Vermont pre-season rankings

December 8, 2010 New England Hoop News Staff

Vermont state pre-season rankings

1)      Champlain Valley Union HS

-          Senior point guard Jake Donnelly has a great chance to dominate the state this year. His high basketball IQ and natural ability to run a team make Champlain Valley Union HS the best team in the state. Oh, and he can score at will, too.

2)      Rutland HS

-          The point guard Troy Davine and the big man Alex Snyder are a dangerous inside-out duo. If that wasn't enough, they also have sophomore guard Tre Pratt-Hysell to score.

3)      Essex HS

-          The 6'2" guard Ben Ferris will compete head-to-head with Donnelly in the "best player of the state" category. Essex HS will need Ferris to keep up with his nice shooting stroke and great perimeter play.

4)      Spaulding HS

-          Senior forward Evan Tullar is an athletic stud that can play above the rim like no other player and will compete well with the likes of Donnelly and Ferris.  The question is if sophomore Brooks Mayo and the rest of his team can keep up.

5)      Burlington HS

-          The loss of Joe O'Shea will be brutal to this team, but 6'1" guard Austin Robinson will try to maintain the team's previous spark alive. Also, look out for Robinson's fellow senior Zach Hurynowicz.

6)      South Burlington HS

-          The 6'7" Josh Varney is, hands-down, the best big man in the state. The problem is that he'll have to carry Burlington most games.  Varney, at times, disappears a bit and needs to be more assertive, which he's shown that he's been able to do.  With consistent play from Varney, Burlington will have a chance. 

7)      Rice HS

-          Sophomore Marcus Willingham and junior Jake Maynard are as good as any other duo in the state. Their season, though, lies on whether senior Chris McCormick has the leadership skills to lead the group.

8)      Mt. Anthony Union HS

-          Center Clayton Palmer will prove to be a big headache for many coaches in the state. But the loss of Kyle Callanan will affect his game significantly, probably for the worse.

9)      Mt. Mansfield Union HS

-          Can juniors Tom Lacy and Eric Suder, a guard and a center, respectively, make Mt. Mansfield Union HS a threat? Yes, they can.  Suder has good size and showed he can play with the big boys this summer. 

10)   Twinsfield HS

-          The 6'6" Chad Copeland has the talent.  He has good size, athleticism and is an intriguing prospect for college coaches.  We just wonder don't know if that is enough for Twinsfield HS to challenge this year. 

Honorable mention

Websterville Baptist HS

-          Look out for junior center Andrew Shuman. He might scare some people out there.

Vergenees HS

-          Although they are a Division II team, they do have junior Jake Bushee, a forward that finds a way to score. However, they are not the team they used to be in previous years.

If you have any comments to add to this article, please email us at comments@nehoopnews.com.

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