Ethan O’Day

Classroom

Ethan O’Day has a 3.13 GPA and is on track to graduate in May of 2016. He was named to the America East Academic Honor Roll after the 2012-13 season. As a public communications major, O’Day has an interest in marketing and working with a variety of different people.

Character

In the first game of his sophomore season (2013-14) O’Day broke a bone in his hand and was sidelined for the next eight games. He returned to the court in mid-December, started the final 13 games of the season, led Vermont to an America East Regular Season Title and was named to the conference’s All-Defensive Team. Prior to a game at St. Louis in November of 2014, O’Day went to Head Coach John Becker expressing interest in allowing a senior from the St. Louis area to start in his place. O’Day was named a team captain prior to the 2014-15 campaign and will once again serve as a captain in 2015-16 as the team’s only senior.

Community

A very involved member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Council, O’Day has been involved in numerous community service projects throughout Vermont and the greater Burlington area. He has taken part in events partnering with Special Olympics, the Burlington Multiple Sclerosis Walk, Relay for Life and the Get 60 youth fitness initiative. O’Day also joined his fellow SAAC members in taking the pledge to stop sexual violence on college campuses with the It’s On Us initiative. He has also participated in youth scrimmages as schools come from around the community to interact and play the UVM basketball team. Additionally, through his classwork, O’Day has formed a partnership with Habitat for Humanity to assist the organization with social marketing and using media to help make positive change.

Competition

O’Day has established himself as one of the top players in the America East Conference in his first three seasons at Vermont. He burst onto the scene as a freshman starting 30 of 33 games and averaged 11 points per game in the America East Tournament to be named to the All-Championship Team. He finished his freshman season ranked fifth in the league with 37 blocked shots and shot 51.9-percent from the floor. As a sophomore, O’Day shot 55.6-percent from the floor while averaging 7.4 points per game and registering 39 blocks. His efforts on the defensive end earned him a spot on the America East All-Defensive Team. As a junior, O’Day became the go-to guy for Vermont and was vital to the Catamounts’ run to the semifinals of the College Basketball Invitational. He led Vermont in scoring (12.4 ppg) and shot a team-best 57.9-percent from the field, which is the seventh-highest percentage in a single season at UVM. He scored in double-figures 26 times in 34 games. His defensive prowess continued as well, turning aside 71 shots on his way to another All-Defensive Team honor. He was also named to the America East All-Conference First Team and entered the 2015-16 season 169 points shy of 1,000 and 111 rebounds away from 500. Additionally, he ranks third all-time in career field goal percentage at Vermont (55.6-percent) and fourth in career blocks (147).