The Vermont men's basketball team will be the prohibitive favorite for a fourth straight trip to the NCAA Tournament when the America East coaches' preseason poll is announced this fall.
That's an educated guess and an obvious take. But, really, there's no doubting the Catamounts' sustained stranglehold on the conference, having won outright or shared the league's regular-season crown eight years running. And this upcoming winter, they have the returning experience — with four starters back and nine scholarship players overall — where that claim is an easy one to make.
Opposed to the two previous offseasons, Vermont didn't need to rely so heavily on the transfer portal. Among the key departures, Aaron Deloney and Matt Veretto graduated and Jackson Skipper transferred out.
"We have a chance to be a deep team," Vermont's 14-year head coach John Becker said earlier this month during an extended interview at Patrick Gym. "We are a little bit more of a known entity."
Last year, the Catamounts went 28-7 and stormed to an America East championship three-peat , the program's first since that beloved 2005 team, before bowing out in the first round of the NCAA Tournament to Duke in Brooklyn, New York.
To get a better sense of the 2024-25 Catamounts squad, here's a roster breakdown and an early look at the nonconference schedule:
Vermont basketball's returnees
Sam Alamutu
Playing out of position at the 4, Sam Alamutu was one of three players to see action in all 35 games last winter, averaging 16 minutes a game. Becker, who called Alamutu the team's best rebounder, also said the redshirt junior will return to a guard spot this winter.
Ileri Ayo-Faleye
Ileri Ayo-Faleye had a breakout junior season, making the America East all-defensive team and the conference tournament's all-championship squad while leading the league in adjusted defensive efficiency. For the year, Ayo-Faleye averaged 7.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 1.4 blocks per game.
Noah Barnett
The forward redshirted last winter, but Noah Barnett is poised to find a role on this year's Catamounts' team in the frontcourt.
"He had a lot of moments last year in practice. It’s different now when you take the redshirt off and you get coached a lot harder. That’s an adjustment for any kid who comes off a redshirt (season)," Becker said. "He proved last year that he has an incredible motor, incredible defensive instincts and a great rebounder on both sides of the ball."
Shamir Bogues
Transferring in from Tarleton State, Shamir Bogues delivered as advertised: America East newcomer of the year and first-team honors before being named the conference tournament's most outstanding player. Bogues averaged 11.3 points, 5.2 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.9 steals a game in his first year in Burlington. His aggressive approach on defense is one reason why Vermont might up its tempo in 2024-25.
Nick Fiorillo
Nick Fiorillo's sixth and final season in Burlington comes with big responsibility: He's the team leader.
"It's his team this year; he’s the legacy player right now for our program," Becker said.
Last year, Fiorillo started 10 out of 28 games played and averaged 8.5 points, 3.1 rebounds and 2.1 assists a game.
TJ Hurley
As a sophomore last year, TJ Hurley averaged 7.4 points and 2.7 rebounds a game while making 36.8% of his 3s and a team-high 85.5% at the foul line. Hurley started 21 of 31 games played, but missed three straight games down the stretch due to injury.
Seth Joba
As a freshman forward, Joba saw action in 16 games, averaging 7.4 minutes a contest. Like Barnett, Joba figures to be a critical part of Vermont's bigs. Becker said he liked Joba's minutes in the NCAA Tournament vs. Duke.
"You can see the progress he made from earlier in the year. He’s had a great offseason," Becker said. "He’s gotta be a guy who can work into the rotations."
TJ Long
TJ Long avoided a major knee injury scare in the final minutes vs. Duke . But the clutch shooter will be limited this month while he battles an ankle injury, Becker said. When healthy, the lefty Long is one of the team's best shooters: The America East third-team selection led Vermont in scoring (12.0 ppg) and hit several memorable 3-pointers, notably the four-point play vs. Yale and the season-saving triple vs. Albany in the tournament quarterfinals .
Jace Roquemore
Jace Roquemore's minutes and production soared once Vermont moved into conference play: The transfer from UC San Diego played in 29 games, averaging 15.3 minutes a game, and he proved he can handle point-guard duties and defensive assignments.
"I think he’s poised to take a nice step," said Becker, adding that Roquemore added muscle to his 6-foot-5 frame this offseason.
More: Meet the transfers who paved the way for Vermont basketball's return to March Madness
Vermont basketball's newcomers
Drew Bessette
Drew Bessette, the Free Press' Mr. Basketball award winner who led Rice to its fourth title in five seasons, is a walk-on for the Catamounts. But Becker believes the 6-foot-8 Bessette has a high ceiling.
"He can really shoot. There’s a bunch of stuff he does that you can’t teach. It’s just a question of getting used to the college game, playing tougher, playing harder and doing other things," Becker said. "He’s been great so far. He’s going to have a chance, it’s just how badly he wants it."
Sean Blake
The first signed recruit of Vermont's 2024 freshman class, Sean Blake hails from Mississauga, Ontario, and the 6-foot-2 guard has the physical gifts to make an immediate impact for the Catamounts this winter. Becker said Blake was recruited as Vermont's "point guard of the future."
"He’s been really impressive. He’s probably farther along that we thought when we signed him in November," Becker said.
Sincere Clemons
The 6-foot-3 guard joins the Vermont roster as a walk-on following a year at Northfield Mount Hermon School in Massachusetts.
Shy Odom
Shy Odom arrives from Howard with credentials and two years of eligibility. The 6-foot-6, 229-pound forward was the 2023-24 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference preseason player of the year. And as a freshman in 2022-23, he was the league's rookie of the year and the tournament's most outstanding player when he led the Bison to the NCAA Tournament.
But Odom battled injuries last year, playing in just 20 of 35 games for the Bison, who reached March Madness again. Odom is working through injury this summer, according to Becker.
"This summer will probably be a lot of rehabbing and getting him healthy. But when healthy, he’s a big, strong and skilled kid," said Becker, adding Odom's "bread and butter" is his back-to-the-basket scoring.
Gavin Perryman
Memphis transfer Jayhlon Young's sudden departure last month opened a scholarship spot for the Catamounts. And Texas guard Gavin Perryman appears to have snagged it. The 6-foot-1 Perryman announced on social media earlier this month that he gave his verbal commitment to the Catamounts.
Becker cannot comment on recruits until they are admitted to the university, but glancing at Perryman's bio at Texas, the Dallas native has two years of eligibility remaining. Perryman redshirted his freshman year, in 2021-22, and totaled only 49 minutes over the next two seasons for the Longhorns.
As a high school senior, Perryman made 45.8% of his 3-pointers.
Ben Wesson
Last year, Ben Wesson made a program-record 95 3-pointers for Albemarle High School in Virginia and averaged 18 points a game to lead his team to the state semifinals. He also reached 1,000 career points.
The plan for now, though, is for Wesson to redshirt his freshman season for the Catamounts, Becker said. Although Becker said he wouldn't rule out the possibility of changing those plans given Wesson's 3-point shot-making.
"He really knows how to play and can shoot it at a high level. He has a great feel for the game," Becker said. "He’s definitely ahead of schedule."
O'Grady promoted to assistant coach
Longtime staff member and Milton native Derryk O'Grady earned a promotion earlier this month: From director of basketball operations to assistant coach.
O'Grady has served on Becker's staff in various roles over 11 seasons. He's been a student manager, graduate assistant and assistant to the head coach before filling the job as director of ops the past three seasons.
O'Grady replaces Chris Santo, who was hired as the next head coach at St. Anselm.
"He’s been in our program a long time and he’s been great at every role he’s had. He’s going to do great in this role," Becker said. "Obviously, he understands how we do things and what type of players we look for. It should be a pretty seamless transition."
O'Grady played basketball locally at Milton High School. He averaged 21.1 points a game as a senior and tallied 1,000 career points.
The Catamounts' nonconference schedule — so far
Vermont's nonconference schedule remains a fluid one. Becker expects to finalize the schedule by the end of next month, hoping to round it out with high-major games. As of mid-July, here's the nonconference slate (Note: game dates subject to change):
Saturday, Nov. 9: at Merrimack
Friday, Nov. 15: at Iona
Saturday, Nov. 23: vs. Delaware in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-Off at Mohegan Sun Arena
Sunday, Nov. 24: vs. Fairfield in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-Off at Mohegan Sun Arena
Saturday, Nov. 30: vs. Northeastern
Tuesday, Dec. 3: vs. Brown
Saturday, Dec. 7: at Yale
Sunday, Dec. 15: at Colgate
Wednesday, Dec. 18: vs. Miami (Ohio)
Saturday, Dec. 21: at Dartmouth
Contact Alex Abrami at aabrami@freepressmedia.com . Follow him on Twitter: @aabrami5 .
This article originally appeared on Burlington Free Press: Vermont men's basketball's roster breakdown for 2024-25 season
Most Popular
Comments / 0