Thursday, February 21, 2008

Vermont Catamounts Update


30 Points. 20 rebounds. 2 assists. 6 Blocks. 5 Steals. 0 Turnovers.

Thats the stat line for Marqus Blakely against 2nd place Hartford in what was one of the most impressive individual performances in UVM history. The effort propelled the Cats to a 94-82 win in a pivotal game for the Cats.

After going on a three game losing streak (by a combined 5 points) Blakely decided it was time to win. The Cats have been stung by an inability to close out games and hit a big shot with time running out. What could Blakely do about this? He made sure it wasn't close at the end...

Using an array of post moves, improved foul shooting, and multiple alley-oops, Blakely dominated offensively. More incredible, its hard to tell if he was more impressive on offense than he was on defense. His presence down low led to 6 blocks and countless altered shots by his mere presence, as well as 5 steals. Blakely was able to control the game on both ends of the court.

It definitely helps when teammates are hitting their open shots and against Hartford, they did. Blakely was supported by Mike Trimboli who went for 22 points and made 4-6 3 point shots.

The win is huge for Vermont who had been struggling mightily. They improve to 8-6 and are now in a 3 way tie for 3rd place in the league. UMBC has started to run away with the league and its a battle for seed positions now.

With 2 very winnable games left, the Cats are in a position for a top 4 seed in the America East tournament. Seeds really don't mean much this year because the league is so even after UBMC. More importantly, teams need to start gaining momentum and team chemistry these last few games to propel themselves through the tournament. Vermont took a step in the right direction last night.

6 comments:

Dewey, Cheatem, & Howe said...

His dunk last week was siiiiick. What are his odds of being NBA-bound?

Dews said...

Forget NBA, what are the odds he stays with the Catamounts instead of transferring to an ACC school?

MoDews said...

Ehh I would say 0% to both... He's a great player and athlete but you have to look at where he is succeeding right now.. He is only 6'5" and he is playing as a PF and sometimes a C mostly because of Vermont's lack of size and talented size.. I'm not trying to knock the guy because he is great and will be great the next 2 years.. just a matter of he is smaller than a lot of guards in the NBA and he isn't a good mid-long range shooter and he's a terrible foul shooter.

SayHey Kid said...

Id like to see how he fairs against UNC-W. A UNC-W would make me oh so very happy!!

VCU (20-5)

SayHey Kid said...

Er a UNC-W Loss that is

Steve said...

If Blakely develops a mid-range game I think he has a place in the NBA. He easily has the athletic ability to play there and his finishing ability around the basket is definately NBA caliber. I think he could a poor man's, shorter Gerald Wallace type.

There are always rumblings from people that the best players from small market teams will transfer to a better conference but I have heard from a very inside source that Marqus enjoys UVM and its the perfect fit for him.