Vermont Academy Officially Joins NEPSAC Class AAA
Vermont Academy Men’s Basketball has been on an upward trajectory since Jesse Bopp (FIU) and Cody Hatt (Texas) introduced high level prep hoops to southern Vermont in 2010.
“It's so gratifying that our efforts in the development of a quality basketball program earned the highest recognition from the NEPSAC. We are certainly excited about the invitation to the league and the opportunity to compete in the most challenging class in New England. There are so many positives from joining Class AAA for the even further development of not just one team, but the entire men’s basketball program here at Vermont Academy. It's definitely a win-win,” said Athletic Director Alexei Sotskov.
Vermont Academy’s team success reached new heights in 2015-2016 when the program finished 27-5 overall en route to the school’s first ever New England Championship. That same season, the Wildcats took down the NEPSAC AAA regular season champion in New Hampton. In 2018, Vermont Academy produced McDonald’s All-American Simisola Shittu ’18 (Vanderbilt University) and NBA Draft selection Bruce Brown ’16 (Detroit Pistons). In 2019, Vermont Academy made the NEPSAC AA Final 4, and, just recently, landed Jordan Nwora ’17 and Simisola Shittu ’18 in the upcoming NBA Draft combine. Recent college matriculation includes Harvard (2), UChicago, Tufts, Colby, Carnegie Mellon, William & Mary, VCU, Butler, UVM, Arizona, Louisville, Xavier, Miami, Marquette, Missouri, and many more.
It's hard to imagine who has more momentum going forward: Vermont Academy or NEPSAC AAA. Class AAA now boasts geographic representation from Maine, New Hampshire (2), Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, and now Vermont. "The NEPSAC AAA is the perfect fit for us," said Head Coach Alex Popp. Vermont Academy’s exciting launch into NEPSAC AAA serves as a great rallying point for one of the school’s signature programs and affirms its commitment to supporting student-athletes.
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Vermont Academy’s team success reached new heights in 2015-2016 when the program finished 27-5 overall en route to the school’s first ever New England Championship. That same season, the Wildcats took down the NEPSAC AAA regular season champion in New Hampton. In 2018, Vermont Academy produced McDonald’s All-American Simisola Shittu ’18 (Vanderbilt University) and NBA Draft selection Bruce Brown ’16 (Detroit Pistons). In 2019, Vermont Academy made the NEPSAC AA Final 4, and, just recently, landed Jordan Nwora ’17 and Simisola Shittu ’18 in the upcoming NBA Draft combine. Recent college matriculation includes Harvard (2), UChicago, Tufts, Colby, Carnegie Mellon, William & Mary, VCU, Butler, UVM, Arizona, Louisville, Xavier, Miami, Marquette, Missouri, and many more.
It's hard to imagine who has more momentum going forward: Vermont Academy or NEPSAC AAA. Class AAA now boasts geographic representation from Maine, New Hampshire (2), Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, and now Vermont. "The NEPSAC AAA is the perfect fit for us," said Head Coach Alex Popp. Vermont Academy’s exciting launch into NEPSAC AAA serves as a great rallying point for one of the school’s signature programs and affirms its commitment to supporting student-athletes.
Vermont Academy is a coed college preparatory boarding and day school in southern Vermont, serving grades 9-12 plus a postgraduate year.
