Seniors Scotty Jones (Katy, Texas) and Corey Sullivan (Springboro, Ohio) and junior T.J. Sorrentine (Pawtucket, R.I.) were named captains of the 2003-04 University of Vermont men’s basketball team. Head Coach Tom Brennan made the announcement on Wednesday.

“We are thrilled to have a great combination of leadership for the team this year,” commented Brennan on his tri-captains. “The two seniors have invaluable experience from winning a championship while T.J. is the most driven athlete I have ever coached.”

At 6-foot-7, Jones was one of the top frontcourt reserves in the America East last season and will likely move into the Catamounts starting lineup this year. He saw action in all 33 games for the 2002-03 America East champions and was among the conference leaders in rebounds and blocked shots. Playing just 20 minutes per contest, he averaged 7.0 points and 5.1 rebounds per game with a team-high 39 blocked shots. Very athletic with a nice touch inside, he led the Cats shooting 56.5% from the floor.

Sullivan, also 6-foot-7, is a valued wing player for Vermont who is an outstanding long-range shooter. Last year he averaged 5.0 points per game and was third on the Catamounts with 33 three-pointers. He came up big in the America East Championship with 13 points in each of Vermont’s quarterfinal and semifinal wins in shooting seven-for-12 from three-point range. An excellent student who has been a member of the America East Academic Honor Roll four straight seasons, he received his degree last spring in Business Administration and is studying for a second degree in Economics this year.

The 2002 Kevin Roberson America East Player of the Year, Sorrentine returns at full strength to the Vermont lineup after missing all of last season from suffering a pair of broken wrists in a preseason scrimmage. Among the nation’s returning juniors, the standout point guard is fifth with 974 career points, second in career three-pointers per game (2.76), sixth in career free throw percentage (82.8%) and eighth in career assists (4.74 per game).

The Catamounts (21-12 in 2002-03) have one exhibition game, November 4th versus the Upstate AAU, before the season opener November 17th at Nevada in the Preseason NIT. Local fans can get their first look at the team Friday at the Catamount Tip-Off that features men’s and women’s intra-squad scrimmages. The event begins at 5:00pm and admission is free at UVM’s Patrick Gym.

-Athletic Communications