Former Twin Valley basketball standout Candon Rusin is coming back to Vermont.
In a July 7 news release, University of Vermont coach John Becker announced that Rusin will be transferring from Marist College to UVM. Under NCAA rules, Rusin will have to sit out the 2011-12 season, but will have two years of eligibility left to play for the Catamounts.
The 6-foot-4 Rusin scored 1,469 points in his three seasons at Twin Valley, and was a first-team selection as a sophomore and junior on the Burlington Free Press' all-state team. He led the Wildcats to the Division III semifinals as a junior, averaging 28 points per game.
He moved to North Carolina for his senior year and cracked the 2,000-point mark while playing for Topsail High School in Hampstead. Rusin then played two seasons at guard for Marist. He led the Red Foxes in scoring as a freshman, and finished third on the team this past season.
During Rusin's first year, he averaged 9.5 points per game, and led the team in 3-pointers with 58 while starting in 26 of the team's 30 games. He was named to the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference's All-Rookie Team.
This past season, his per game average dropped to 7.8 points, but he again led Marist in 3-point shooting with 47.
Rusin tallied a career-high 22 points against Canisius last season, and has 544 points in his first two years of play.
The transfer represents a fresh start for Rusin, who is leaving a team that finished last in the MAAC with a 6-27 record last season.
Rusin also represents something of a catch for Becker, who is replacing outgoing head coach Mike Lonergan, who left UVM for George Washington University in May.
Becker, who was a head coach at Gallaudet and an assistant at Catholic University before coming to UVM as an assistant to Lonergan for the past five seasons, has an up-tempo coaching style, and Rusin might fit in nicely with the Catamounts.
Legion roundup
• Brattleboro Post 5 is starting to roll, as they finished the week with a 12-3 record. They are in good shape for the state tournament that begins this Friday in Castleton.
Last weekend, they had a doubleheader sweep of Hartford on July 9 and a 6-2 win over Fair Haven on July 10.
Post 5 pitcher Tommy Heydinger put on a show against Fair Haven, striking out 17 and walking only 4 batters in a complete-game six-hitter. Sawyer Olson went 2-for-5, and Evan Parro hit a two-run triple in the victory.
Against Hartford, Olson had 3 hits and 3 RBI in a 12-3 win in the first game of the doubleheader. Jamie Martell, Bryce Bandish, Ross Meyer and Heydinger all finished with 2 hits each; Martell also had 2 RBIs.
In the nightcap, Soren Pelz-Walsh hit a grand slam, Parro went 3-for-5, and Martell drove in 3 runs as Post 5 cruised to a 21-3 win. Brandon Reilly and Heydinger had 2 hits each.
Last Tuesday, Post 5 hammered Chester Post 67, 20-1, in a five inning game. There were four home runs. Eli Pell hit a grand slam on the way to a 3-for-3 night. Gerald Roberge hit a three-run homer, Parro hit a two-run shot, and Reilly knocked a solo homer. Heydinger, Reilly and Pelz-Walsh all had 2 hits each. Roberge was the winning pitcher.
• After a strong start, Bellows Falls Post 37 has struggled of late, with three straight losses. They lost to Hartford last Thursday, 7-6, lost to Brattleboro, 9-3, on Saturday, and lost to Bennington, 20-1, on Sunday.
Post 5 broke open a close game with 2 runs in the seventh and 6 runs in the eighth. Nick Gendron had 4 hits for Post 37, while Reilly led Post 5 with 4 hits. Heydinger struck out 11 over 8 innings to get the win, while Matt Marchica was the losing pitcher for Bellows Falls.
Bellows Falls pitchers gave up 16 hits to Bennington on Sunday, and 8 errors made things worse.
Bennington enters the state tournament as the No. 2 seed in the Southern Division with a 17-0 record. Brattleboro is the No. 3 seed, while Bellows Falls is No. 4. Host team Rutland is the South's top seed.
Dunn, Reuter play in Twin State game
• Brattleboro's Matt Dunn and Greg Reuter were both selected to the Vermont squad in the 37th annual Lions Twin State Soccer Cup game, which was played Saturday at Castleton State College.
Vermont lost to New Hampshire, 2-1. It was the Granite State's first win in the series since 2005. Dunn had to sit out the game due to a knee injury, but Reuter, who scored Vermont's lone goal in early in the second half, was named Vermont's most valuable player in the game.
It was a nice ending to Reuter's stay in Vermont. The Belgian exchange student spent his senior year at Brattleboro Union High School, not only helping the Colonels reach the state Division I semifinals in soccer, but also was part of the 4 X 400 relay team that won a state title at last month's Division I meet.
Youth Services hosts golf tourney
• Youth Services presents its 26th annual golf tournament on Wednesday, July 27, at the Brattleboro Country Club. The event kicks off with a free lunch at noon. The shotgun start for the Texas Scramble format tournament will take place at 1 p.m. sharp. Following the tournament there will be a banquet, sponsored by G.S. Precision.
The tournament's Hole-In-One Contest prizes are sponsored by Brattleboro Subaru and include: a 2011 Subaru Forester; Nike irons; a $500 Visa gift card; and a 32-inch Panasonic Flat Screen TV. Prizes will also be awarded for low gross and low net game scores, as well as for the Longest Drive and Closest to the Pin for both men and women. Mulligans also will be on sale, and the traditional putting contest will take place during the tournament.
The all-inclusive registration fee for the tournament is $120 per individual or $480 per foursome. The fee covers greens fees and cart, a buffet lunch, and dinner following the tournament. To register, call Youth Services at 802-257-0361 or e-mail info@youthservicesinc.org.
All proceeds from the tournament, which is sponsored by Fleming Oil Co., supports Youth Services' programs. Now celebrating its 39th year of helping local families thrive, Youth Services promotes the healthy development of more than 2,200 local youth and families each year.