William & Mary Tribe
2018-2019 Overall Rank: #83
Conference Rank: #2 CAA
For the fifth straight season William & Mary finished fourth or better in the CAA. It took some time, but Coach Tony Shaver has turned this into a consistent program. The Tribe has made the conference championship game the last two seasons, but has yet to reach the NCAA Tournament since Coach Shaver took over the program in 2003. This season may provide a similar amount of frustration, but once again William & Mary should be right in the mix for a conference title.
2017-18 Record: 19-12, 11-7
2017-18 Postseason: None
Coach: Tony Shaver
Coach Record: 212-251 at William & Mary, 570-372 overall
Key Departed Players:
David Cohn, Guard, 14.2 ppg
Connor Burchfield, Guard, 12.6 ppg
Cole Harrison, Forward, 2.3 ppg
Oliver Tot, Guard, 1.5 ppg
Key Returning Players:
Nathan Knight, Junior, Forward, 18.5 ppg
Justin Pierce, Junior, Guard/Forward, 14.7 ppg
Matt Milon, Junior, Guard, 13.0 ppg
Paul Rowley, Senior, Forward, 6.2 ppg
Luke Loewe, Sophomore, Guard, 1.1 ppg
Jihar Williams, Sophomore, Guard, 2.1 ppg
Key New Players:
Chase Audige, Freshman, Guard
Quinn Blair, Freshman, Guard/Forward
Mehkel Harvey, Freshman, Forward
L.J. Owens, Freshman, Guard
Thornton Scott, Freshman, Guard
Andy Van Vliet, Senior, Forward, Transfer from Wisconsin, not eligible
Projection:
William & Mary led the nation in three-point field goal percentage and free-throw percentage; and they ranked second in field goal percentage. Nathan Knight was a big reason for the overall shooting success from the floor. He made 57.5 percent of his shots from the floor and averaged 18.5 points and 7.3 rebounds. Justin Pierce, a 6-7 wing, also shot over 50 percent from the floor and he added 14.7 points and 8.6 rebounds. With those two leading the way, this is a very good team. However, many of the shooters are gone. Matt Milon did hit 77 three-pointers and Paul Rowley is no stranger to knocking down shots, but replacing David Cohn and Connor Burchfield will not be easy. If sophomores Luke Loewe and Jihar Williams and a freshman or two are ready to take on a larger role, William & Mary will have a good shot at finally reaching the NCAA Tournament.
Projected Postseason Tournament: NIT
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 85.0 (4th in nation, 1st in conference)
Scoring Defense: 81.6 (336, 9)
Field-Goal Percentage: 51.1 (2, 1)
Field-Goal Defense: 48.7 (338, 10)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 10.9 (7, 1)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 43.4 (1, 1)
Free-Throw Percentage: 81.0 (1, 1)
Rebound Margin: 0.5 (179, 5)
Assists Per Game: 17.7 (7, 1)
Turnovers Per Game: 12.3 (120, 6)
