W&M News and Notes
- W&M and Hampton meet for the 23rd time in the last 26 seasons with the Tribe holding an 14-8 advantage in the series. The Green and Gold has won three in a row, including a 78-65 win in Williamsburg last season. The series is even at five apiece in Hampton with the Tribe winning the most recent tilt, 76-71, in 2018.
- Hampton is the first of two Big South opponents for W&M this week. The Tribe is 26-17 all-time against the league, including an 13-4 mark over the last seven years. W&M hosts High Point on Saturday.
- The Tribe erased a 19-point first-half deficit in winning 85-84 at George Washington in overtime. It marked the largest road comeback in school history and the third biggest overall. The double-digit rally was the second under head coach
Dane Fischer as the Tribe also overcame at 16-point deficit at American in 2019. Senior
Luke Loewe (24 points) and freshman
Yuri Covington (16 points) combined for 31 of W&M's final 44 points in the comeback win at GW. The Tribe shot 59.3% in the second half, while limiting GW to 38.7% and 11 turnovers in the period.
- Through the opening two games of the season, the Tribe offense has clicked at a league-leading level. W&M leads the CAA in scoring (81.5), free throw % (79.4) and field goal % (50.8), while ranking second in assists (15.0) and third in 3-point % (38.1). Nationally, the Tribe is 19th in free throw %, 33rd in field goal % and 55th in 3-point %. According to KenPom.com, the Tribe ranks 18th nationally in effective field goal % (57.6). W&M has ranked among the top 31 nationally in effective field goal % each of the previous eight seasons.
- Senior
Luke Loewe was one of the most improved players in the country, and as the Tribe's lone scholarship senior, he stepped into a starring role this season. Loewe scored 17 of his game-high 24 points at George Washington over the final 25 minutes, including the game-winning lay-up with 12.3 seconds remaining. He ranks third in the CAA and ranks 46th nationally in scoring at 20 points per game. Loewe leads the league in assists (5.5) and ranks fourth in assist-to-turnover, 10th in steals, 15th in free throw % and field goal %.
- After playing two years behind
Nathan Knight, who signed a two-way NBA deal with the Atlanta Hawks, junior
Mehkel Harvey has been impressive to start this season. The 6-9 forward leads the country in blocked shots at four per game, including a career-high five rejections at George Washington. Harvey, who is averaging eight points and five rebounds per game, also leads the CAA in field goal % (88.9), hitting eight of his first nine shots in 2020-21.
- Freshman
Connor Kochera, who missed Monday's win over George Washington due to a non-COVID related illness, earned CAA Rookie of the Week honors on Nov. 30 after enjoying an exceptional debut in a Tribe uniform. He led the team with 19 points which marked the most points for a Tribe freshman in an opener since Edwin Ofori Attah (22) in 2004. Kochera was 6-of-7 from 3, including a perfect 5-of-5 in the second half. His six 3-pointers tied a W&M school record for treys in the first game of the year.
- The Tribe started three freshmen (
Yuri Covington, Kochera and
Ben Wight) in its season opener at ODU. It marked the ninth time in the last 914 games (since the 1989-90) that W&M started a trio of rookies. The Tribe started three freshmen on seven occasions in 1989-90 and one time in 2018-19. Last season, W&M's starting lineup featured two seniors, two graduate students and a junior.
- W&M will play seven of its first 10 games on the road in 2020-21, including three of its four nonconference contests. Last season, the Tribe played 12 of its first 16 games on the road. Over head coach
Dane Fischer's first two seasons, the Green and Gold has played or is scheduled to play 12 of its 17 nonconference games on the road. Last season, the Tribe tied a school record with 10 road wins.
- As a team, the Tribe was picked 10th in the preseason standings. Hofstra, who won the CAA regular season and tournament titles in 2020, was the preseason pick to win the league. Last season, W&M was picked seventh in the preseason and finished second with a 13-5 league mark. In 2019-20, the Tribe won the fourth-most games in school history (21) and posted program records in conference wins (13) and road wins (10).
- 2020 graduate
Nathan Knight, who was the Lou Henson National Mid-Major Player of the Year last season, signed a two-way NBA contract with the Atlanta Hawks on Nov. 24. He became the third W&M player, joining Marcus Thornton (Cleveland Cavaliers 10-day contract in 2018) and Daniel Dixon (Boston Celtics preseason Exhibit 10 deal in 2017) to sign an NBA deal in the last four years.
- In his first season as a head coach,
Dane Fischer received multiple Coach of the Year award, including VaSID State, CAA and NABC District 10 honors. He was also a finalist for a pair of National Coach of the Year awards, including the Hugh Durham Award Mid-Major Coach of the Year and the Joe B. Hall Award, which is presented annually to first-year D1 head coach. His 21 wins in 2019-20 were the second-most for a rookie head coach in the country last season.
