Last Year: 23-11; America East Conference Regular Season (14-2) and Tournament Champions, lost in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament
Head Coach: John Becker (13th Year; 280-113 at Vermont, with five NCAA Tournament appearances)
Projected Starting Lineup
| G Aaron Deloney – 6’0″, 170 – Senior (5th) |
| G Shamir Bogues – 6’4″, 190 – Senior |
| W Jace Roquemore – 6’6″, 185 – Senior |
| F Matt Veretto – 6’8″, 220 – Senior |
| F Ileri Ayo-Falaye – 6’8″, 225 – Junior |
Projected Starters’ 2022-23 Stats
Aaron Deloney: 11.6 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 1.8 apg, 0.6 spg – 40.3% 3FG
Shamir Bogues: 9.5 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 1.9 apg, 2.0 spg – 53.6% FG @ Tarleton State
Jace Roquemore: 6.4 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 2.6 apg, 1.1 spg – 46.1% FG @ UC-San Diego
Matt Veretto: 8.9 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 0.9 apg, 0.5 bpg – 41.4% 3FG
Ileri Ayo-Falaye: 3.1 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 0.6 bpg, 0.5 spg – 45.6% FG
Experienced Reserves
| W TJ Long – 6’4″, 190 – Junior |
| G Brenton Mills – 6’3″, 185 – Senior (5th) |
| F Nick Fiorillo – 6’8″, 225 – Senior |
| W TJ Hurley – 6’5″, 190 – Sophomore |
| F Sam Alamutu – 6’5″, 215 – Junior |
Experienced Reserves’ 2022-23 Stats
TJ Long: 10.5 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 0.8 apg, 0.9 spg, 0.5 bpg @ Fairfield
Brenton Mills: 5.1 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 0.8 apg, 0.7 spg – 43.3% FG @ Bowling Green
Nick Fiorillo: 4.1 ppg, 1.9 rpg, 0.8 apg, 0.4 bpg – 38.7% FG (14 games played)
TJ Hurley: 5.1 ppg, 1.7 rpg, 0.5 apg, 0.2 spg – 41.2% 3FG
Sam Alamutu: 2.4 ppg, 2.1 rpg, 0.5 apg, 0.6 spg – 65.8% FG
Freshmen
| F Jackson Skipper – 6’7″, 170 – Redshirt Freshman |
| F/C Seth Joba – 6’9″, 225 – Freshman |
| F Noah Barnett – 6’9″, 205- Freshman |
There were not many mid-major programs in the country last season that played as tough an early-season schedule as Vermont last season. As that was the road they chose, head coach John Becker’s team spent a month taking some terrific lumps. By the time Vermont departed from the Baha Mar Hoops Nassau Championship at the end of November, they were 2-7, and it sure didn’t look like Becker’s squad would be winning 20 or more games for the 11th consecutive full season.
Neither the non-conference gauntlet or Vermont’s league foes could knock the Catamounts off of their perch, though. They won the America East Conference for the seventh consecutive season, and advanced to their fourth NCAA Tournament out of the past six which have been played. The 23 wins did mark Vermont’s lowest tally in the past six full seasons, however. For shame.
This fall, six-time America East Coach of the Year Becker has had to overhaul his roster more than usual. The VCats started four different fifth-year seniors last season, and this year’s rotation will have plenty of different names – but stylistically, he hopes, a pleasantly familiar feel. After swinging big and missing in the Transfer Portal heading into last season, Becker feels like his staff has identified some key fits among the available impact transfers. Players who should mesh more quickly into the lineup than the newcomers did last year, and get on with winning more games.
He was the third-leading scorer last winter, is generously listed at six feet tall, and only started seven games. Still, this year’s group will look to Aaron Deloney as its leader, and Becker has tremendous confidence in his veteran lead guard. “AD’s looked terrific,” Becker told the Burlington Free Press this summer. “This being his team, he’s taking that responsibility really seriously.” Deloney, who is from Portland, Oregon, entered the Transfer Portal this spring out of a desire to be closer to his family. In the end, though, he decided that returning to the East Coast and his burgeoning legacy at Vermont was still the best fit, telling the Free Press “Instead of going to another school, I just thought it would be cool to finish out here, where I am loved, know the system and another opportunity to get another championship”
Deloney is a quick, shifty scorer who has been named America East 6th Man of the Year each of the past two seasons
Deloney is a quick, shifty scorer who has been named America East 6th Man of the Year each of the past two seasons. Despite coming off the bench, Deloney scored in double figures 21 times last year, including in ten out of Vermont’s final 13 games. Deloney has a tight, confident handle and he uses a dynamic first step off the bounce and some close-quarters explosion in the lane to get in near to the bucket. He wasn’t much of a deep threat his first two seasons, but Deloney has emerged as a dangerous shooter as well. He’s knocked down 96 triples at a 40% rate over the past two seasons, and Deloney’s 64 made three’s last winter ended up ranking fifth in the conference. Thus far, Deloney has largely functioned as more of a microwave scorer than a primary ballhandler whose focus includes keeping his teammates involved. Even so, Deloney has playmaking instincts and is clever with the ball. If he can remain a top scorer while assuming a larger role within the offense – and his 95:47 assist to turnover ratio over the past two seasons is promising – it will be one of the biggest factors in determining how far Vermont can go this year.
The team’s second-ranked returning scorer is also one of the more improbable success stories in all of college basketball. In an ancient time which was called the 2018-19 college basketball season, Matt Veretto was a freshman forward for the Delaware Blue Hens. After starting 12 games and finishing a solid rookie year with a 39.1% shooting mark from the land of trey, though, Veretto stepped away from Division I basketball to get non-hoops things in life, including his mental health, sorted. Then there was a pandemic, Veretto transferred to UConn, and on the other side of it all, he indeed sorted things out – and even earned a finance degree along the way. Though he had not returned to the Division I scene, Veretto had kept playing intramural basketball, and the hardwood still called to him. For a lark, prior to embarking upon a Wall Street career last spring, Veretto tossed his name into the Transfer Portal. Vermont reached out, gave him a tryout, and incredibly, Veretto made the team.
“He was smart, tough, skilled and hard-working. Those guys usually work out,” Becker told The Athletic last March. “Now, I thought he would be our fifth big. Him being a starter, I didn’t see that coming. He’s an incredible story.” Veretto was even better from deep last season than he was at Delaware. His 58 made triples ranked third on the team and ninth in the league, and Veretto’s 41.4% mark from downtown was the Catamounts’ best. A patient scorer who understands the angles it takes to score well around the rim, Veretto hit an excellent 73.3% of his shots in close, per Bart Torvik. Really, Veretto was extremely efficient no matter where his shot originated; his 56.3% rate on all field goals was America East’s best. He played much of the season operating as Vermont’s top option at the 5 spot, and though Veretto isn’t a wide-bodied double-double machine, his great footwork, high motor and anticipation make him an effective post defender. Back to use his ‘Covid Year’, Veretto has gone from the last guy on the bench to one of the Catamounts’ most vital players, and may still have potential that’s yet to be realized after a full offseason of work within the program.
The lack of a true point guard last season was troublesome for the Catamounts, especially early in the year. And though there still is not a classic floor general on this roster to dominate the ball for 25+ minutes, the rotation will again feature a few different players who can score off the bounce, initiate offense and set up their teammates in Becker’s ball screen-heavy motion offense. Two of the new transfers are expected to have the ball in their hands often and play recognizable roles. Becker sees some of departed star Dylan Penn’s game in newly-arrived Shamir Bogues. An All-Defense selection each of the past two seasons in the Western Athletic Conference, Bogues is a big guard who forces the issue at both ends of the court. “He’s been dominant in some of our summer practices. He has a really great way about him, cares about winning,” Becker told the Free Press. “He’s a lefty, has a burst and has the ability to finish around the rim. He’s not ambidextrous like Dylan, but he’s a terrific player and has all-league potential.”
While at Tarleton State, Bogues was never the go-to scorer, but he has shown that he will do a bit of everything, and most of it at a high level. Bogues averaged 8 points on 49% shooting – with 16 games in double figures – last season, and he handed out 159 assists across 84 career games in Stephenville. He’s a hard-charging driver who will finish through traffic and earn trips to the foul line. Over Tarleton State’s final 19 games last year, Bogues averaged 11.9 points and 2 steals, shooting 55% from the floor in the process. Defensively, Bogues was the star for the Texans. He’s long, abrasive, and can confidently pressure his man all over the court, and Bogues is a sticky-fingered playmaker who steals possessions and cheap buckets for his own side.
Jace Roquemore, lately of UC-San Diego, is a crafty playmaker whose bigger size plays well on the wing, and his skills could offer Vermont fans an echo of last year’s leading assister, Robin Duncan. Roquemore averaged 5.8 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.9 helpers across his 75 career games out West, which featured 60 starts. His quickness and length make Roquemore an effective defender who can guard up or down opposing lineups, and he’s pilfered 62 opposing possessions across his last 58 games played. Unfortunately, like Duncan, Roquemore is also not much of a shooter, but there is a glimmer of hope for Hoopcats fans; Roquemore, a 26% shooter from deep over his first two seasons, hit 26 of his 60 (43.3%) triple tries last year.
There is more quality depth for the perimeter, as America East veteran Brenton Mills has returned to the league and will join the TJ’s in providing some additional scoring punch. Mills averaged 11.2 points across his first two college seasons, being named to the America East all-freshman team and then third-team all-conference groups while at Binghamton. Then Mills transferred, but he was not as successful on the court at Bowling Green State, so after two seasons in the Mid-American Conference, Mills has returned to the league which saw his best basketball. A solid scorer who had knocked down 85 three’s at a 36.8% clip while at Binghamton, Mills has the experience and multi-level scoring ability to step directly into a prominent role for the Catamounts. “He’s been better than advertised,” says Becker of the veteran guard. “He’s a little undersized, but has a high IQ and really knows how to play.” Mills may step into Deloney’s old role as Vermont’s 6th man, and provide a tough cover for America East’s reserves in an instant-offense role.
TJ Hurley debuted for the Cats last year in a similar role, and he may reprise that leading reserve act despite increased competition. An America East All-Freshman pick last spring, Hurley is a strong outside shooter who brings good size to the wing. He knocked down 28 deep balls at a 41.2% rate last season, averaging 6.8 points across the first 18 games of his career. Hurley’s role shrank a bit down the stretch for Becker’s veteran team, but Hurley is coming off of a summer spent this summer in Hungary competing for his native Canada at the FIBA U-19 World Cup. “I think this experience is gonna be huge for him,” Becker told Vermont’s WCAX3 News. “Any confidence he can get as he continues to, to grow. Last year he deferred because we had a lot of older players. And as he moves into his sophomore year, he’s gonna have to start to form some leadership.”
Hurley will face more than just Mills in the race for minutes this season, as there is further quality coming from former Fairfield scorer TJ Long. The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference’s 6th Man of the Year last winter, Long has proven his credentials in a support role and is hoping for a bigger opportunity. The MAAC all-freshman choice shot 40.3% off of the lefty screwball-grip rotation on his deep jumper as a rookie, but he fell to 32.4% last season on higher volume from distance. Long began to get to the free throw line with some consistency as a sophomore, though, and if he can put those skills together, Becker’s bench will be strong. Long has enough size and a bit of a chip on his shoulder when he’s around the paint, and contributes some physical play out on the wing defensively. The competition for minutes has Becker feeling good about this team’s ability to replace the veteran production which has been lost. “The transfers have been impressive,” Becker told WCAX this summer. “The team speed and athleticism has jumped out to me. Just watching a little bit of pickup, guys are flying up and down the court.”
| Five Stats Which Tell The Tale (with national ranks) |
| 54.8% – Team Effective FG% (20th) |
| 51.0% – Opponent Effective FG% (207th) |
| 8.7 – 3FG Made Per Game (46th) |
| 35.1% – Opponent 3FG% (253rd) |
| 48.7% – Team Rebounding Rate (254th) |
The Catamounts ranked 357th out of 363 Division I teams in offensive rebounds per game last season, and 358th in offensive rebound percentage. Part of that is scheme, and Vermont did rank 11th nationally in defensive rebound percentage. Still, if the VCats could snag and stick back a few more of their own misses, it would really help compensate for a couple of otherwise empty possessions at other intervals. To that end, Becker is counting on more improvement from Ileri Ayo-Falaye and a healthier campaign for Nick Fiorillo. Ayo-Falaye is a former Rhode Island transfer and has become the tallest, longest player returning to Vermont’s rotation. He adds needed bounce, athleticism and a stretchy reach in the paint, and Becker’s confidence in him grew as last season progressed. Ayo-Falaye can get to rebounds outside of his area; he finished third on the team in offensive boards despite being the eighth guy in Becker’s rotation. Ayo-Falaye led the team in dunks, he’s the team’s top returning shot swatter, and if he’s ready to play bigger minutes, Becker will get his promising big man onto the court. Fiorillo had been averaging 24 minutes and 7 points to start last season, but missed almost three months with a leg injury. When he came back, Fiorillo did so by pushing himself to help the Catamounts on their stretch run, and played with a cumbersome brace. Now, Fiorillo is moving better, the brace is gone, and he’s hoping to finish off the resurgent campaign he had begun last fall. Fiorillo can shoot the ball out to the three point arc, and made 32.7% of his tries over his first two years in Burlington. With good size and plenty of postseason experience through his first three years, Fiorillo has what the Catamounts need to shore up things a bit inside, and the Vermont coaches are expecting good things from the senior forward.
Becker’s top freshman recruit may or may not know how to jump through a table; the world may find out the answer if the Catamounts are able to maintain their AE title run this March. Seth Joba hails from Orchard Park, NY, and he may be an x-factor up front as soon as his rookie year. Joba has both traditional post skills and the ability to spot up and hit jumpers out to the three point arc. He’ll be another of Vermont’s left-hand-dominant players, and has shown both patience operating with his back to the rim and the ability to confidently knock down shots in and around the lane. Most tantalizing to this current roster could be Joba’s rim protection skills; he averaged four blocks last year during a prep season at Bridgeton (ME) Academy.
| Five Out-of-Conference Games to Keep an Eye on |
| @ Virginia Tech – December 16 |
| vs Yale – December 2 |
| N – Charleston – November 16 |
| N – Saint Louis – November 17 |
| vs Colgate – December 9 |
Joba will see competition for bench minutes from returnees Jackson Skipper and Sam Alamutu, and newcomer Noah Barnett. Skipper, who redshirted last season, is a wiry wing who can really get up and down the floor. His offense remains a bit of a work in progress, but Vermont’s coaches really like his length and quickness. They feel the same about Barnett, who played for New Jersey prep powerhouse Don Bosco last season. Becker has indicated that Barnett may take his turn redshirting this year, but that the youngster will make an impact in the future. Skipper can cover on the perimeter, while Barnett projects as a long and disruptive interior player as he continues to add strength. Alamutu played less than ten minutes on average last season, but was active and efficient when he got into the action. He was the second-best per-minute rebounder on the team, and though undersized, is a difficult player to keep away from the ball inside. Like Hurley, Alamutu is from Ontario, and Becker wants to find out this fall whether the redshirt sophomore fits best inside or on the wing. With a variety of body types and skills in the frontcourt, Vermont should be able to play the matchup game more effectively this time around.
“Scheduling is the most challenging part of being a successful mid-major program,” Becker told reporters at the NCAA Tournament last year. “So I always want to philosophically schedule a tough non-conference schedule to make sure we face adversity and really figure out who we are and what we need to do to get better before the conference season starts.” It took the VCats awhile to figure themselves out last year, clearly, but there should be a smoother ramp-up to conference play this time around
“We got a lot of good pieces returning,” Becker declared WCAX3 News. The more things change, the more Vermont atop the America East Conference remains the same. Things looked bleak for the Catamounts early last year, but they soldiered on and captured another crown. There’s simply no reason to bet against them at this point. “I’m really happy with the overall talent and the overall character with this team,” Becker said this summer. “It’s just now figuring out who can do what.”
While this season’s non-conference schedule isn’t quite the murder’s row that the Catamounts faced last year, they will see at least a half dozen NCAA Tournament contenders before entering America East play. If Veretto could get back into form last year, how much better will he be with a year’s familiarity and conditioning? How much more of a live wire will Ayo-Falaye become? What will the Bogues-Deloney compliment look like after a few weeks? This Vermont team looks different, but by the new year, should feel similarly excellent to the folks who have gotten used to them playing in March. And if they can hit their stride sooner, maybe this Vermont team can cut down more than the usual number of nets.
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