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We continue our season preview coverage with Vermont SR SF Anthony Lamb. The America East has been playing conference basketball tournaments since 1980 and during that 40-year span Drexel legend Malik Rose is the only player who was named conference tourney MVP more than twice (he did it 3 years in a row from 1994-1996). We have a new contender this year in the form of Anthony, who was named MVP in 2017 as a freshman and then again last season as a junior. Were it not for an injury as well as as an all-time Cinderella named UMBC in 2018 we might be looking at 1 of the only 4-time conference tourney MVPs in the history of the sport. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Anthony about overcoming a serious injury and being a senior leader.
You play for Coach John Becker: what makes him such a good coach, and what is the most important thing that you have learned from him so far? He has been a key instrument to me growing up as both a man/player. He knows that there are differences between people and manages each player in the way that is best for them. He loves toughness/defense and has us buy into that. He gives you a chance to grow but also challenges you to reach a better version of yourself.
As a freshman in 2017 you started all 34 games, were named both conference ROY/conference tourney MVP, and scored 20 PTS in a 10-PT loss to Purdue in the NCAA tourney: how were you able to make such a smooth transition from high school to college? I just came in really determined to push myself. My game has always evolved but going from high school to college is a different kind of jump. There was less stress because people did not expect a lot from a freshman so it helped to not have the pressure of being “the man”.
In 2018 you missed 17 games due to a right foot fracture that you suffered during practice: how hard was it to get back onto the court, and how is your health doing at the moment? I am doing great right now and do not have any bite-back from the injury. It was more difficult mentally than physically. It took 8 weeks for me to get back to my regular health but took me until the end of the summer to get my body in the right shape to play the way that I wanted to play. Any time I can play basketball it releases stress for me.
Last December you scored a career-high 42 PTS/6-14 3PM in 47 minutes during a 7-PT 2-OT win over St. Bonaventure: was it just 1 of those scenarios where every shot you put up seemed to go in because you were “in the zone”, and how exhausted were you by the end of the game? I would not say that I was in the zone: they tried to make us play more 1-on-1 so I just scored a lot of PTS out of necessity. I definitely remember being tired but also felt exhilarated: I remember yelling/chanting at the end because I was so ecstatic that we won the game.
You finished the season by leading the conference in PPG/RPG and were named conference POY/conference tourney MVP/Honorable Mention All-American: what did it mean to you to receive such outstanding honors? I do not look at those that much: I appreciate people showing me love but I have different goals. Awards do not help us go farther in the postseason and that is the journey that I am on.
In the 2019 NCAA tourney you scored 16 PTS in a 7-PT loss to Florida State: how close did you come to pulling off the upset, and what did you learn from that game that will help you this year? I have actually watched film of that game the past couple of days. I need to become a smarter basketball player: there are so many different things you can do and so many strategies you can apply. Once you understand that then you have to understand what works and what does not, so I want to make the best decisions to help our team win. There were a lot of reasons why we lost but I think it just came down to how smart we played.
Your non-conference schedule includes road games at St. John’s/Virginia/Cincinnati: which of these games do you feel will present your biggest test? I have not looked at their rosters yet because right now we are trying to learn how our own pieces fit together. We have our whole core back and will try to be as sharp as we can be.
1 of your new players is graduate transfer Daniel Giddens: how big a deal is it to have a guy transferring in who has played at big-time schools such as Ohio State/Alabama? I cannot really say because I have not played at those schools myself but he is a good guy who is really trying to push himself. He has made a really good transition to becoming part of our family and Coach has definitely helped Daniel make great strides.
You are 1 of 2 seniors on the roster: how much pressure is there on you to be a leader this year? There is a lot of pressure but most of it is internal because I have really high standards. I take a lot of pride in my work and 1 of my roles is to be a leader. I am really grateful for the support system around me.
What are your goals for the upcoming season, and what are your expectations for the upcoming season? I want to become an All-American, be DPOY, and be the best leader I can be so that they remember me for that. I also want to be top-10% in defense nationally. We want to win a national championship and I believe that we can actually do it: it will take a lot of hard work but we have the crew to do it.