MBB: Coast 2 Coast Athletic Conference

[Matt Letourneau]

I will say this -- because of my unique position on the floor at the end of the game, I saw both exchanges between Howes and Yuille at the end of the game. The handshake was a brushoff. As Yuille finished the handshake line, I grabbed him for the postgame interview on NCAASports.com. As Howes came back from the other end, Yuille excused himself from the interview to go apologize.

Right, but the problem is not the coaching, its the kids.  Attitude is wrong.  You need to be worrying about the Sweet Sixteen, not showing up your opponents and playing for the crowd.  You don't attempt a reverse slam dunk on the final play of an elimination game, when the crowd was solely focused on giving a nice sendoff to a senior class.  You just don't do it.  The coach can apologize all he wants, I wouldn't want a kid like that wearing my uniform.

[Matt Letourneau]

Pat,
I thought you were responding to MuMu's comments about Lincoln...no?

If not, then nevermind--I don't know anything about that other situation that was being discussed.

[Matt Letourneau]

Well, let me take a minute to congratulate Catholic's seniors on an outstanding career.   These guys were fun to watch, and most importantly, they always represented the front of the jersey well.  They finished with a career record of 88-29 (.751), and were three time league champions.

I'm really going to miss this group--I'd have to say out of all the classes I've seen at Catholic, these guys were my favorite.  They genuinely liked each other and it showed.  I know that they will go on to great things after college, and I hope that the freshman and sophomores learned from these guys and will carry forward the tradition. 

Pat Dwyer was a leader from day one--I can remember going up to Franklin & Marshall and watching him get hurt in the second game of the season on a hustle play (diving out of bounds for a loose ball).  I knew he'd be a great leader.  He was a good rebounder, tough post precense, became a very good defender, and could shoot the ball.  The Baker on Dwyer play to end the UMW game and his 6/7 3 point performance against Hood were great moments.

Scott Fumai worked hard his whole career and was of the more versatile players I've seen--great clutch shooter, outstanding rebounder, was always "in" every game--even if he was having a bad shooting night, he would still kill you at the end. 

Stephen Wheeler progressed more than any CUA big man in recent memory--he really put it together this year to become a legitimate scoring threat.  He was always the consumate teammate and emotional leader--so often when he was an underclassman you'd see him on the bench rallying the troops and trying to get the fans into it. 

Mike Wasilenko was always underrated, but he too progressed during his four years and developed a very nice jump shot.  He was the guy that could bail out a bad offensive posession with a jumper.  He took care of the ball and was never intimidated.

Stephen Papageorge was hampered by an injury this year, but he hit some big shots during his time, too.  His buzzer beater against Susquehanna was one of the most memorable wins of the season.  I'm glad he had a chance to start during the final run here.

Sean Kelly was another great teammate.  He never saw much action but I know he practiced hard and helped make everybody better.

So anyway, this group should hold its head up high.  They had a successful season--surprised some people, even, and really stepped up.  I know its disappointing to lose, especially because they were really clicking.  I honestly feel like there are some teams still playing that Catholic could beat.  But they had a very tough matchup that just didn't work for them, and the bottom line is that unless you bring home that banner, your season is always going to end in a loss.

Also, let me congratulate Coach Howes and his staff on a great season.  I do believe they absolutely got the maximum out of this group.  Few third year coaches have had the kind of success Steve has, and I think there's a lot more to come.

Next year will be a challenge for Catholic--VERY young team, new league.  But as we saw tonight there are some underclassmen that can definitely play.  I understand that recruiting is going well.  I think that CUA basketball will continue to flourish.

[cuabigdog]

#1 Vermont Downs #5 UMBC, Will Host Championship Game Saturday
March 4, 2007
FINAL SCORE: #1 Vermont 72, #5 UMBC 63 -

BOSTON, Mass. – Sophomore Mike Trimboli (Norwalk, Conn.) and senior Chris Holm (Henderson, Nev.) combined for 38 points to lead the top seeded University of Vermont men's basketball team to a 72-63 victory over #5 UMBC in the America East Semifinals on Sunday at Agganis Arena. The Catamounts (25-6) they advance to their fifth straight conference title game on Saturday at 12:00pm against either #2 Albany or #3 Boston University.

The win is Vermont's 13th straight overall (fifth current longest in nation) and 19th out of its last 20. It is also the 13th straight away from home, which is the most consecutive in the country. With the victory the Catamounts tie the school record for most wins in a season, matching the 2004-05 squad.

"I am very happy to get the win today," said Vermont head coach Mike Lonergan. "I want to give UMBC a lot of credit. Our whole game plan was to limit their threes. We did not get off to a good start defending their threes, but we hung in their after the slow start. I think Mike's (Trimboli) bank-shot three at the buzzer to end the half really gave us some momentum and loosened us up. Our defense in the second was tremendous, going back to the way we play 'Vermont basketball'."

"I think it is a great win for our program. We have a week to prepare for a very good team that we are going to be facing and we are happy to be here."

In a tightly contested first half, the Catamounts took a 35-29 lead into the locker room. UMBC benefited from the three ball early on, hitting five of its first six attempts from behind the arc. Both offenses had their way early in a half that saw eight ties and six lead changes.

Vermont led 27-23 on a bucket by Trimboli with 8:33 to go before the half, but the Catamounts would not record another field goal until there was 1:07 left. The Retrieves scored the next six to take a 29-27 advantage, but UVM answered with the final eight points of the frame. Freshman Joe Trapani (Madison, Conn.) and Holm each hit one of two free throws and then junior Kyle Cieplicki (Shelburne, Vt.) hit a three. Trimboli put the finishing touches on with a three off glass right before the horn sounded.

In the second half the Retrievers continued to use the three ball, but this time from an unlikely source. Freshman Justin Fry sunk his first three of the season for UMBC's first points of the half and then hit another the next time down the court with the shot clock running down.

With Vermont on top 41-37, 6:35 into the half, the Catamounts scored nine of the next 11 over the next 2:53, capped off by five straight from Trimboli to push their lead to 50-39. Vermont led 58-48 with 5:54 to go as UMBC has one last burst, scoring seven straight to make it 58-55, but that would be as close as the Retrievers would get. The Catamounts hit eight straight free throws down the stretch with UMBC fouling to ice it.

Trimboli led Vermont for the second straight game in the championship with a team-high 20 points and six assists. Holm went for 18 points, 15 rebounds and three blocks, while Cieplicki shot 5-for-6 from the floor for 12 points.

Mike Housman led UMBC with 20, while Fry added 12 and Jay Greene ended with 11. Vermont held a 36-29 edge on the boards and committed only nine turnovers while forcing the Retrievers into 18 miscues. The Catamounts shot 54.4 percent from the floor in the second half and limited UMBC to shoot 34.3 percent after intermission.

The Catamounts will now face the winner of the #2 Albany/#3 Boston University match up on Saturday at Patrick Gym. It will be a 12:00pm tip-off and televised on ESPN2 and streamed live on the web on www.americaeast.com. The game can be heard live on WEAV-AM 960, WXZO-FM 96.7, WCVR-FM 102.1 (Randolph), WEAV-AM 960, and on the internet at www.uvmathletics.com with the audio stream provided by sportsjuice.com.

[muchacho]

Congratulations to Catholic on another great year. Coach Howes has done a great job in his first 3 years, but it will be very interesting to see how he performs now that he will be using players not recruited by Mike Lonergan.
The team will have a lot of challenges next year with the new conference and the lack of established starters and senior leadership. Nick Olivero seems to have become the top returner, and the guard play seems to be decent. I'm truly hoping that Coach Howes can find a way to replace his 3-5 spots who provided the majority of Catholic's production this season.

And how long will Mike Lonergan stay at Vermont? Some big time schools should definitely be noticing the job he has done there, and trying to scoop him up before they miss out to another program.

[Salem, VA]

CAtholic is going to struggle a lot.  I can see them not winning 15 games.  We will see how good Coach Howe actually is once his own kids get the floor.  See Urban Meyer

[Cardinal guy]

Howes' kids won the national title. I'm sure he'll be fine.

[Matt Letourneau]

Don't miss a chance to see Mike Lonergan on ESPN2 tomorrow...12 noon, Albany at Vermont with a trip to the NCAA's on the line. 

[cuabigdog]

Vermont's Lonergan Named NABC District I Coach of the Year
March 8, 2007

BURLINGTON, Vt. – University of Vermont men's basketball head coach Mike Lonergan was named the National Association of Basketball Coaches District I Coach of the Year. The NABC announced the winners from the 15 districts, which are selected by their peers, on Thursday.

He is joined on the list by such names as Billy Donovan (Florida), Billy Gillispie (Texas A&M), Ben Howland (UCLA) and John Thompson III (Georgetown).

L onergan has guided the Catamounts (25-6, 15-1 America East) to the America East Championship Title Gam e for the second straight season and posted a record of 38-23 at Vermont. He is the first coach in the Americ a East since Karl Fogel of Northeastern in 1986-8 7 to take his team to back-to-back title game appea rances in his first two years with a school.

He was also named the America East Coach of the Year at the a wards banquet on March 2 at Fenway Park, and th e CollegeInsi der.c om America East Coach of the Y ear. Lonergan, who led Ver mont to its first ever win over a ranked team in the r egular season when the Catamounts upset #14 Boston College on November 13 in Chestnut Hill, Mass., i s also a Hugh Durham Mid-Major Coach of the Year Finalist.

Lonergan and the top-seeded Catamounts will host second seed Albany on Saturday at noon on E SPN2 in the America East Championship Title Game. The contest is a rematch of last season and will be Vermo nt's fifth straight title ga me app e aranc e.

The basketball team is encourag ing everyone in attendance to wear gold apparel to t he nationally televised game. The UVM Bookstore will b e selling gold 'You Can't Stop Us' t-shirts as of Friday morning, and Mills and Greer will sell gold t-shirts st arting Friday as well.

[cuabigdog]

The top-seeded Catamounts (25-6, 15-1 America East) will square off against #2 Albany (22-9, 13-3 America East) for the America East Championship on Saturday at 12:00pm at Patrick Gym on ESPN2. The contest will be a rematch of the 2006 title game when the Catamounts advanced to the finals as a six seed before bowing out to the Great Danes on their home floor. Vermont is making its fifth straight trip to the championship game and is looking to advance the NCAA Tournament for the fourth time in that span.

The game can be heard live on WEAV-AM 960, WXZO- FM 96.7, WCVR-FM 102.1 (Randolph), and on the internet at www.uvmathletics.com with the audio stream provided by sportsjuice.com. Dave Koehn, the voice of the Catamount men's basketball team, will host an hour long pre-game show leading up to all the action, starting at 11:00am.

A pre-game fan fest will take place prior to the America East Men's Basketball Championship Game on Saturday morning in front of Patrick Gymnasium. The activities will kick-off at 10:00am and go until 11:30am, leading to the title game rematch between the Catamounts and Great Danes.

The basketball team is encouraging everyone in attendance to wear gold apparel to the nationally televised game on ESPN2. The UVM Bookstore is selling gold 'You Can't Stop Us' t-shirts, and Mills and Greer is also selling gold t-shirts

[Matt Letourneau]

Well, Coach Lonergan and his Catamounts fell just short, losing to Albany 60-59.  Tough loss for Mike.

I hate to say it--and everyone knows I think he's one of the best coaches in the planet--but they actually lost basically because of a coaching mistake.  For some reason, he elected to have them hold for the last shot down 1 in a game where nobody could really move the ball well.  Predictably, they waited too long, panicked and turned the ball over.  I was screaming at the damn tv to just run the damn play.

Oh well.

[cuabigdog]

Matt
i can remember many a night at the Duf  when Lonergan would do the same thing.. but you still have to admit 25-7 is not a bad season .. Still have the NIT .. Marywash women just upset Bowdoin 64-59 to advance to the final 4 in Springfield

[Matt Letourneau]

Oh, absolutely--he did a great job with a team that overperformed.  Its a shame that with his league, he can't get an NCAA bid anyway. 

I personally hate that play.  Catholic hasn't done that in a while--generally, they simply try to score if they are down.  I just think that teams wait too long to begin their drives.  Way too much can go wrong.  My feeling is that the burden is on the offense--trust your defense.  So if you can grab a lead, even with 11 seconds left, trust your defense to hold it.  In this particular game, they just simply wait too long to run their play. 

It killed me because it was a big time exposure day for Mike, and what happens but the second the game ends, he's getting criticized on ESPN by Brennan and the in studio analysts for holding the ball too long!

[cuabigdog]

Vermont Men's Basketball to Face Kansas State in NIT First Round
March 11, 2007


BURLINGTON, Vt. – The University of Vermont men's basketball team will travel to Manhattan, Kan. to face Kansas State in the opening round of the National Invitational Tournament. The game will take place on Wednesday at 8:00pm eastern and will be televised on ESPNU. The Catamounts earned a seven seed in the 32-team tournament, while the Wildcats are seeded second. It marks the Catamounts first appearance in the postseason NIT and the fourth time in the last five years that they have advanced to a postseason tournament. The field was announced on Sunday night on ESPN2.

"I know that they (Kansas State) almost made the NCAA Tournament and are from a great conference," said Vermont head coach Mike Lonergan. "It will be a heck of a challenge but we are looking forward to taking the trip. All the experiences will really help us for the future and I am very happy to still be playing."

Kansas State (22-11) made the Big 12 Championship Semifinals before falling to Kansas, a number one seed in the NCAA Tournament, 67-61 on Saturday afternoon. The Wildcats have wins this season over Texas, Texas Tech and Southern California. Kansas State finished 10-6 in the Big 12 this season and earned a fourth seed in the conference tournament.

Vermont is 25-7 on the year and was the America East Regular Season Champion. The 25 victories tie the school record for wins set by the 2004-05 squad. The top-seeded Catamounts advanced to the America East Championship Title Game for the fifth straight season this year, before falling to #2 Albany on Saturday, 60- 59.

The Catamounts have won 13 of their last 14 overall and boast the nation's longest road winning streak at 13 straight. Vermont is also tied for the most road/ neutral wins in the country this season with 16.

Also in the West Region with the Catamounts is top- seed Air Force against #8 Austin Peay, #5 Fresno State at #4 Georgia, and #6 Hofstra at #3 DePaul. The first-ever meeting in men's basketball between Vermont and Kansas State is one of the 11 first round contests to be featured on the ESPN family of networks.

[kitchenrat]

I've got Coach Lonergan and the Catamounts in the NIT final 4 on my bracket. Were using both this year to separate the men from the boys (and girlfriends who always seem to win somehow)

NIT: UVT, Syracuse, NC State, Michigan. Winner NC State and the red blazer!

NCAA: Georgetown, Ohio St. UCLA and Wisconsin (UMD takes Florida out in the Sweet 16) Winner: Ohio St.