Carissimo Coming Into His Own At Vermont

From darting up the steep hills of Sleepy Hollow, to letting a surplus of shots fly at the Tarrytown YMCA, to putting in long draining hours at the smurf-small court at St. Theresa's Church, Sandro Carissimo's monster work ethic helped propel him into Division-I University of Vermont.

 A sharpshooter who starred at Iona Prep and garnered interest from a laundry-list of Division-I programs his senior year, Carissimo is suddenly starting to blossom.

One of Sleepy Hollow's favorite sons has learned the ropes of the Catamounts' system. He's lived through a rigid adjustment period during which witnessed his scoring average and minutes dip.

 For the first time in a career that was jump-started in the local rec leagues and picked up steam during a prosperous period with the Bronx-based Gauchos on the AAU circuit, Carissimo was forced to play the role of spare part.

 The UVM freshman has emerged from it all unscathed. He's evolved into a key piece on a roster that's over-saturated with shooters who can spread the length of the floor and pop from downtown.

Carissimo now finds his game thrust to the forefront as the Catamounts usher in the upcoming post-season tournament.

A berth in the NCAA tournament is not out of the picture for Vermont, which is led by crafty 6-foot-8 scorer Evan Fjeld.

 At the tail-end of a rollercoaster regular season the 6-foot-2, 170-pound shooter has enhanced his role. The two-guard put his stamp on a recent 66-64 OT loss to Boston University, dropping a team and career-best 17 points.

 Not bad for a freshman, huh?

 It was the most efficient performance of his early collegiate career, as Carissimo shot 8-for-12 from the field and doled out three assists.

The basket must have looked bigger than nearby Lake Champlain for the freshman. Carissimo's hot shooting revved up the raucous home crowd at the Roy L. Patrick Gymnasium in plenty-fun Burlington.

 The growing basketball culture and laid-back environment of the school helped sell Carissimo on Vermont. Carissimo explained this in the beginning of the season, when Vermont was on a rigorous road swing that featured a stop at UCONN.

 "I took one visit and fell in love with the place," said Carissimo, whose younger sister, Daniella, played a significant role for the 13-6 Sleepy Hollow girls basketball team this season.

 "The whole team was great (on my visit), it was a really easy atmosphere for me to adapt to. The team is everything I could have wanted out of a Division-I team. They are a great bunch of guys, all committed to winning and getting better on a game-to-game basis. There's a lot of fanfare and support for us around school. I'd say it was a perfect fit for me. The place has been good to me."

 The quick month of February was certainly good to Carissimo, who has been challenged by the coaching staff to pack muscle onto a once-spindly frame. On Feb. 3, Carissimo dropped 14 points and snared five boards, helping catapult the Catamounts (22-7) to a 61-47 defeat of America East foe Hartford.

 Now the Catamounts are sitting in the driver's seat of the America East. They've ripped 10 of their last 12, registering a league record of 13-3.

 Pushing Carissimo's ascension every step of the way has been longtime friend and teammate, Vermont freshman forward Brian Voelkel.

 Voelkel, a Pleasantville native who starred alongside Carissimo and Sleepy Hollow native Jordan Bronner at Iona Prep, has evolved into one of the nation's top-tier passing big men. Voelkel erupted for a near-triple double his first game of the season (10 rebounds, 9 points, 9 assists against Siena).

The crafty, nifty-passing 6-foot-6 forward scored 23 points, snatched 16 rebounds and five steals against Marist. The muscle-bound Voelkel recently posted back-to-back double-doubles in wins against UMBD and Binghamton.

It was Voelkel who originally implored Carissimo to visit the school.

 Vermont coach Mike Lonergan has Carissimo pegged as a player who "has ice water running through his veins."

 "He's cool, calm, collected, and composed," said Lonergan back in November. "He just doesn't get rattled, that's why we were sold on him."

 Lonergan said that augmenting Carissimo's overall strength would be a key factor in grooming the wiry guard into a high-caliber player at the America East level.

 Vermont strength and conditioning coaches worked him out during the summer. A steady production continues.

Carissimo continues to put Sleepy Hollow and the 914-area basketball landscape on the map.