After a slow start last winter, the University of Vermont men's basketball team roared to the second of back-to-back America East Conference titles and the program's ninth appearance in the NCAA Tournament.

Then four seniors graduated, including fifth-year leader Robin Duncan, league player of the year Finn Sullivan and Dylan Penn, the conference tournament's most outstanding player. To fill the void, the coaching staff brought on six newcomers — one less than the 2022 offseason — to join eight returnees who are poised to make a run at a championship three-peat.

"I’m really happy with the overall talent and the overall character with this team," UVM coach John Becker said during an interview in his office this week. "It’s just now figuring out who can do what. I’m pretty sure we have all the pieces."

More: Vermont men's basketball tracker: Keeping up with 2023 offseason news

To get a better sense of the 2023-24 Catamounts squad, here's a roster breakdown and an early look at the nonconference schedule.

VERMONT'S RETURNEES

Sam Alamutu

The 6-foot-5 guard returns for his third season in Burlington following a redshirt year during the 2021-22 campaign. The Ajax, Ontario native saw action in 24 games (9.6 mpg) this past season. The coaching staff aims to find a role for Alamutu to flourish in, according to Becker.

Ileri Ayo-Faleye

The transfer from Rhode Island is back for his second year with UVM (with two more seasons of eligibility remaining). The 6-foot-8 forward developed into a defensive stopper during the Catamounts' title run last winter, averaging 12.4 minutes per game.

"He's put on 12-15 pounds and looks like he grew an inch or two," Becker said of Ayo-Faleye.

Aaron Deloney

America East's two-time sixth man award winner spurned the transfer portal and recommitted to Burlington in April, giving the Catamounts their leader. The fifth-year senior guard set career highs last year in points (11.6 ppg), rebounds (2.3 rpg), assists (1.8 apg) and 3-point percentage (40.3%).

"AD's looked terrific," Becker said. "This being his team, he’s taking that responsibility really seriously."

More: Why Aaron Deloney spurned the transfer portal to return to Vermont basketball

Nick Fiorillo

A knee injury forced Fiorillo to miss 20 games last winter. But the 6-foot-8 forward returned for the Catamounts' stretch run and should be a key piece in their frontcourt this winter with two more seasons of eligibility to go.

"He doesn’t have the knee brace on anymore and he looks healthy for the first time in a long time," Becker said. "He has a good grasp of what we are doing."

TJ Hurley

An America East all-rookie selection, Hurley averaged 5.1 points and 1.7 rebounds a game while making 41.2% of his 3-pointers last winter. The shooting guard just finished competing for Team Canada in the FIBA 19-under World Cup in Hungary, where he twice reached double figures in scoring over seven games.

Michel Ndayishimiye

The former Rice Memorial High School standout is back for a third season as one of the team's walk-on players. Last winter, Ndayishimiye made his collegiate debut at St. Mary's on Nov. 10 and registered his first career basket vs. Long Beach State on Nov. 27.

Jackson Skipper

The 6-foot-7 forward redshirted his freshman season last winter and is in a similar position as Alamutu in terms of finding a role to make an impact, according to Becker.

Matt Veretto

Veretto's return to college basketball last winter after a three-year break was one of the Catamounts' best stories. The 6-foot-8 Veretto landed on America East's all-academic and all-championship squads, and he hit a pair of crucial 3-pointers in UVM's title-clincher over UMass Lowell. His 56.3% field-goal percentage led the conference. For the year, he averaged 8.9 ppg and 3.0 rpg.

Veretto and Fiorillo join Deloney as part of UVM's leadership group, Becker said.

More: 'Fairy tale ending': Matt Veretto and Dylan Penn lead Vermont to NCAA Tournament

VERMONT'S NEWCOMERS

Noah Barnett

Noah Barnett was the last recruit this offseason to sign with the Catamounts, committing on June 2. The 6-foot-9, 195-pound freshman forward from Don Bosco Preparatory High School in New Jersey brings the skillset of a rebounder and tough defender while playing an unselfish game on the offensive side of the ball.

"The guys have really taken to him because he plays hard and he doesn’t need the ball and he does a lot of the dirty work," Becker said. "He’s a kid we can potentially redshirt but I think he’s going to be a really good player for us."

Shamir Bogues

Shamir Bogues arrives in Burlington with a productive resume during his time at Tarleton State in Texas. The 6-foot-4 Bogues posted season averages of 9.5 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 1.9 apg and 1.9 spg in 34 games, while also earning a spot on the WAC all-defensive team.

Becker drew similarities between Bogues and Dylan Penn's games. Bogues has two years left of eligibility left.

"He’s been dominant in some of our summer practices. He has a really great way about him, cares about winning," Becker said. "He's a lefty, has a burst and has the ability to finish around the rim. He's not ambidextrous like Dylan, but he's a terrific player and has all-league potential."

Seth Joba

The first recruit to commit for Vermont's 2023-24 freshman class, Joba is a 6-foot-9 forward from a Buffalo suburb who just finished a prep year at Bridgton Academy in Maine. He was the No. 1-ranked prospect out of Maine by New England Recruiting Report.

Joba is versatile offensively, able to play behind the 3-point arc and back to the basket.

"We’re hoping he can be a 4. It’s just who he can guard would be the question," Becker said. "He's big and physical and sneaky athletic. A great shot blocker. He has a chance to be an all-league type kid."

TJ Long

The MAAC's sixth man of the year transferred to Burlington with two years of eligibility to go. The 6-foot-4 lefty guard from Fairfield averaged 10.5 ppg last winter and is a career 35.7% shooter from the 3-point line.

"He has a funky shot and at Fairfield he was asked to be really aggressive," Becker said. "Here it will be easier to play off other good offensive players. Defensively, he’s better than I thought he’d be. He can wall people off. I really like his game."

Brenton Mills

After stints at Binghamton and Bowling Green, Mills will play out his final year of eligibility for Vermont. Mills was an all-league player for the Bearcats — 13.9 ppg and 40.2% on 3s in 2020-21 campaign — and was previously recruited by UVM coaches. At Bowling Green, Mills was more of a floor spacer, but Becker expects to use the guard in a much bigger role.

"He’s been better than advertised. He’s a little undersized, but has a high IQ and really knows how to play," Becker said. "He looks like an older player and I think he’s going to have a great year. He’s picked stuff up and been impactful in practices."

Jace Roquemore

Transferring in from UC San Diego, Jace Roquemore has the potential to shine as a defender while serving as a table-setter in UVM's ball-screen motion offense. Last winter, the Nevada native averaged 6.5 ppg, 3.0 rpg and 2.6 apg while knocking down 43.3% on 3-point attempts in starting all 30 games for the Tritons.

Roquemore has two years of eligibility left.

"He’s a little bit like Robin (Duncan) in the sense that he wants to pass, he wants to set up teammates," Becker said. "He has a great feel and he has a good size and length. We have to figure out how to use him."

Note: UVM also added a pair of walk-on players in Charlie Moore (New Hampton, New Hampshire) and Michael Mora (Asheville School, North Carolina). UVM has 16 players in total in the program (13 scholarships, 3 walk-ons).

The Catamounts' nonconference slate — so far

After a road-weary, front-loaded 2022 nonconference schedule — featuring trips to California and the Bahamas — Becker said he worked with athletic director Jeff Schulman on rounding out a more equitable slate for the upcoming season.

"We all holistically agreed we can't do what we did last year. We can't just be flying all over the country," Becker said. "Scheduling is by far the hardest part of the job the last bunch of years because of our success and our location."

Once finalized, Vermont hopes to have five or six home games for nonconference, and a more spread-out schedule in November and December. Last year, UVM had just three home games during nonconference play.

"It's always going to be tough and it's still really, really challenging, Becker said. "It's just a little bit more balanced with less travel."

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The Catamounts have both exhibitions penciled in: Their annual tilt vs. St. Michael's College plus Catholic, Becker's alma mater. UVM will then open the regular season at Patrick Gym vs. Merrimack and will wrap the nonconference at Brown on Jan. 2 before the start of America East play.

Becker said they are likely to add three or four more games to the nonconference schedule. Here's the slate as of July 11:

Saturday, Oct. 28: vs. Catholic (exhibition)

Wednesday, Nov. 1: vs. St. Michael's (exhibition)

Monday, Nov. 6: vs. Merrimack (season opener)

Nov. 16-19: Three games at the Myrtle Beach Invitational in South Carolina

Wednesday, Nov. 29: vs. Dartmouth

Saturday, Dec. 2: vs. Yale

Wednesday, Dec. 6: at Northeastern

Saturday, Dec. 9: vs. Colgate

Wednesday, Dec. 20: at Toledo

Tuesday, Jan. 2: at Brown

Contact Alex Abrami at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter: @aabrami5.

This article originally appeared on Burlington Free Press: Vermont men's basketball team: Details on newcomers, returnees