Hyland Transferring to Vermont
Vermont finally got their man.
It was October of 2009 when Keegan Hyland made an initial verbal commitment to the Catamounts, only to de-commit a day later and ultimately make a commitment to Gonzaga later in the spring. But after just one semester at the west coast school, Hyland decided he wanted to return to the northeast and consequently sought his release.
“I just felt like it wasn’t the right spot for me,” Hyland told the New England Recruiting Report on Sunday night. “I got hurt and wasn’t getting the time and just wanted to be closer to home, play right away, and play more my style instead of being just a shooter.”
Hyland received interest from over a dozen local division I programs after receiving his release last week but ultimately decided to visit just Maine and Vermont.
“I fielded some calls but those are the two that really had everything that I wanted,” he said.
Ultimately, Hyland decided his first impulse was the right one and so he committed to Vermont head coach Mike Lonergan for the second time in the last fifteen months.
“I had strong interest in them before but wanted to test the waters at the highest level,” Hyland said. “Vermont plays a high level of basketball, has really good players who are going to work hard but also do well academically, and it’s close to home but not too close.”
Hyland will now enroll at Vermont for the second semester and become eligible for the second semester of next season when he will have three and a half years of eligibility remaining after redshirting this season.
“Classes start on the 18th but I’ll probably be down there by the end of the week,” Hyland said. “It’s been a long couple of weeks but I’m glad it’s over with.”
Hyland is one of the most decorated prospects to come out of the state of Maine within the last ten years and will be expected to make immediate contributions upon becoming eligible in the America East.
Keegan Hyland