In the Vermont Catamounts, Bryant basketball sees what it hopes to become
Tom Brennan won just 14 of his first 82 games as the Vermont men’s basketball coach.
The pioneer among the three men who’ve led the Catamounts to the NCAA Tournament could not have been blamed for seeking out a side job in the early 1990s. The popular morning talk show he cohosted on local radio and television outlets in Burlington seemed a good fallback plan if the sidelines didn’t work out.
Fortunes had changed by the 2000s when in-state legend Taylor Coppenrath and former St. Raphael star TJ Sorrentine arrived in town. Brennan retired off the back of three consecutive March Madness berths, including the Sorrentine 3-pointer in overtime that felled Syracuse in 2005.
Mike Lonergan followed with an NCAA trip in 2010 before accepting his next job at George Washington. John Becker punched his first ticket in his debut season in 2011-12 and has won four more America East tournament titles, including in 2021-22. This is certainly the top program in the conference and was voted the preseason favorite again for 2022-23.
Bryant’s goal in a national broadcast Thursday night is to upset the establishment. The Bulldogs did so successfully in the Northeast Conference by running down Mount St. Mary’s and Wagner last March. That earned Jared Grasso and his players a debut appearance on the sport’s grandest stage — the conference move over the summer left them without a league title to defend.
“I think we’ll be ready to show up and play,” Grasso said. “We’ll get a barometer of where we are compared to what has been the best team in the league and what has been the powerhouse in America East. I think guys are excited.”
The bus ride north for the 7 p.m. tip at Patrick Gymnasium will give Bryant plenty of time to reflect on its journey to relevance. The audience watching on ESPNU figures to be considerably greater than the share of eyes glued to computer screens on NEC Front Row. The Bulldogs were 3-28 the season before Grasso took this job — they're now coming off consecutive postseason appearances.
“It was a very small program,” Bryant guard Charles Pride said. “Since I’ve been here, we’ve been building it up. Now to have TV games is a big deal.”
How have the Catamounts been able to sustain this? It’s not exactly a pipeline of college-ready prospects playing within a 50-mile circle of town. Church Street is a pretty place for a night out, but it doesn’t carry the allure of some other potential landing spots on the recruiting trail.
Vermont’s teams under Becker have all carried similar hallmarks — methodical pace, efficient offense, elite shooting, low turnover rate, strong defensive rebounding and 2-point defense. The Catamounts identify prep prospects they can develop or hit the transfer portal strategically — Dylan Penn (Bellarmine), Finn Sullivan (San Diego), Kam Gibson (Western Carolina) and Ileri Ayo-Faleye (University of Rhode Island) are all rotation pieces on this season’s team.
“When you do it over time, it’s special,” Grasso said. “For us, it’s been a couple of years — we're trying to build something. They’ve built a program.
“It’s not about the players. It’s about their system and their coaching, the way they play, their fan base — those things remain the same. Vermont basketball has become a national name.”
Sunday’s victory at Maryland-Baltimore County was a strong league start for Vermont (7-8, 1-0 America East) — that occurred after a challenging nonconference schedule. Bryant (10-4, 1-0) was pushed in similar fashion by Binghamton before pulling out an 82-78 triumph in Smithfield. Sherif Gross-Bullock secured league Player of the Week honors thanks to his 29 points.
“We know we’re just going to have to play the way we play,” Pride said. “It definitely should be a good game. Very good game for the fans to watch, very high-level game for us to play in.”
On Twitter: @BillKoch25
Bryant Bulldogs (10-4, 1-0 America East) at Vermont Catamounts (7-8, 1-0 America East)
Burlington, Vermont; Thursday, 7 p.m.
BOTTOM LINE: Bryant visits the Vermont Catamounts after Sherif Kenney scored 29 points in Bryant's 82-78 win over the Binghamton Bearcats. The Catamounts are 2-1 on their home court. Vermont ranks eighth in America East in rebounding, averaging 29.7 boards. Robin Duncan leads the Catamounts with 6.7 rebounds. The Bulldogs are 1-0 in conference matchups. Bryant ranks seventh in America East, giving up 73.4 points while holding opponents to 41.7% shooting.
TOP PERFORMERS: Duncan is averaging 6.6 points, 6.7 rebounds and 3.3 assists for the Catamounts. Dylan Penn is averaging 12.5 points and 2.9 rebounds while shooting 50.4% over the last 10 games for Vermont. Kenney is averaging 17 points and 3.4 assists for the Bulldogs. Charles Pride is averaging 1.9 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games for Bryant.
LAST 10 GAMES: Catamounts: 6-4, averaging 70 points, 30.6 rebounds, 12.4 assists, 5.7 steals and 1.7 blocks per game while shooting 46.3% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 66.7 points per game. Bulldogs: 7-3, averaging 79.6 points, 33 rebounds, 15.3 assists, 6.1 steals and 3.8 blocks per game while shooting 44.9% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 74.9 points.
Associated Press
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Bryant basketball has sights on Vermont Catamounts, top of America East
