Vermont Ventures North for 2021 Guard/Forward Samuel Alamutu
Following up on their scholarship offer to Jake Heidbreder, John Becker and the Vermont Catamounts have gone back to the recruitment well, this time putting an offer on the table for 2021 SG Samuel Alamutu. That’s now four different open scholarship offers within a three day span, something we haven’t typically seen from Vermont teams of the past. Without the chance for high schoolers to showcase their skills through AAU and other circuit leagues this summer, some schools are going to be hesitant with who they hope to add to their squad.
Vermont, like many other mid-majors, are ideally aiming to capitalize on this opportunity by extending their scholarship offers now, rather than try to compete with the larger programs later on. Although getting that much needed in-person face-to-face connection with recruits, parents and coaches is out of the question for the time being, UVM has gotten their foot in the door with these kids and hopefully are looking for creative ways to continue to stay active throughout the recruitment process.
As for Samel Alamutu, Verbal Commits has him listed as a 6’4, 190lb SG, while currently ranked as a two-star recruit. Per Verbal Commits, the only other officially listed suitor for Alamutu at this time is Long Beach State, however our northern neighbors up at North Pole Hoops have Alamutu accruing interest from Stanford, as well as Ivy league schools such as Princeton and Yale. Coach Becker and his staff have been able to find some diamonds in the rough north of the border in recent years, including Stef Smith, Drew Urquhart and most notably two time America East Player of the Year Trae Bell-Haynes. With hits like that coming in, be sure to keep a close eye on incoming freshman Georges Lefebvre, who’s coming to Burlington from just a stone’s throw away in Montreal, Canada.
Alamutu will be entering his senior year at Rothesay Netherwood this fall, and fun fact, shares the same hometown as starting PG Stef Smith (different high schools). The fact that UVM has been able to find this level of talent should make every Cat fan excited for any potential recruit from Canada (Hey Alexa, how many years of eligibility does Justin Trudeau have?). Coach Becker and his staff have done an excellent job at scouting and evaluating talent through the Canadian pipeline. Will Samuel Alamutu be the next great Canadian Cat?
What Does the Tape Say?
We got lucky, as Samuel Alamutu has a solid mix of tape available, including a good quality, well produced video from earlier this month. Lot of strong praise for Alamutu from the announcers, but that’s to be expected in a highlight package. Here’s what we can see; A 6’4/6’5 thick, muscular and physical guard that again should see plenty of time in a hybrid winger type role at the collegiate level. Alamutu may not have as much defensive versatility as we’ve seen with some of the other recruits UVM has made offers to, but his strength and athleticism should be able to win plenty of one-on-one matchups.
Positives: Great slasher. Attacks the basket with force and isn’t afraid of contact. Finishes well while shooting in traffic. Strength and athleticism are his best traits. Can jump out of the gym and out-muscle anyone on the court. Great vision in seeing the court and distributing the ball. Strong and physical defender who can get boards.
Negatives: What positioning group does he fall into? Is he a big guard or an undersized wing? A good, but not great shooter. Needs to iron out a few kinks with form still. Not much of a perimeter threat. Majority of points will come from attacking the paint and going to the stripe. Will cost UVM a small fortune in broken rims on fast break dunks.
Has Vermont Found Their Next Canadian Star?
I would love to see Samuel Alamutu don the green and gold come fall 2021. Alamutu looks like an absolute steal right now and even though more programs will begin to throw their hats in the ring throughout the summer months, here’s hoping this kid stays our little secret a just bit longer. My hope is Alamutu can develop his jumper and shooting range a bit more next year, as Coach Beckers offensive scheme relies on wingers who can shoot the three ball. Early on Alamutu might be somewhat one-dimensional in terms of where he gets his points, but his ability to outwork and bully opposing defenders up and down the court would be a great addition to the Catamount roster.
Coach Becker and his staff at Vermont have done a great job identifying the type of Canadian talent that can succeed in the America East. Alamutu looks to be another hard-nosed gritty player who could see his career, like so many others before him flourish in Burlington. Landing Alamutu would be a great get for the Catamounts from both a positional need and scheme fit perspective. Throw in the fact that UVM has struck gold with their former Canadian Cats and now with possibly Alamutu in tow, the Cats could be adding another tally mark to the list very soon.
5 Responses
Write more, thats all I have to say. Literally, it seems as though you relied on the video to make your point. You obviously know what youre talking about, why waste your intelligence on just posting videos to your site when you could be giving us something informative to read?
Magnificent goods from you, man. I’ve understand your stuff previous to and you are just extremely excellent. I actually like what you have acquired here, really like what you’re stating and the way in which you say it. You make it entertaining and you still care for to keep it smart. I can not wait to read far more from you. This is actually a wonderful web site.