Three time American East Coach of the Year, Tom Brennan has been the man at the helm for the Catamounts for 18 years, the longest tenure of any coach in the history of the American East. Last season he led the Cats through a program-record 21 wins, an American East Championship, and last but not least the team’s first appearance ever in the NCAA tournament. His resume of accomplishments spreads across the entire spectrum of both on court and off court accomplishments. Though his coaching skills cannot be denied, it is his unique approach to coaching that makes him stand above the rest. Recently Coach Brennan sat down with the Vermont Cynic and it was clear that his laid-back persona and prowess for the game juxtaposed with an air of seriousness on the court, provides the right mix of attitude a collegian coach should work to maintain, but Brennan has perfected. He is a shining example of the way a college team needs to be coached and this is evident by the way he has shaped the Catamounts into a stellar team that has a bright future with him running things. This season the Catamounts went 20-8 overall and 15-3 in league play. “The loss of Taylor was disappointing,” commented Coach Brennan in regards to losing his star player, “but the fact is we went 13 games straight without a loss, we are seeded number two in the American East, and overall we are very satisfied.”
Where as other coaches might throw in the towel after the loss of such a great player, it was obvious Coach Brennan refused to let Taylor’s injury eclipse the accomplishments of his team and their future in the American East Tournament. In the face of adversity he remains confident that his team will perform well in the post-season. “Last year the same thing happened. We lost two key players, TJ Sorrentine and Matt Sheftic to injury,” he looks at his team practicing on the court, “The fact is, this team has been through it before and have been toughened up as a result. I’m glad it’s this group.”
Tom Brennan, though faced with the detrimental loss of Taylor Copenrath, remained confident in his team’s ability to pick up the slack. When the issue of Copenrath’s season ending injury came up, he remained cool and upbeat about how the situation was going to be alleviated. “With the loss of Taylor, the biggest issue is finding 25 points. Scotty Jones and our two freshman insiders will be able to fill the void well.”
To beat the dead horse a bit more, the question of how he dealt with the phone call informing him of the loss of Taylor, he simply responded with a laugh, but at the same time maintained the tone of seriousness he does so well while being humorous. He responded to the question simply by answering, “I felt like throwing up. I have only received three devastating calls in my life, and they were all to inform me of deaths. He is coming back next year and that is wonderful.”
The interview then turned to the high expectations Brennan and the team had going into the American East Tournament at Boston. “We are going to win both games this weekend. If Boston University loses, we get home court advantage for the finals and that would be ideal. It is hard to repeat as champions, but I am confident this team has what it takes.” Over the weekend, Brennan’s Catamounts defeated #7 UNH 58- 50 and blew away #6 Hartford 61-48. #1 Boston University suffered a humiliating loss to #8 Stony Brook and as a result the Cats, the highest seed still in the tournament, now return to Patrick Gym on March 11th to play #4 Maine in the finals. The American East Champion then moves onto the NCAA Tournament.
For Corey Sullivan, Scotty Jones, Matt Sheftic, and Jack Phelan, this could be the last game in their collegiate careers. The loss of four seniors would rattle any head coach, “We are losing some good players, but this year the team was made up predominantly of juniors,” commented Brennan. “A lot of our guys are coming back though, and we have some great freshman such as Kyle Cieplicki, Martin Klimes, and Matt Hanson, that I’m excited about.” Also, with the return of Taylor Copenrath next year, the Catamounts have a team core that will certainly cause other American East teams to consider UVM a force to be reckon with.
As the interview drew to a close, the question of school spirit surrounding the Catamounts became the main focus. It is not a secret that there is a lack of support for most UVM teams. “Taylor and Sheftic are locals and bring in a lot of support. However, the students are showing a wonderful amount of livelihood. It makes the game so much better when this place [Patrick Gym] is packed full.” The team set a new single-season record for attendance at games with four sellouts in the Patrick Gym. This season the attendance averaged about 2,660 fans per game. “I’m trying to build a tradition here,” Brennan asserted, “so every game is an automatic sellout.”
