In some ways, Vermont Academy coach John Zall considers himself lucky. When he took over the program in 2021, the cupboard was bare. Zall inherited just six players and worked hard to build out a young roster that included future stars Joson Sanon, Chike Ndefo and Andre Mills.
While Mills wound up leaving for Brimmer & May, Sanon and Ndefo stayed to lead a young corps through growing pains against the best competition in New England over the last three years. Their faith was rewarded with glory last season as Vermont Academy won the NEPSAC Class AAA championship.
Now, Zall is restocking the cupboard again after losing most of one of the best teams in school history. Vermont Academy brings back just three players to the 2024-25 squad, and after losing eight players who went on to college basketball programs, there are 10 newcomers. It’s an older group than the one Zall assembled three years ago – this one has five postgraduate players and two fifth-year seniors – but most of them will be playing in NEPSAC for the first time.
“They’re really eager to learn, really eager to get better,” Zall said. “This team is obviously very different than last year’s team, but it’s almost refreshing in a way. They’re so naive, they’re so new, so it’s exciting.”
