Levett leads the way
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Vermont's Tyrone Levett fires off one of his six three-pointers during the Frost Heaves win on Thursday. Jeb Wallace-Brodeur/Times Argus |
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By James Biggam Times Argus Staff - Published: March 30, 2007
BARRE – It's always tough to single out a hero on the Vermont Frost Heaves, especially during a championship game that was over almost as quickly as it began.
But on Thursday, Tyrone Levett undoubtedly earned the title.
The Heaves' six-foot-five, 220-pound star poured in a team-high 33 points and pulled down nine rebounds, guiding Vermont to a 143-95 title victory over the Texas Tycoons.
Levett's hot hand lifted the Heaves from the start, leading to a 42-18 lead after the first quarter. When Texas made several comeback attempts after that, Levett answered the bell at each turn.
"Every time they made little runs, we really made sure we got set plays to get (Levett) the ball," Vermont coach Will Voigt said.
The Tycoons found themselves in a Texas-sized hole before they knew what hit them, as Vermont mounted a 24-2 run near the end of the first quarter for a 36-12 advantage. When Texas finally ended a four minute scoreless spell, Levett came right back with his second three-pointer of the game.
"I looked up and I hit my first two and I said, 'Something might be rolling today,'" Levett said. "And I hit my third one and then I was feeling pretty good after that."
The former Alabama State standout hit 12-of-16 shots in the game, including a 6-of-7 effort from behind the arc.
"Being a big guard, you can take guys to the post and you can shoot over smaller guys behind the three-point line," Levett said. "And, lucky enough, my shot was falling tonight for us."
Teammate Antonio Burks said a pre-game phone call from his father helped pump up Levett for the championship."My pops had called earlier and he told (Levett) to just play like a bulldog, and he took it to the rack and did everything we needed to do," Burks said. "He was the only guy on this team who actually had a (conference) championship under his belt from college, so he told us not to be nervous and he was going to lead us. And he came out and played unbelievably. He just played like an animal, and once he got going, then everybody starting hitting. We shot the ball well, we got stops and it was over from there."
Burks finished 5-of-10 from three-point land Thursday, giving Vermont a potent one-two punch of big players who could not be left alone near the perimeter.
"When you have big (players) on guys that can shoot like that, you've got to press up," Vermont guard Aaron Cook said. "And big (players) aren't used to coming out to the three-point line, so it makes it hard for them to guard. And especially with Tyrone Levett, he can mix it up. He can go on the block and he can take it out to the three-point line, so he makes it a tough matchup for other teams."
"Levett is so strong, he has a mismatch almost every night," Burks said. "He can go in the post, he can step outside, and tonight he exposed them in every way. When they had a big guy on him, he was outside and he was 6-for-7. And when they had a little guy one him, he was inside just abusing him."
Levett added insult to injury at the start of the second half, draining back-to-back three-pointers for a 93-49 advantage. The Frost Heaves had grown accustomed to doubling up some teams in the regular season, but few could have predicted a rout of this magnitude in the ABA championship.
The only question became how quickly Vermont would hit the century mark, and Levett's inside-outside dominance kept the Tycoons' defense looking downright buffoonish.
"We knew coming into the game that he was going to be a tough matchup for them," Voigt said. "Just physically, he's so much bigger than the guards they put on the floor. It was definitely a game plan for us to get him a lot of touches early on and try and get him going. But to his credit, he was making everything and making great decisions when they were doubling him. There was a stretch in that third quarter where we ran everything through Ty and he delivered for us."
Levett was obviously Vermont's go-to guy, but his 33 points weren't the product of an overinflated ego. He joined four other teammates in double figures and was one of 12 Frost Heaves who scored, epitomizing the teamwork that carried Vermont during its fairy-tale season.
"It's an experience that I'll never forget," Levett said. "I love the guys here."