotation.
Chris Santo is another incoming recruit, rated a "78" by ESPN's Insider-Recruiting-Something-Something (McGlynn is an 80 by the way). Do you know what that means? Me neither. He is a 6'4'' Small Forward from Cherry Hill, NJ. Apparently, he won a three point shooting contest in the annual North-South New Jersey All Star Game. He also scored 11 points in the actual game. Hopefully this means both Santo and McGlynn will be able to hit some big 3's for the Catamounts this season. More on this in the final section.
So we haven't discussed big men yet. I'm going to go ahead and say Matt Glass is the most likely candidate to be playing the 4 next season. He has that size. He has not shown that he is entirely comfortable in the post on offense, but he can play down there on defense at 6' 8''. Voelkel will be playing the 3/whatever position it is Brian Voelkel plays. Carissimo/McGlynn/and possibly Simeon Marsalis will see time at the point. Bald has the 2 spot locked up. So who steps in to play the 5?
Pat Bergmann. I would never have dreamed of writing that as my answer before the NIT, but that's the answer. Bergmann showed that he can bang with the big boys down low when Vermont took on Cleveland State, putting up 16 points and 8 rebounds.
Ben Crenca will also compete for the starting 5 position. This is the spot at which Vermont has the most work to do in terms of matching up with good big men, particularly during out of conference match ups.

C) Wild Ideas.
We've arrived.
Here's my first wild idea, and it's wild: There is a reason I haven't mentioned Luke Apfeld yet: because I think Apfeld is going to work his way into the starting lineup, and I think Apfeld is going to be a great player for Vermont by the end of next season. Not good- great. I think the potential starting lineup, by the end of the 2011-2012 America East season could be exactly this:
(And let's forget positions for now, who cares about arbitrary numbers)
Sandro Carissimo
Brendan Bald
Brian Voelkel
Matt Glass
Luke Apfeld

Now, I know I'm not exactly going out on a limb with those predictions: Without looking, I can tell you that those five players averaged the most minutes last year out of the players who will return next season (Okay, I just checked and I'm correct). But can the Catamounts compete in America East with Apfeld and Glass down low? Absolutely. Can they compete in the NCAA tournament, NIT, or CBI with those two down low? Maybe? The point here is that Pat Bergmann and Ben Crenca can come off the bench to spell Glass and Apfeld. We don't need a true center if the latter two can mark their territory in the paint, and I really think they can. That said, we will undoubtedly miss Fjeld's post-up presence that seemed to improve with each season. That is why this team will need to shoot the ball better, which brings us to our next wild idea:

Second wild idea: This team will greatly improve its three point shooting. A lot. While UVM finished fifth in three-point shooting percentage in America East, it made and attempted the fewest 3 pointers in the conference. How about this stat: Maine shot the second fewest three-pointers in America East, 539. Vermont attempted 430. Vermont made 4.9 three-pointers per game. UMBC was the only team worse in the conference at 6.1 per game. That's an issue. In the post game news conference after the NIT loss to Cleveland State, Coach Lonergan was asked what the team struggled with this season. He wasted no time citing the team's lackluster three point shooting.
But there is hope in the long range shooting department. McGlynn and Santo will be useful long range shooters off the bench. Glass will shoot the three less often and at a higher percentage. Bald will continue to shoot somewhere around a 42% clip. Hopefully he will feel free to attempt 150+ threes next year. The key here is Carissimo. I think Sandro Carissimo can match that 42% Bald shoots while shooting a similar amount of threes. There is no reason this team shouldn't attempt 600 threes and make 225 of them (which would be 37.5%). Without a steady scoring presence down low, shooting the three can make or break this team, and I think they have adequate artillery to get that mission accomplished.

The Wildest Idea: Pat Bergmann goes absolutely crazy, Glass or Apfeld is moved to sixth man, and the Catamounts have a big man come out of nowhere a la Chris Holm. Okay, Holm didn't come out of nowhere, but the Rhode Island transfer had a modest college basketball career before having a monster senior campaign for the Cats back in 2007. Regardless of the ill-advised comparisons I might make, Bergmann seems like he could be a reliable scorer and rebounder in America East. Is this all based on one game I saw the kid play? Yes. I promise, ESPN analysts sometimes see guys play fewer than one full game before they project them to be a preseason All-American. I am not predicating Bergmann will be an All-American -- if I was, I hope that someone reading this would check me into a psych ward -- but I am predicating a huge senior season from him. Coach Lonergan has a way of squeezing every ounce of potential out of players, and I see Bergmann as a prototype for Lonergan's miracle work.
So here is another potential starting lineup that might be more practical if you're taking into consideration arbitrary positions:
1-Brian Voelkel
2-Brendan Bald
3-Matt Glass
4-Luke Apfeld
5-Pat Bergmann

That is a lot of size. But it is not a ton of offense, at least the way those five players played last season. But these things can change from season to season. All five of those players could potentially have offensive breakthroughs next season. How about this lineup:
1. Carrisimo
2. Bald
3. Voelkel
4. Apfeld
5. Bergmann

Would there be a better sixth man in the conference than Matt Glass? Absolutely not. I still favor the original five I submitted to be the starters for UVM in 2011-2012 (Carissimo, Bald, Voelkel, Apfeld, Glass), but I see all of those lineups I just broke down as potentially viable.

Conclusion:
2011-2012 will be another great year for the Cats. Our friends at Purple and Gold Nation, via America Least, have projected that UVM will finish third next season. I can't blame them. But what self-respecting Vermont fan, especially considering this past season, would pick Vermont to finish any lower than first in the conference? However, considering Vermont's record in the America East tournament when they are the top seed -- the only season they advanced to the NCAA tournament when they were the top seed was 2005 -- maybe it's best if they don't finish first. Except in 2012 they will set the record straight: they will win the regular season and postseason America East crowns, and we will be dancing our booties off in March. Write it down.

Won't You Take Me To DunkyTown

Marqus Blakely (15) waits his turn on the bench Wednesday night.

My friend and I were fortunate enough to go to DunkyTown, USA last night, population: Marqus Blakely. Having followed the stats that Blakely put up all year, I was finally able to see how he had been shooting 70% from the field: dunking the basketball. All the time.

We rolled up to the Cedar Park Event Center just in time for tip off at 7:30 CT. There were about 200 people in attendance (that might be a bit generous) in a stadium that has over 6,000 seats. Naturally, I demanded to my friend that we sit directly behind the Iowa Energy's bench (he's a push-over, it wasn't hard to talk him into it). The first time the music stopped bumping from the PA I jumped at the opportunity to say what up to Marqus, the man of the night.

"What up, Marqus!" I screamed like an asshole. To my surprise, he actually shot me a glance. Unfortunately, the only piece of clothing I wore that had anything to do with Vermont (and this was very poor planning on my part) was a Vermont Lake Monsters hat. I pointed to the hat and said, "VT, baby!". He smiled. I love that dude.

Anyway, Marqus came off the bench about five minutes into the game. I get the impression that's generally his role, sixth man. He certainly plays a lot of minutes for the Energy, a lot more than some of the guys who were starting. The first time he touched the ball, he caught it in full stride at the foul line, took a step or two inside it and threw down a thunderous two handed dunk that got at least one person out of their seat (me). The gym was introduced to the screaming dude who was randomly cheering for the Iowa Energy. It was awesome. Some family members of Kenny Taylor (another Energy player who also played with Blakely in Bakersfield earlier this season) asked me if I was from Iowa. No, I said, and explained how I was from Vermont. To their credit, they didn't have to ask me where that was. They were very friendly for the rest of the game, despite my various outbursts, so thank you Taylor family. But I digress.

That dunk would begin a theme for the night. Blakely ended the game with 22 points on 9-14 shooting -- five of those nine made field goals were dunks. In addition to the aforementioned dunk on the first touch of the game, two dunks were off nice alley-oops, there was a showtime-one-handed dunk on the break just before the end of the first half, and in the second half he drove baseline, rose through traffic and jammed it. With each dunk, my outbursts got more outrageous, and the crowd began to habituate to the shrieks that would come from the general area behind the Energy's bench when Blakely did his thing.

Marqus played a lot. I think he entered about five minutes into each half, and I don't think he sat for the rest of the half each time. I wasn't taking notes or anything, so I can't fill in all those details. I can tell you, as I hope I illustrated, Marqus was absolutely a human highlight reel on the offense end. I can also tell you the things that might keep him from advancing to the next level: he hit one shot outside of 12 feet (and attempted three or four) and had a few defensive lapses on the other end. Two or three times he got caught gambling, leading to open lay ups for the man he was guarding. There was also miscommunication on a switch, causing Blakely to leave a Toros player alone with a clear path to the hoop. As we know, Marqus is a terrific post defender, particularly for his size. But a post defender he will not be at the next level, and his general discomfort guarding the perimeter was clear last night. It may be that I'm working with a small sample size, but he definitely seemed to be lost defending guards. The good thing is that the defensive issues can be improved through experience. The jump shot woes are not as easy a fix. I'm sure he has shot an enormous amount of jumpers during the offseason for a few years running, so how much better can we expect him to get at shooting the basketball? It's hard to tell.

Regardless, Marqus Blakely is a ton of fun to watch play basketball, and that has to count for something. His numbers continue to be mind boggling -- consider: he went 9-14 from the field last night and it lowered his field goal percentage with the Energy. There is definitely hope that he will one day don an NBA jersey that we can all wear replicas of.

Good luck, Marqus.

From The Parking Lot would like to thank former UMass and West Virginia player Luke Bonner and Austin Toros Assistant Coach Alex Lloyd (a fellow Vermonter!) for the free tickets.

More From MB23 (Except now he's number 15)

In my March 12th entry I discussed how our old buddy Marqus Blakely has been faring in the NBDL. He was faring quite well. In that entry, I broke down Blakely's NBDL numbers to date and of late (this rhyme scheme needs to stop), spotlighting the previous three games Marqus had played. Seeing as I'm going to see Marqus play the Austin Toros tomorrow, it's time for another update.

These are the key stats for Marqus in his most recent three games:
vs. Erie: 18 pts, 8-14 FG, 5 Rebs, 0 TO's
This is an AWFUL game for him, as you are about to see.
vs. SXF (which, without looking, I think is Sioux Falls?): 31 pts, 14-18 FG, 13 Rebs (SIX of them ORebs), 4 Blks.
@FWN (which, without looking, I think is... Fort Wayne. Wow, that took me a second): 28 pts, 10-11 FG, 10 Rebs.

So for those three games Marqus averaged 9.3 rebounds and 22.3 points on 32-43 shooting (74.4%). Oh, and his EFF rating jumped from 16.34 to 17.32. Since I didn't mention this in the last post, a player's efficiency rating is calculated like so:
{(Points+Rebounds+Assists+Steals+Blocks) - ((field goals attempted - field goals made) + (free throws attempted-free throws made) + Turnovers))}. Get it? Me neither. But I do know that 17.32 is a good efficiency rating.

Can someone sign this kid to an NBA deal already? I'm trying to wear that customized jersey.

UVM End-of-Season Awards

I saw our friends over at Purple and Gold Nation did some postseason-awards for the 2010-2011 Albany Great Danes. I thought it was a cool idea, so I'm busting out my own version in order to celebrate this past season's Vermont Catamount squad. Enjoy...

The TJ Sorrentine Award:
This year's Sorrentine award, given to a player who exudes guts and senior leadership, goes to Evan Fjeld. It could be a long season without Fjeld next year. He was the backbone of this Vermont team. When he was not 100% in the conference tournament, it was reflected by the team's play. It was not just due to the gaping hole he left in the middle of the floor, but also the leadership he contributed on and off the floor. I hope that mustache is(n't) cut by now, Evan. I really do(n't).

The David Hehn award:
Given to the most integral role player for the Catamounts, this year's winner is Matt Glass. While some have posited that Glass has not lived up to the hype since his transfer from UMass, Glass played his share of effective minutes for the Cats. Glass is the type of player whose contributions don't necessarily show up on the stat sheet, so it is easy for people who don't watch Glass night in and night out to assume he was not as big of a threat as it had been initially imagined. I expect Glass to have a bigger role in the offense next season, as well as continue to defend and do some of the dirty work for the Catamounts.

The Joe Trapani Award:
Keegan Hyland wins the Trapani award, given to the player who wastes no time in transferring away from UVM. You know... this award is going to be called the Keegan Hyland award from now on. Trapani actually stayed an entire season. Hyland? Two weeks? 10 days?

The Marqus Blakely Award:
Joey Accaoui wins this award. It's a joke. Nobody will win the Marqus Blakely award until they serve up facials to every team in the league. And then do it to Syracuse in the tournament.

The Germain Mopa-Njila Award:
Pat Bergmann. See where I'm going with this one? Yeah, this award is for the player who has the "where in the world did that just come from" postseason performance. Bergmann exploded for 16 and 8. His previous season highs were 6 and 4 -- achieved in separate games. His previous career highs were 6 and 5. Say it with me now: Offensive EXPLOSION.

The Taylor Coppenrath Award:
Brian Voelkel wins the team's MVP/MOP award, which could just as easily be called the Eddie Benton Award. Obviously, Fjeld was also in contention for this award. But what Brian Voelkel did this season makes absolutely no sense. Voelkel averaged 9.6 RPG, 4.5 APG, 7 PPG, and 1.6 SPG. And that doesn't sum up what Voelkel meant to this team. Voelkel did actually everything: he defended guards and bigs, he ran the point, he played the 3, sometimes he played the "oh, there are assigned positions in basketball usually?" position. The passes he makes don't translate well into writing or talking -- you really have to seem him pass the basketball to believe it. If this kid doesn't take home the America East POY award at least once in the next three years, it's because Austin Rivers rescinded his commitment to Duke in order to play for the UMBC Retrievers.

And that about does it for From the Parking Lot's first post-season awards.

Enjoy the offseason (I never can, it's always way too sunny in Vermont). November will be here before we know it.