Josh Duell, a 6-foot-8 forward from Scotia, New York, and Ryan Schneider, a 6-foot-7 forward from Shrub Oak, New York, will attend the University of Vermont and play basketball at the school, coach Tom Brennan announced today. Both players signed their national letters of intent during the recent signing period to attend Vermont and will add depth to the Catamount frontcourt in the future. “We are thrilled to sign two very good players who are also quality kids,” commented Brennan on the pair. “We feel that they will be the cornerstone of our future. The addition of these two players gives us added size and strengthens our depth. Duell plays like a true veteran in the low post while Schneider at the small forward, has great court sense at both ends.” Duell begins his senior year at Christian Brothers Academy in suburban Albany where last season he averaged 10 points and 12 rebounds per game while leading CBA to the sectional final. As well as solid down low, he has the versatility to score from the perimeter. He is the first Scotia native to play for the Catamounts since Warren Prehmus ’77, a standout guard who is now a member of the UVM Athletic Hall of Fame. An excellent perimeter shooter, Schneider led Lakeland High in Westchester County to a 16-6 record and a trip to the state Class A quarterfinals last season. The first basketball player at Lakeland to earn a Division I scholarship, he played last summer for the Westchester Hawks AAU program. The pair will join current redshirt guard Kyle Cieplicki (Shelburne, Vt.) as freshmen on the 2004-2005 Catamounts. UVM will lose three seniors following this season, center Scotty Jones (Katy, Texas), swingman Corey Sullivan (Springboro, Ohio) and guard Jack Phelan (West Hartford, Conn.).-Athletic Communications