[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 55 (Tuesday, April 27, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E672]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 A TRIBUTE TO THE PLAYERS AND COACH OF THE UNIVERSITY OF VERMONT MEN'S 
                            BASKETBALL TEAM

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                          HON. BERNARD SANDERS

                               of vermont

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 27, 2004

  Mr. SANDERS. Mr. Speaker, I want to take this opportunity to 
congratulate the players of the University of Vermont Men's Basketball 
Team, and their coach, Tom Brennan, on an extraordinary basketball 
season.
  It is certainly worthy of both recognition and celebration when a 
team finishes a tough schedule with over 20 wins--UVM went 22-9 on the 
year--and wins its conference championship. UVM lost its first game in 
the NCAA tournament to Connecticut, but there is no disgrace in losing 
to the only team which never lost a game in the entire tournament, for 
UConn was the eventual champion of the collegiate Division I 
basketball.
  And it is certainly worth acknowledging the excitement that the team 
evoked all over the state of Vermont; our state is very proud of the 
wonderful record of this year's glorious team, and of both the men's 
and women's basketball teams at the University of Vermont in recent 
years. And the state is very proud as well that Vermont's own Taylor 
Coppenrath was selected to the AP All-America Team, as an honorable 
mention.
  But what the people of Vermont are most proud of, and I include 
myself in their number, is that this basketball team not only played 
well on the basketball court, they worked hard and learned well in the 
classrooms and laboratories that are the heart of our state university. 
College is, after all, primarily about academics and not athletics.
  At a time when the nation, and the NCAA as well, is deeply concerned 
that many athletes competing in major sports at Division I schools are 
not graduating from college, when there is widespread concern that 
often the educational mission of universities is put aside in the 
interest of athletic success, the men's basketball team in Vermont 
reminded us all that education and athletics can go together.
  Of the 64 teams in the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball tournament, 
only the University of Vermont had 8 of its players with a grade point 
average of 3.0 or better. The Catamounts had the best GPA of any team 
in the 65-team NCAA tournament.
  The team's dual achievement--succeeding at the highest level in both 
athletics and academics--makes Vermont proud, and serves, I believe, as 
an example to the nation.
  Our congratulations go to the members of the 2003-2004 University of 
Vermont Men's Basketball Team: T.J. Sorrentine, Jack Phelan, Kyle 
Cieplicki (of Shelburne, VT), Martin Klimes, Mike Goia, Taylor 
Coppenrath (of West Barnet, VT), David Hehn, Germain Njila, Alex 
Jensen, Corey Sullivan, Matt Hanson, Scotty Jones and Matt Sheftic (of 
Essex Junction, VT). And to those who helped them succeed on the court 
and off: Tom Brennan, head coach; Jesse Agel, associate head coach; Pat 
Filien, assistant coach; Jeff Rush, assistant coach; Chris Poulin, 
athletic trainer/strength coach; Reza Mohamed and Amarildo Barbosa, 
student managers; and Ryan Gore, student athletic trainer.

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