In an incredible offseason that has had its ups and downs, with four transfers incoming and six departing the William and Mary men’s basketball roster, William and Mary Welcomes continues with our third freshman recruit for the upcoming 2022–23 season. We look forward to seeing our rookies and new players take the court in November and still remain hopeful that one day our team will guide us to the Promised Land after wandering the wilderness for over 40 years.
For Weddington High School senior and two-time North Carolina state champion, Chase Lowe, the decision to sign with William and Mary came just a day after his visit on March 21.
After meeting with head coach Dane Fischer and the assistant coaches, touring the campus and the Raymond A. Mason School of Business and talking with the players — Ben Wight and Tyler Rice — Lowe, the 6-foot-5 guard from Charlotte, N.C., knew he was “in the right place.”
“I have always wanted to go to a high-academic school but also a school with a reputable basketball program, and I feel like William and Mary fit the build there.” Lowe said of his thoughts during recruitment. “I know that they had struggled a little bit last season, but I think historically they’ve had good basketball teams. And I think I have a lot to offer to the program.”
On April 16, Lowe signed his National Letter of Intent to play for William and Mary in the fall, joining fellow rookies Jack Karasinski and Charlie Williams as part of the incoming Tribe class of 2022. Lowe also received offers from Elon, Army, Navy and Cornell during fall recruitment.
“Chase is a very versatile player that impacts the game in a number of ways,” Tribe Athletics said in a press release on behalf of Fischer and the coaching staff. “He can attack the paint and finish at the rim, create for others, rebound and defend at a high level. Chase will make an immediate impact in our program because of his leadership and willingness to do whatever it takes to help our team succeed. Chase is an outstanding addition and compliment to Jack and Charlie, and we are very excited to get them to campus this summer.”
Lowe also joins St. Albans High School senior, Miles Hicks, who announced his plans on Twitter, committing to play for William and Mary on April 10.
As part of the roster shakeup that has befallen the team, losing several key players as Fischer and his staff have acquired transfers Noah Collier, Chris Mullins, Matteus Case and Anders Nelson, Lowe realizes he will compete for minutes and try his best to stand out on this brand-new William and Mary team that has been assembled in the offseason.
“I still think I have a lot to prove,” Lowe said. “I think we have a really good incoming freshman class, from what I’ve seen. I think we’ve got some really good transfers coming, so I’m looking forward to having a really, really good season at William and Mary and winning a lot of games, doing the best we can and putting this program on the map.”
Averaging 17.1 points, 8.1 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 2.6 steals and a blocked shot per game last year, Lowe was named the North Carolina Player of the Year as he led his team, the Warriors, to a second-straight championship and an undefeated, 31-0 record.
During the 4A State championship, Lowe was named MVP after finishing the game with 19 points on 7-of-9 shooting, seven rebounds, two assists and four steals. Currently, Lowe is Weddington’s all-time leading player in scoring (1,671 points), rebounding (888), assists (468) and steals (272).
“First and foremost, I have to give credit to my head coach at Weddington, Gary Ellington,” Lowe said of his success. “What he was able to put together was spectacular. As far as basketball IQ, tenacity, and really just wanting the best for his players, he is second to none. He was a huge part of our success. We couldn’t have done it without him.”
Lowe also thanked his parents and his older brother, a student at UNC-Chapel Hill.
“They’ve instilled every value into me that I have, and I would be nowhere near where I am without them,” he said.
For Lowe, hard work is important, and leadership means everything. Having long aspired to play at the collegiate level, he takes nothing for granted and brings it all to training and games.
“I feel like I can elevate the play of everyone around me,” Lowe said. “On and off the court, I feel like I can make everyone around me better. I always come into the weight room with a positive attitude, wanting to get better every day, and I feel like that’s infectious … I really look forward to having an immediate impact on the team, regardless of my role.”
A versatile player at 6-foot-5 and 195 pounds, Lowe identified his greatest strength on the court as his dribbling and scoring.
“I’m gonna have to go with my driving, my driving ability, my ability to get in the paint and create or score,” Lowe said.
However, Lowe also considers his ability to pass and facilitate an underrated part of his game.
“I think people might not know that I like assisting my teammates as much, if not more, than I love scoring myself, which I think is a trait that you need to have as a point guard,” Lowe said. “There’s several times throughout the season where I’ve found myself double-teamed or pressured, but I was able to find the open man and be just as happy getting eight or nine assists a game as would be 20 points a game.”
Of his greatest weaknesses and areas to improve, Lowe identified his three-point shooting.
“I’m still working on it, but definitely seeing improvement,” he said. “Just getting better every day. This is a great opportunity. We have a long offseason, so I’ve just been in the gym working on it. But I’m really excited to show it off this year.”
Outside of basketball, Lowe enjoys chess and reading the “Sherlock Holmes” novels, as well as current events, U.S. history and motivation books, like Tim Grover’s “Relentless.” Grover’s claim to fame is that he trained Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Dwayne Wade and hundreds of other premier athletes, not just in basketball, but also in baseball, football and the Olympics.
“My parents always wanted me to read at a young age and play chess … so it kinda just became a hobby of mine,” Lowe said. “I definitely think it’s applicable on the basketball court.”
On the court, Lowe’s greatest hero is LeBron James.
“He has a complete game. I would take everything from him if I could.” Lowe said.
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Welcome to the Tribe, Chase! We are excited to see you join this new team in the fall. Best of luck with training this offseason. #GoTribe #OneTribeOneFamily