The Catamount Tribune is a monthly avenue for UVM student-athletes, coaches, staff, alumni, and fans to tell unique stories in their own words. This edition of the Catamount Tribune is written by former men's basketball coach Tom Brennan, whose name was added to the floor at Patrick Gym last month. Interested in sharing your story for the Catamount Tribune? Please click here or visit go.uvm.edu/tribune.
To have the court dedicated to me was an amazing honor that was humbling and exhilarating; and without question, one of the most meaningful nights of my life. When good things happen to me, I tend to roll with them. I rarely try to figure out why or overthink things; but once the initial joy subsided a bit, I was forced to reflect on the why and how and for whom this happened.
Obviously, this could not have happened without the approval of the Administration, the Board of Trustees, and the Athletic Department. And most certainly, I couldn't be more grateful to Barry and Carol Stone, who led this effort with a significant gift and continued to see it through to the end.
There is a wise old adage that I heard and actually have chosen to live by, "If you want to make God smile, tell him your plans"; and that really sums up my time as the Men's Basketball Coach at the University of Vermont. Initially when I got here in 1986, I was pretty much passing through. I was more of a city guy, having been at schools like Yale, Villanova and Seton Hall. I thought that we just needed to make Vermont a little bit better, then I could find my way back to big time college hoops which I felt was my destiny.
What happened however, was something quite different. Rather than me rolling through Vermont, Vermont started to roll through me. One of the earliest clues was while driving down 89, I realized there weren't any billboards on the sides of our beautiful roads. I gained a great appreciation for the people - independent thinkers with a "we will do more with less" mentality and their loyalty to me and our program. All that and the most important thing, they didn't fire me!
I loved telling recruits who were not from around here that the curriculum is very challenging, the basketball program demanding, and the winters are brutal. "It ain't San Diego" was one of my favorite lines.
An old coach at Michigan once put up a sign that said "those who stay will be champions". Here at Vermont we added to that, "those who stay will be champions and then we will come to your wedding"! I was so lucky to coach so many wonderful kids for so many years; and then I got luckier because I got to coach CHAMPIONS! It feels exhilarating and humbling just to write the word. And how good a coach I was is totally subjective (not to me, of course), but I do know that Miss Lynnie and I went to 32 player weddings which tells us all we need to know.
Through the years I have been fortunate enough to observe many really good teams play here. And I know that this honor would not have been possible without my assistant coaches and staff; and also if the program did not have the continued success brought about by Coach Lonergan and then Coach Becker.
One thing that makes it especially neat now is that I love this first team that will play on Tom Brennan Court; the reason being that these guys are just what we are always looking for. They are Vermont basketball players and embody all that it entails. I just need to remind these boys as they sprint over my name (it's at mid-court so either way they're goin', they should be sprinting as they go by) that they are playing for each other, this great University, our wonderful fans, and most importantly, for all those who came before them which is the main reason Tom Brennan Court is a reality.
And to those great fans who continue to pour into Patrick, if you look closely you can see your names on the court too! Be sure to know that this is for all of us and that's what makes it so nice. Lynn and I cannot begin to thank everyone involved in this amazing project and all of the wonderful memories you have given us. We love you all and "Go Cats Go"!
