Vermont University

Vermont Men’s Basketball Adds Four Newcomers

Four student-athletes, Joe Trapani of Madison, Conn., Nick Vier of Franklin Lakes, N.J., Kyle Robbins of Falmouth, Maine and Marqus Blakely of Metuchen, N.J. will attend the University of Vermont and play basketball at the school. Vermont men’s basketball coach Mike Lonergan made the announcement today.“We are very excited about our recruiting class,” said Lonergan. “These four guys, plus the return of redshirt freshman Jason Green (Washington, D.C.), should help us address a number of our weaknesses. They will help improve our team’s athleticism and scoring ability. Some of these guys will have an immediate impact on the program and others will develop over time. With the addition of these student-athletes we also feel we have improved our depth at every position. The added depth gives us competition at every position and healthy competition makes all players better.”

Trapani is a 6-foot-7 multi-skilled forward who was one of the top high school players in Connecticut at Daniel Hand High School. He was selected to the New Haven Register All-State Team the last two seasons and this past year he led Hand to the Southern Connecticut Conference Championship Game. Very talented offensively, he ranked fourth in the state in scoring averaging 25.5 points per game. A McDonald’s All-American nominee as a senior, Trapani also averaged 14 rebounds and three blocked shots per game. He is the son of former UVM standout Charlie Trapani ’78, who was a three-time captain of the Catamounts and the team’s Most Valuable Player in 1976.

“Joe has the talent, size and strength to make an immediate impact on our program,” said Lonergan. “He is a good athlete who is very competitive and tough. He is a very good shooter who has the potential to score in different ways.”

An ultra-quick 6-foot-1 guard from Bergen Catholic High School in Oradell, N.J., Vier (pronounced ‘veer’) was also a McDonald’s All-American nominee who averaged 15 points and 4.5 assists per game as a senior. Last winter he was named to the All-Bergen County and the Bergen Record All-North Jersey First Teams. He led the Crusaders to a 16-9 record in one of the top high school leagues in New Jersey. Vier also played for one of the East’s top AAU basketball programs, The Playaz.

“Nick has excellent quickness and is a good shooter,” said Lonergan. “He played for excellent high school and AAU programs so he is used to playing at a high level of competition. He has the potential to help our transition game right away.”

Robbins is a 6-foot-10 frontcourt prospect from Cheverus High School in Portland, Maine. As a senior he averaged 10 points, seven rebounds and three blocks for the Stags who reached the semifinals of the Maine Class A Western Tournament. He was named to the Southern Maine Athletic Association All-Star Third Team and was an All-State Honorable Mention selection. His coach at Cheverus was Bob Brown, formerly the head coach at UVM’s America East rival Boston University from 1990 to 1994.

“Kyle has the size, potential and work ethic to help us at the post position, said Lonergan. “He played for Bob Brown, a legendary coach at all levels in Maine, so we know he is a fundamentally sound player. If he can keep improving at the rate he as the last two years he will have a fine career at Vermont.”

 

Blakely is a 6-foot-5 forward from Metuchen High School. He averaged 19.4 points and 10 rebounds per game as a senior. An outstanding leaper, he also blocked just under five shots per game. He was named to the All-Middlesex County and the New Jersey All-Group One First Teams. Blakely was the MVP of the Middlesex County Senior All-Star Game and NJhoops.com named him to its All-Dunker and All-Rebounder teams. He played AAU basketball for the New Jersey Cyclones and last summer he was an All-Star at the Eastern Invitational Camp.

“Marqus is a tremendous athlete who will be our best leaper from day one,” said Lonergan. “With his long arms and athleticism he has the ability to be a very good defender. I think he has the mindset necessary to immediately compete for playing time.”

Green, a 6-foot-1 combo guard, will join the four incoming freshmen in making their debut next season. He was a redshirt a year ago practicing and working out with the team. Prior to coming to Vermont, Green played at DeMatha Catholic High School, one of the nation’s top programs.

“Although he did not see game action last year, Jason knows our system well,” said Lonergan. “He is a tenacious defender who played for the most storied high school program in the nation. He is a hard worker who will contribute in many ways. He loves to win and understands what it takes to win.”

Vermont (13-17, 7-9 America East) next season returns 12 letterwinners from a team that reached the America East Championship title game for the fourth straight year

2 comments May 18th, 2006

Men’s basketball will sorely miss departing players Josh Duell and Ryan Schneider

Just over one year ago, Josh Duell and Ryan Schneider, along with the rest of the University of Vermont  basketball team, were celebrating their miraculous upset victory over Syracuse in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

Today, both players are looking forward to spending the rest of their careers at other schools.

A lot can change over one season; especially in collegiate athletics. Players graduate, high school stars get recruited by some schools and then go elsewhere, coaches move on or retire.

Nowhere was this more apparent than in the off-season after the now legendary 2004-05 Catamount men’s basketball season. Along with the graduation of stars such as Taylor Coppenrath and T.J. Sorrentine, iconic coach Tom Brennan retired after 19 years. Virtually his entire staff left with him.

Enter the scene rookie coach Mike Lonergran, fresh out of an assistant coaching stint at Maryland along with a whole crew of supporting first year coaches. New coaches with a new attitudes; a whole new plan.

“The transition was a little difficult just because I had developed a two year relationship with the old staff through out the whole recruiting process and last year,” said Duell, a sophomore from Scotia, New York who is transferring to play for Siena College next year. “Coach Brennan is more laid back and has a ‘let them play’ type attitude. Coach Lonergan is a very good at the X’s and O’s of the game and likes to control things a little bit more.”

Schneider, also a sophomore, from Yorktown Heights, New York, agreed. “There was a group of guys who had been recruited by Brennan and another group by Lonergan, and I had a real strong relationship with the previous coaching staff.”

The transition to a new coaching staff, especially the retirement of Brennan, played a “significant part” in his decision to transfer. He will be playing for the Marist College Red Foxes for two seasons after sitting out one season as per NCAA regulations.

Both players were sad to see Tom Brennan retire after the 2005 run into the NCAA tournament. “He was really supportive throughout my first year, especially when there were a couple of times that I was struggling,” said Schneider.

Duell also holds the same feeling towards his old coach, “He’s the kind of person you don’t lose touch with. We ate lunch the other day.”

Ryan Schneider and Josh Duell were key components to the Catamount basketball team this past season, averaging 24.7 and 22.4 minutes per game, respectively and starting in a combined 22 games as sophomores. Both exhibited good all-around skills; Scheider was third on the team in three-point attempts while also pulling down the third most rebounds. Duell averaged over seven points per game and held a field goal percentage over forty percent. Both aim to playing key roles on their future teams.

1 comment May 4th, 2006