Vermont basketball tracker: News on transfers, commits for 2024

The Vermont men's basketball team saw its 10th NCAA Tournament appearance halted by blueblood Duke in the opening round of March Madness on Friday, March 22.

For the Catamounts, their attention now turns to the 2024 offseason and preparing for a run at a championship four-peat in the America East Conference.

As of May 1, Vermont coach John Becker and his staff are expected to return nine scholarship players, including all-conference players Shamir Bogues (first team, all-defensive), Ileri Ayo-Faleye (all-defensive) and TJ Long (third team). The Catamounts need to fill one scholarship opening barring any other departures.

March Madness:Coverage of Vermont vs Duke basketball in the 2024 NCAA Tournament

For the latest on transfers and commitments, and potentially other news, read on below to stay current on all things Vermont basketball.

(Editor's note: This file will be updated as news breaks. The latest notes are at the top).

Young 'decommits' from Vermont basketball

Wednesday, June 12: Former Memphis guard Jayhlon Young announced on social media his decision to leave the Catamounts due to "personal reasons."

Young, who has a year of eligibility remaining, said he put "careful consideration" into his decision-making process.

"I would like to thank the staff at Vermont as well as the supportive fan base," Young said in his post on X, the site formerly known as Twitter. "This was not an easy decision for me, but it's what is best for my family and myself at this time. Thank you again for all of your support."

Virginia high school senior commits to Catamounts

Tuesday, May 12: Ben Wesson, who scored his 1000th career point this winter at Albemarle High School in Virginia, committed to the Catamounts.

Vermont headed back to Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame tourney

Tuesday, May 7: For the eighth time in program history, the Vermont men's basketball team will play at Mohegan Sun Arena.

The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame announced Tuesday the tournament field for the 2024 Tip-Off. The event is slated for Nov. 23 and 24 at Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Connecticut.

UVM will begin the showcase against former America East member Delaware before taking on Fairfield, TJ Long's former team. Yale is also in the field.

Vermont last played in the tourney in 2022. For more details, visit hoophall.com.

Howard transfer announces commitment to Vermont basketball

Wednesday, May 1: Shy Odom, a 6-foot-6, 229-pound forward from Howard University, announced on his Instagram page that he's transferring to Vermont.

Odom has two years of eligibility left.

Odom was the MEAC rookie of the year and the conference's tournament MVP during the 2022-2023 season when he averaged 10.9 points and 4.6 rebounds per game in 31 games (23 starts) for the Bison, who lost in the first round of the 2023 NCAA Tournament to Kansas.

This past winter, Odom averaged 8.4 ppg, 3.3 rpg and 2.3 apg per game in 20 appearances (15 starts) for Howard.

Odom is a native of Roxbury, Massachusetts, who played with Bronny James at Sierra Canyon High School in California, before his two seasons at Howard, a historically black college in Washington, D.C.

Memphis transfer guard commits to Vermont basketball

Thursday, April 11: Jayhlon Young, a 6-foot-2 guard from Memphis, announced on social media his decision to transfer to Vermont.

In his only season for the Memphis Tigers, Young played in 27 of 32 games this past winter and averaged 2.2 points and 1.3 rebounds in 11.0 minutes per game, while shooting 43.4% from the floor. He also finished fifth on the Tigers in steals (21).

The left-handed Young has one year of eligibility remaining.

Prior to his time at Memphis, Young had stops at Central Florida (2022-23), Baton Rouge Community College (2020-2022) and a redshirt year at Grambling State (2019-20). The native of Dallas, Young scored 1,000 career points in high school and was a two-time all-district honoree at Garland.

Vermont assistant coach Chris Santo lands head-coaching job

Wednesday April 3: Vermont assistant Chris Santo has been hired as head coach at his alma mater, St. Anselm, the Northeast-10 Conference school announced.

Santo, a 2015 graduate of St. Anselm, replaces his former coach, Keith Dickson, who retires following 37 seasons and 719 victories. Santo also served as an assistant coach under Dickson from 2016-2020.

Santo spent the last three seasons on staff at UVM, where he originally started his college career before transferring to St. Anselm. A Cherry Hill, New Jersey, native, Santo help the Hawks earn three NCAA Division II Tournament bids. He totaled 1,487 points and averaged 16.9 points a game during his three seasons with the Hawks. As a senior, he was named NE-10 player of the year.

Vermont walk-on Charlie Moore enters transfer portal

Monday, April 1: Freshman guard and walk-on Charlie Moore has placed his name in the transfer portal, VerbalCommits reported.

Jackson Skipper enters transfer portal after 2 seasons at Vermont

Monday, April 1: Redshirt freshman forward Jackson Skipper has entered the transfer portal, VerbalCommits reported on its Twitter page.

Skipper, who also announced his decision Monday afternoon to leave Burlington, redshirted his freshman year of 2022-23, before being used sparingly this past season.

Skipper saw action in 11 games, totaling 78 minutes, while averaging 2.1 points a game. Skipper's biggest contribution came in the regular-season finale, when he posted 11 points on 4 of 5 shooting in 23 minutes during Vermont's victory over New Hampshire.

Vermont walk-on Michael Mora enters transfer portal

Sunday, March 31: Walk-on and redshirt freshman Michael Mora placed his name in the transfer portal, according to RivalsPortal's Twitter account.

TJ Long will avoid surgery after NCAA Tournament injury

Thursday, March 28: According to the school, shooting guard TJ Long won't need surgery and is expected to make a full recovery following a lower-body injury suffered late in regulation in Vermont's NCAA Tournament first-round loss to Duke.

A UVM athletic department spokesperson emailed local media Thursday, announcing the positive news for the Catamounts' leading scorer this past winter. Long collapsed to the floor on a layup attempt vs Duke in what was a non-contact injury.

Michel Ndayishimiye enters transfer portal

Wednesday, March 27: Walk-on and redshirt sophomore guard Michel Ndayishimiye has entered the transfer portal, VerbalCommits reported.

The former Rice Memorial High School standout and a two-time Free Press Mr. Basketball award winner, Ndayishimiye saw action in eight games this winter for the Catamounts, totaling 29 minutes.

TJ Long to undergo more tests following injury

Tuesday, March 26: TJ Long, who suffered a non-contact injury late in regulation vs Duke, will "undergo additional testing and evaluation for a lower body injury," a UVM athletic department spokesperson said.

Long, who transferred to Vermont from Fairfield, has one more year of eligibility left. He averaged a team-high 12.0 points a game this winter while making 36.3% of his 3-pointers.

Vermont bows out at NCAA Tournament

Friday, March 22: The Catamounts put up fight against the Blue Devils, trailing 50-44 with 7:26 to play before Duke pulled away in the first-round game at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. It was Vermont's fifth one-and-done at March Madness under Becker.

Sean Blake commits to Vermont basketball

Nov. 13, 2023: The 6-foot-2 guard from Mississauga, Ontario signed with the Catamounts, one month after giving his verbal commitment. Blake will join a Vermont team that already has a pair of Ontario players in TJ Hurley and Sammy Alamutu.

Blake was the first signed recruit of Vermont's 2024 freshman class.

Contact Alex Abrami at aabrami@freepressmedia.com. Follow him on Twitter: @aabrami5.