Thank You, Seniors: Catamounts Set to Celebrate Class of 2020 in Regular Season Finale
The month of March provides college basketball fans with a wide range of emotions and storylines. Happiness, sadness, excitement, teary eyes, and more. All of the above will be present at Patrick Gym in Burlington, Vermont this evening as the Catamounts play in their final regular season game and celebrate Senior Night vs. UAlbany. The student managers, in addition to players Daniel Giddens, Josh Speidel, Everett Duncan, and Anthony Lamb have had a special four, and in some cases, five-year run in Burlington. The most wins ever by a UVM men’s basketball class. Two NCAA Tournament Appearances (and hopefully three, if things go well this March). For one senior, a heartbreaking story that eventually illustrated an incredible amount of perseverance and fight. For another, he came here this season hungry to be a champion. One senior is part of one of the biggest families synonymous with Catamount basketball, and finally, the Class of 2020 is led by one of the greatest Vermont players to ever enter the doors of Patrick Gym.
Student Managers Earle Brown, Ryan Morse, and Hank Henkel: We've all seen how much Jay Bilas has praised student managers throughout the years, and until I became a small part of the UVM program, I rushed over that sentiment more often than not. But I am here to tell you that these guys truly are the hardest working people in show business. Grocery shopping, laundry, food orders, head counts, rebounding, choreographed bench celebrations, the list goes on and on. These guys do the majority of the behind the scenes operating for this team, and they couldn't be better at what they do. There's all of the duties I just mentioned, but none of that trumps their biggest responsibility: dealing with my snoring on road trips. That is, by far, their most impressive feat.
Daniel Giddens: I am here to inform you all of some very important news: Daniel Giddens is a humongous Stoolie. The 6-11 grad student came to Vermont from Alabama and Ohio State, and before the season started, DG told me he had hoped for a lot of wins, a lot of dunks, and to win a championship. Those first two tests were passed with flying colors, and the Catamounts are hoping to win the America East Tournament title over the next 11 days. Giddens is extremely fun to be around and is never afraid to drop a "Very Cool" during an interview. Size was the biggest missing piece for Vermont during last year's NCAA Tournament run, and hopefully the Georgia native will be a big asset for the Catamounts as they embark on another March journey.
Josh Speidel: You may have heard of Josh's story by now, but if not, here is a brief refresher: The Indiana native was one of the top recruits to ever commit to the University of Vermont coming out of high school. And then tragedy struck, when Josh was involved in a serious car accident before coming to UVM. He battled through the recovery process with plenty of hard work and dedication, and eventually came to Burlington to start his college experience. He was unable to participate in games during his five year career, that is, until tonight. Josh Speidel will be in the Catamounts starting lineup this evening, and UVM Coach John Becker has arranged with UAlbany's Will Brown to allow No. 32 to make Vermont's first basket. There will be a high demand for tissues in Patrick Gym right after the opening tip.
Everett Duncan: When you think of Vermont Catamount basketball, you think of the Duncan family. Ernie graduated last year and is the most efficient three-point shooter in UVM history. Robin is currently a sophomore and had a clutch offensive rebound-put back sequence in a 2OT thriller last year. And then you have Everett, who will be playing in his final regular season game tonight. The co-captain has been with the team for a total of five years (which included a redshirt), so No. 21 has really experienced it all with the Catamounts. He is known for his extremely efficient free throw shooting, hovering around 90%, in addition to his clutch threes. Everett may not have the clip he had hoped for overall from downtown, but the bottom line is, he makes them when they count. In every close game Vermont has played, especially this year, you can find an Everett Duncan three in the box score down the stretch.
Anthony Lamb: If we are doing a Mount Rushmore of Vermont Catamount men's basketball players, Anthony Lamb is on that list. Plain and simple. As of this weekend, he is now a top-five scorer in UVM history, in addition to being the reigning America East Player of the Year, with many, many more accolades to name. The thing that sticks out to me is not Anthony Lamb: the superstar basketball player and potential NBA prospect, but it is Anthony Lamb: the person. For example, last week, the Catamounts were stunned on their home floor and saw their 12-game winning streak snapped by UMBC. After the game, when Lamb emerged out of the locker room to head my way for a postgame interview, a swarm of young Vermonters approached the Rochester native for autographs. During that interaction, you never would have known that UVM just suffered a heartbreaking loss. He signed autographs, took pictures, whatever the kids asked. Lamb is one of the greatest Catamounts to ever wear the Green and Gold, and we can only hope that his signature moment has yet to come.