Dylan Thayer’s Standout Unsigned Seniors in the VPA

Wednesday, January 1st, 2025

The state of Vermont is by far the smallest state in New England with a population of less than 700,000 people, but annually produces college prospects.

Some notable names that are in a way “off the board” include Evan Eaton and Owen Eaton, who announced their move to the Winchendon School following the year. The Eaton brothers had been at the top of their class in Vermont for some time now.

Outside of those two, Rex Hauser is another notable talent off the board as the 6’5” forward at St. Johnsbury is also a stud baseball player. He will be taking his talents to UMaine on the diamond next year.

Despite falling just short in the state championship last season, Burlington High School has optimism this year. Abdi Sharif recently defected from Rice Memorial to join his grassroots teammate Khamis Ali, forming arguably the best duo in the state.

Sharif is a 6’5” wing with a ton of physical tools led by his athleticism, but he locks in on defense, has some handle and pull-up shooting, and can get down the lane to get a bucket.

Ali is a perfect threat to Sharif as the guard packs a quick punch to get inside and plays through contact. He’s got on-ball defensive skill as well as playmaking in his bag.

Justin Munger has been viewed as one of the top prospects in the state since jumping on our radar in the spring. The big forward has smooth shooting touch off the catch, with the ability to get down and dirty inside for dunks and paint touches. He’s got his Bellows Free Academy squad to a 3-2 start on the year.

Andrew Joncas has Danville High School off to a 5-1 start on the season, with their next game coming up on Friday. The 5’10 point guard is a microwave scorer in the VPA who’s known for getting his buckets in bunches.

Joncas has 1,000+ for his career with many big scoring outbursts. He’s speedy and can stop on a dime for pull-up’s, or fly past the defense to finish in the paint. His ability to score in transition is a gamechanger as well.

South Burlington’s Deng Aguek is a talented athlete in multiple sports, but his basketball skills are noteworthy. He’s a shifty ball handler that caught our eye with his change of pace and command of the ball, but he’s also an outside shooting threat.

Montpelier High School is off to a 4-1 start led by the senior guard tandem of Carson Cody and Carter Bruzzese to go along with 6’6” big man Atif Milak.

Cody and Bruzzese control the tempo with their pace and alternative scoring and have contributed double figure outputs on the regular. Milak’s been an absolute force inside averaging 15.8 points and 10.2 rebounds per game.

Jerrick Jacobs started off his season with a bang with 54 combined points in his first two games. The guard has been a force for his Richford team over the years with his ability to get to the basket to score the ball. With his sights set on a playoff run, expect another big season coming throughout the winter from Jacobs.

St. Johnsbury point guard Kerrick Medose is the best playmaker in the VPA right now. The 6’1” senior excels at seeing the floor and knowing exactly when to dump the ball off to cutting teammates, or create open shots for them on the perimeter. He’s got his team off to an undefeated start on the young season.

This article started off with Rice Memorial’s talented twin duo of Owen and Evan Eaton, but Eric Poso and Dallas St. Peter are a couple remaining guys worth mentioning. Poso and St. Peter have helped the squad out to a 3-1 start on the season as they look to make their way back to the championship game.