#CAAHoops Preview: William & Mary Men's Basketball
Miles McQuiggan
WILLIAMSBURG, Va. (Oct. 24, 2022) - A common refrain in the Colonial Athletic Association's media day festivities last week was the unpredictability of the league at the start of the year.
"It's getting harder and harder to do these preseason polls," said William & Mary head coach
Dane Fischer. "Towson and [UNCW] finished at the top last year and they were eighth and ninth in the preseason."
The unknown associated with fall voting extends to all 13 teams, but one of the bigger mysteries to project in the October rankings may be the one Fischer was not allowed to vote on - his own team.
W&M returns a double-digit scorer in
Ben Wight and a reigning CAA All-Rookie selection in
Tyler Rice, but a combination of graduations and the roster turnover of the present day leads to a host of new faces in Williamsburg this winter. The work in the portal of Fischer and his staff brought in a double-digit scorer in
Anders Nelson from St. Thomas and high-major transfers
Matteus Case (Providence),
Noah Collier (Pittsburgh),
Gabe Dorsey (Vanderbilt), and
Chris Mullins (Rice).
The Tribe was picked eighth in the preseason poll this October - the spot occupied a year ago by eventual co-regular season champion Towson. The CAA's head coaches feel William & Mary could have similar upside this winter, as a poll conducted by Jeff Goodman for The Almanac rated the Tribe as the conference's "sleeper team" in 2022-23.
William & Mary will test its mettle often in the non-conference with three visits to ACC opponents (Virginia Tech, Pittsburgh, NC State) and a quality collection of in-state teams visiting Kaplan Arena including Radford, Richmond, and Norfolk State.
For William & Mary to be the team that makes October expectations look like guesswork by March, those early-season challenges will be essential as Wight, Rice, and the Tribe's newcomers get acclimated to playing - and winning - together.
William & Mary
Head Coach: Dane Fischer
2021-22 Record: 5-27, 4-14 CAA (9th)
Postseason: CAA Opening Round
Returning Starters (2)
Ben Wight, F 11.6 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 61.6 FG%
Tyler Rice, G 7.5 ppg, 3.6 apg, CAA All-Rookie
Notable Newcomers
Matteus Case, G 1.0 ppg at Providence
Noah Collier, F 1.5 ppg, 1.8 rpg at Pittsburgh
Gabe Dorsey, G/F 0.7 ppg, 0.3 rpg at Vanderbilt
Chris Mullins, G 8.4 ppg, 2.4 apg at Rice
Anders Nelson, G 14.6 ppg at St. Thomas (Minn.)
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