Vermont basketball gains two transfers on same day
Ben Johnson, a 6-foot-3, 195-pound guard from Bellarmine, and Chris Kuzemka, a 6-foot, 180-pound guard from Loyola, committed to Vermont over the weekend. GoEmpire Group, a sports agency based out of Chicago, announced Johnson's commitment on X, formerly known as Twitter. Kuzemka, who will be a walk-on, shared news on his social media pages.
Advertisement
Vermont previously picked up forwards Gus Yalden, Ben Michels and Trey Woodyard via the transfer portal and brought back Jackson Skipper, who spent last season at Oral Roberts following two years in Burlington. Head coach John Becker and his Vermont staff are searching for two more scholarship spots to round out the 2025-26 roster.
Chris Kuzemka: Beat cancer diagnosis this spring
Kuzemka left the Loyola program in January to have surgery and receive treatment for a cancerous mass found on his body. On April 18, Kuzemka posted on his Instagram page that he was "cancer free" following five months of "scans, surgery, and four rounds of chemotherapy."
Doing his time at Loyola, Kuzemka played in 60 games (started four) over three-plus seasons, averaging 5.5 points per game and making 67 out of 172 3-point attempts (39%).
Advertisement
Prior to Loyola, Kuzemka was the Virginia Class 6A player of the year as a senior in 2020-21 when he averaged 22.7 points, 4.6 assists and 6.3 rebounds per game, helping Centreville High School to district, region and state titles.
Ben Johnson: Averaged 12.2 points a game at Bellarmine
Bellarmine Knights guard Ben Johnson (33) looks to pass the ball by Utah Utes guard Cole Bajema (2) during the second half at Jon M. Huntsman Center on Dec. 20, 2023.
A native of Lexington, Kentucky, Johnson averaged 12.2 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game while shooting 37.3% from 3-point range in 77 games (42 starts) for Bellarmine.
Johnson reached double figures in 10 games this past winter, with a season-high 29 points on 10 of 21 shooting with six 3s in a 100-68 loss to Louisville, before an injury limited his availability to just 18 total games.
Advertisement
In 2022-23, Johnson landed on the Atlantic Sun Conference all-rookie team and his 38.1% shooting on 3s as a sophomore the following season ranked fourth in his conference.
In high school at Lexington Catholic, Johnson was a two-time captain and four-year starter who was named Kentucky's Mr. Basketball in 2021 when he averaged 27 points per game.
Contact Alex Abrami at aabrami@freepressmedia.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter: @aabrami5.
This article originally appeared on Burlington Free Press: Vermont basketball: Ben Johnson, Chris Kuzemka commit to Catamounts
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
4 minutes ago
- USA Today
Hugh Freeze suggests multiple QBs could see time Auburn's season-opener at Baylor
Auburn head coach Hugh Freeze caught the attention of Auburn fans during Monday's airing of the long-running radio show "Tiger Talk" with host Andy Burcham. During the show, Freeze was asked if there was a possibility that all three quarterbacks on Auburn's depth chart: Jackson Arnold, Deuce Knight, and Ashton Daniels, could play in the Tigers' season-opener against Baylor next Friday night. To which he responded, "Yeah." Whether he truly means that or if he is using it as a tool to confuse Baylor's game plan, it was enough to cause a negative reaction from the Auburn fan base, due mostly to past games such as the 2016 season-opener against Clemson, in which Sean White, Jeremy Johnson, and John Franklin III ran the offense from the quarterback position. To shed more light on the situation, we will rewind to earlier in the day when Freeze spoke to the media one final time in the preseason. During his time with the media, he shared that he is "pleased" with both Knight and Daniels in the backup role, and feels that "there is a place for both, depending on the scenario in the game." He also says that it has been difficult to fully evaluate Arnold and the rest of his quarterbacks due to the "no contact" policy at practices. "Our offensive staff is frustrated when you're in a scrimmage and you don't feel like you're getting maybe the yards that you would've gotten because the whistle is just getting blown," Freeze said Monday. "Somebody gets near (Arnold) in the pocket and it gets blown. Then you watch the film and you're like, 'I'm pretty confident he got out of this one.' I don't know what would've happened afterwards. I would've loved to have seen. I don't know how you do that until it's real. We've seen enough tape to know he has that ability. You see it out there. We called a few today and are still blowing it pretty quick. I have to see the film, but it looked like you're clicking off five, six, seven yards there. Not just him, Ashton (Daniels) and Deuce (Knight) also." Freeze and the Tigers have just over a week to figure out the pecking order and strategy for quarterbacks before taking the field for the season opener. Contact/Follow us @TheAuburnWire on X (Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Auburn news, notes, and opinions. You can also follow Taylor on Twitter @TaylorJones__
USA Today
2 hours ago
- USA Today
Jackson Herrington earns spot for Masters, U.S. Open in 2026
Tennessee sophomore Jackson Herrington advanced to the finals of the 2025 U.S. Amateur Championship at Olympic Golf Course in San Francisco, California. He played a 36-hole championship match versus high school junior Mason Howell, a 2016 Georgia commit. Howell, 18, won the 36-hole final, 7 and 6, surpassing Tiger Woods to become the third-youngest U.S. Amateur champion all time. Byeong Hun An, 17, in 2009 and Danny Lee, 18, in 2008 were younger won they were victorious. With Herrington's performance, the Tennessee sophomore earned a spot in the 2026 Masters and the 2026 U.S. Open. "I got through a lot of people this week, and it was tough," Herrington said. "I proved to myself I could do it." Tennessee will tee off its 2025-26 golf season Sept. 5-7 in the Visit Knoxville Collegiate at Tennessee National Golf Course in Loudon, Tennessee. More: Jackson Herrington records hole-in-one at U.S. Amateur Follow Vols Wire on Facebook and X (formerly Twitter).
USA Today
6 hours ago
- USA Today
The FIW staff picks who they believe will breakout on Notre Dame's defense this fall
After looking at who we believe will breakout on the Notre Dame offense, it is the other side of the ball that we'll focus on this time, the defense. There is some returning players who we know will play well like linebacker Drayk Bowen, but there are plenty of other names that will emerge this fall. The Irish have tons of young talent on this roster, and it wasn't easy to pick who will become the next Notre Dame star. The Fighting Irish Wire staff of Tim Healey, Dave Miller and Michael Chen pick who we each believe will breakout on Notre Dame's defense this fall. Tim Healey - contributor Leonard Moore already had a breakout year last year, but he could go to the next level in 2025. Moore proved himself as a freshman when he was thrust into a greater-than-planned role after an injury to Benjamin Morrison. If he can build on that, he might be as good as anyone we've recently seen in the ND secondary. Moore clearly has talent. Getting starter-level experience in his first year on the field should only help. Dave Miller - contributor Last season, Leonard Moore stepped up and broke out in a big way when the Fighting Irish secondary really needed it. New defensive coordinator Chris Ash is currently overseeing a healthy safety room, but that doesn't mean that enhancements won't be needed as the season wears on. One player in particular who stands out is Tae Johnson. Graduate transfer Jalen Stroman may be the likely starter at free safety, and he comes into the season with 36 games under his belt. But Johnson stepped up back in spring ball when Stroman missed time with an injury, showing some big play potential. Head coach Marcus Freeman said at his presser Sunday that he expects Adon Shuler, Luke Talich, Johnson and Stroman to all get reps at safety and that he does not know yet who will start. No matter what, Johnson has a chance to play his way into more time on the field, giving this defense even more depth as the Irish look to return to the College Football Playoff. Michael Chen - site lead It's hard not to try and pick someone out of Notre Dame's defensive backfield as a breakout since there are so many quality players in that unit, but I'm going to go with a linebacker here. Jaylen Sneed entered the program as a 5-star recruit, and while he has played well, he has yet to get elevated to a starting role. That looks like it's finally going to happen this fall, and I think he runs with the opportunity. There have been reports this fall about his great play, and he's entering his fourth-year in the program. I think it's pretty easy to see him getting close to 80 tackles, with 5 sacks and forcing a few fumbles. That would qualify as a breakout, as Sneed becomes a national name this fall. Don't forget about some of the young lineman as well, with Bryce Young, Boubacar Traore, and Loghan Thomas. They all could become stars this fall, as that unit has plenty of talent as well. Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on X (Formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.
