This is a post by Oscar but due to some technical difficulties, I am posting it for him.
Exit Jordan Clarke. Enter Matt Glass.
Before any analysis of basketball skill or potential, consider this: Jordan Clarke hopes to play in the NBA. Matt Glass hopes to teach elementary school.
Make no mistake, these are both quality young men. The question is, “Who is a better fit for the Catamounts?”
Clarke is a Maryland native, a big powerful kid with a D1 body but wants to play guard …… professionally. Glass is a native Vermonter, a skinny two guard forced to play power forward at Umass because they were undersized this year. Clarke outweighs Glass by 55 lbs. and doesn’t appear to be quite as tall. Clarke got almost all of his shots blocked in his only year at Vermont because he lacks quickness and jumping ability to score inside at the AE level.
Matt Glass shot virtually the same percentage from the three point line as from inside it this year for the Minutemen, a very respectable .444/.447 while playing in a tougher league than our beloved/belittled AE. Clarke shot .351/.200 in fewer minutes.
Playing high school ball in Vermont, it was difficult to tell how good Glass was because there was inadequate competition. In a state championship game, he scored 27 of his team’s 44 points.
At Umass, Glass was almost solely a three point threat. His athleticism should allow him to get shots off closer to the rim against BU and Harford than Xavier or Dayton. He can play above the rim, but expect him to be bombing treys against smaller guards in front of the graybeards in tiny Patrick Gym.
Both Clarke and Glass are transferring for the same basic reason. More playing time. Glass is sure to get that at UVM following the graduation of Maurice Joseph. Clarke may be challenged to play more at a program that is better positioned to get him noticed by the NBA.
Many Vermont fans feel that Glass’ return is like catching, ‘the one who got away’. Small, rural states don’t produce many bona fide scholarship level players. Many a Catamount Faithful heart was saddened when Glass announced he was going to play in Amherst.
At the same time they feel that they never really saw all of Jordan Clarke. His 1.6 pts./game in only 6.9 minutes in 22 games didn’t live up to the high expectations upon his arrival in Burlington. The experts declared him the highest ranked power forward coming into the conference last year. Didn’t quite work out that way. (Ironically, the best freshman forward in the league is also transferring to play at a higher level.)
To the average fan, Clarke appeared to be far too slow to play in a conference at the bottom rungs of Division 1 men’s basketball. According to reports on Vermont Sports Network, he and his father believe Jordan should be playing guard. If he does, and succeeds, Lonergan and his staff are going to look like they lost out on huge potential, but don’t bet on it.
Two comparisons jump out.
Joe Trapani left Vermont to play at a higher level. Clarke hopes to do that.
Maurice Joseph transferred down to a school close to home. Glass is following the same route.
A closer comparison of Glass and Joseph is worth examining. Both played two years in a higher conference. Both averaged just under seven points in about 13 minutes as sophomores and both got squeezed out by too many quality players coming into their programs. Joseph and Glass are both outstanding students, character guys and primarily three point shooters. Perhaps the biggest difference is that Glass is a ferocious defender (at 3 positions) and Mojo, well, isn’t.
Trapani looked uncomfortable the second half of his only year at Vermont, as did Clarke. Trapani was injured much of the season, as was Clarke. However, Trapani had the speed, jumping ability and shot to become Vermont’s best player since the nearly sainted Taylor Coppenrath. Clarke didn’t.
Trapani became an outstanding player in his first year playing in the ACC.
In Glass, the Vermont coaching staff is getting what they’ve always tried hard to recruit; a true student athlete who plays hard nosed defense. In his two years with the Catamounts, he will hustle, make some threes, maybe get to play in the NCAA tourney and finish his playing career as a graduate student.
AE fans should hope that Jordan Clarke lands in a place that fits him equally well.
Oh, and by the way, does anyone who reads this site expect Vermont to seek a waiver?
-- Oscar
Original Story:
http://americaleast.blogspot.com/2009...
Exit Jordan Clarke. Enter Matt Glass.
Before any analysis of basketball skill or potential, consider this: Jordan Clarke hopes to play in the NBA. Matt Glass hopes to teach elementary school.
Make no mistake, these are both quality young men. The question is, “Who is a better fit for the Catamounts?”
Clarke is a Maryland native, a big powerful kid with a D1 body but wants to play guard …… professionally. Glass is a native Vermonter, a skinny two guard forced to play power forward at Umass because they were undersized this year. Clarke outweighs Glass by 55 lbs. and doesn’t appear to be quite as tall. Clarke got almost all of his shots blocked in his only year at Vermont because he lacks quickness and jumping ability to score inside at the AE level.
Matt Glass shot virtually the same percentage from the three point line as from inside it this year for the Minutemen, a very respectable .444/.447 while playing in a tougher league than our beloved/belittled AE. Clarke shot .351/.200 in fewer minutes.
Playing high school ball in Vermont, it was difficult to tell how good Glass was because there was inadequate competition. In a state championship game, he scored 27 of his team’s 44 points.
At Umass, Glass was almost solely a three point threat. His athleticism should allow him to get shots off closer to the rim against BU and Harford than Xavier or Dayton. He can play above the rim, but expect him to be bombing treys against smaller guards in front of the graybeards in tiny Patrick Gym.
Both Clarke and Glass are transferring for the same basic reason. More playing time. Glass is sure to get that at UVM following the graduation of Maurice Joseph. Clarke may be challenged to play more at a program that is better positioned to get him noticed by the NBA.
Many Vermont fans feel that Glass’ return is like catching, ‘the one who got away’. Small, rural states don’t produce many bona fide scholarship level players. Many a Catamount Faithful heart was saddened when Glass announced he was going to play in Amherst.
At the same time they feel that they never really saw all of Jordan Clarke. His 1.6 pts./game in only 6.9 minutes in 22 games didn’t live up to the high expectations upon his arrival in Burlington. The experts declared him the highest ranked power forward coming into the conference last year. Didn’t quite work out that way. (Ironically, the best freshman forward in the league is also transferring to play at a higher level.)
To the average fan, Clarke appeared to be far too slow to play in a conference at the bottom rungs of Division 1 men’s basketball. According to reports on Vermont Sports Network, he and his father believe Jordan should be playing guard. If he does, and succeeds, Lonergan and his staff are going to look like they lost out on huge potential, but don’t bet on it.
Two comparisons jump out.
Joe Trapani left Vermont to play at a higher level. Clarke hopes to do that.
Maurice Joseph transferred down to a school close to home. Glass is following the same route.
A closer comparison of Glass and Joseph is worth examining. Both played two years in a higher conference. Both averaged just under seven points in about 13 minutes as sophomores and both got squeezed out by too many quality players coming into their programs. Joseph and Glass are both outstanding students, character guys and primarily three point shooters. Perhaps the biggest difference is that Glass is a ferocious defender (at 3 positions) and Mojo, well, isn’t.
Trapani looked uncomfortable the second half of his only year at Vermont, as did Clarke. Trapani was injured much of the season, as was Clarke. However, Trapani had the speed, jumping ability and shot to become Vermont’s best player since the nearly sainted Taylor Coppenrath. Clarke didn’t.
Trapani became an outstanding player in his first year playing in the ACC.
In Glass, the Vermont coaching staff is getting what they’ve always tried hard to recruit; a true student athlete who plays hard nosed defense. In his two years with the Catamounts, he will hustle, make some threes, maybe get to play in the NCAA tourney and finish his playing career as a graduate student.
AE fans should hope that Jordan Clarke lands in a place that fits him equally well.
Oh, and by the way, does anyone who reads this site expect Vermont to seek a waiver?
-- Oscar
Original Story:
http://americaleast.blogspot.com/2009...
