We got our first look at two things Wednesday afternoon in Williamsburg – the new video board and lighting at Kaplan Arena, and this year’s William and Mary men’s basketball team. The jumbotron was unambiguously good, but what we saw on the court was more of a mixed bag.
Part of that was because of who wasn’t out there – most notably transfer guard Sean Houpt and presumed starting center Noah Collier, alongside center Charlie Williams and wing Jake Milkereit. But we did get a good look at the rest of the squad, including a few newcomers. Here’s a rundown on what we learned today:
- The roster turnover, while not incredibly drastic in terms of numbers, is very noticable when it comes to the construction of this team. There are five new faces in Williamsburg – Houpt, guard Trey Moss, and forward Caleb Dorsey transferred into W&M with guard Jayden Lemond and forward Tai Hamilton joining the team as freshmen. With this change in personnel, it seems much better suited for what coach Dane Fischer’s philosophy, both offensively and on the defensive end.
- Defensively, this team is going to be able to get after people a little bit on the perimeter. Post defense will likely still be a question mark – Collier, Williams, and perhaps Caleb Dorsey are capable of guarding bigs but none are shutdown paint presences. However, the addition of Moss specifically will allow the Tribe to pressure ballhandlers more confidently. While I still haven’t seen Houpt, Moss, junior Matteus Case, Gabe and Caleb Dorsey and maybe Chase Lowe each possess the athleticism and/or strength to defend their position at a high level. For what we saw at this scrimmage, Fischer let them loose to cause a little havoc defensively and I’d expect that to continue moving forward.
- Of course, that defensive mindset lends itself to getting out in transition and playing with pace. For the first time as W&M’s coach, Fischer looks like he has the players to do that. Moss very evidently loves to play fast, and while he turned the ball over way too much today, that speed can be a strength for this Tribe team. Even aside from Moss, just about any other player on the court today (excluding bigs Hamilton and Nick Evans, a walk-on) seemed comfortable handling the ball in transition. Being able to get easy buckets on the fast break will go a long way towards making this offense more productive.
- Early candidate for breakout player of the year on this Tribe team is Jack Karasinski. The sophomore wing looks primed to have a great season. He’s able to do a little bit of everything – he can shoot it a bit, he can get to the rim, he’s going to rebound, he can handle the ball, he’s going to make hustle plays. These guys still struggle to create their own shots at times, so his ability to create not just for others but for himself will be super important along the way this year. I might make a semi-bold prediction and say Jack K will be this team’s second-leading scorer… let’s see if I want to stand by that in 12 days.
- Fischer and co. have seemed to learn their lesson when it comes to playing two bigs at the same time who can’t do anything outside of a 10-foot radius of the basket… assuming Collier at the 5, you’ll have Caleb Dorsey or Jack Karasinski at the 4 who each can handle the ball a bit and knock down a jumper.
- There are probably 7 or so players who could make a case to start, but if I was constructing a lineup right now, I’d likely say Moss-Houpt-Gabe Dorsey-Caleb Dorsey-Noah Collier. I’d expect a 9-man rotation to start the season with Jack K the first off the bench, then Case, Lowe, and Williams seeing time at their respective positions. I have a feeling there is going to be a good amount of lineup experimentation over the first few weeks of the year to find what works and what doesn’t.
- I see what the coaching staff sees in each of the freshmen, but neither of them are ready for real college minutes right off the bat. Hamilton in particular showed his bounciness and touch around the rim, but is definitely not strong enough to survive defensively at the DI level yet, and his motor needs work. Lemond struggled for stretches offensively but showcased his length and quickness on the defensive end. It’s going to be a learning process for both and I’d expect at least Lemond to be worked in slowly as the season progresses.
- I’m bummed we didn’t see Houpt today. Word is he’s had an impressive offseason and his shooting next to Gabe Dorsey will help space the floor tremendously. After the year the Tribe had offensively last season, any scoring boost or ability to break scoring droughts will be key. Should also open up lanes for guys like Moss or Karasinski to get to the bucket. As far as I’ve been told I wouldn’t worry about Houpt or Williams missing time. Collier, it seems, will be more of a closer call as to if we’ll see him in his normal role right off the bat on Nov. 6.
- If things break well, there’s no reason why W&M could find itself atop the second tier in the CAA. Charleston, UNCW, Towson and maybe Hofstra are my pick to be strong atop the league. But the Tribe has enough talent that you could realistically see them battling with Drexel and Delaware to be the best of the rest.
- The question that goes along with that is if you can trust things to break well. Given the history of the last few years… I don’t think we can say that with any certainty. To be frank, today looked very much like preseason. Nobody shot the ball well, save for maybe Gabe Dorsey. Moss, Case, and Lemond each turned the ball over too much. These are things that could change. The turnovers should be correctable, and the ball should start going in the basket. But can we say for certain that’s going to happen, after what we’ve seen from this program?
- The positive side of that is that there’s enough talent here that save something truly catastrophic, I don’t see the bottom falling out. Maybe that would be more frustrating, a team that stays afloat but doesn’t play up to its potential of 5th or 6th in the league. Another season of just sorta sputtering along. But one way or the other, this season is a success in my eyes if there is a clear direction moving forward. That’s something we haven’t seen since the Shaver era.
Just 11 days until real basketball. It’s getting close. And we’ll learn a lot very quickly from this Tribe team as they play 3 games in the first 6 days of the season. Until then, I’m optimistic about this season… with the understanding that it could fall into pessimism or even nihilism within days. Such is the nature of W&M sports.