By Dave Johnson
W&M Athletics
 
In March of 2020, William & Mary's women's basketball team was in Elon, N.C., preparing for its quarterfinal game of the Colonial Athletic Association tournament. Then came word that because of something called the coronavirus, the tournament had been shut down — and, with it, the Tribe's season.
 
It would be another seven months before Ed Swanson's team could fully get together in Kaplan Arena. By then, they were essentially starting over — although many of their upcoming opponents had been in their gyms for several weeks.
 
When the season rolled around, the difference showed.
 
"We lost a lot of momentum, especially from the developmental piece of our program," Swanson said. "Teams that were able to be around last summer, and there were several teams in the CAA and elsewhere that had summer access, you could tell how much further ahead they were."
 
Dane Fischer, head coach of the W&M men's team, faced the same issue.
 
"It was a combination of not having the summer and, when we got here, the slow buildup because of the precautions in place for COVID — for the right reasons, obviously," he said. "We didn't get a chance to play five-on-five until early October."
 
Which makes being able to get together this summer all the more significant. Both teams are coming off losing seasons that were constantly interrupted by COVID protocols. Summer practice and workouts ended Friday and will resume after classes begin on Sept. 1.
 
Sydney Wagner, the third-leading scorer in CAA women's basketball last season at 21.3 points a game, welcomed the chance to get back.
 
"This summer already has been huge for us," she said. "We've been able to be here for five weeks, and having six newcomers, it's been essential for us to build team chemistry. It's funny to see how much we've already grown from the first practice.
 
"We've been focused on team bonding. Ultimately, I feel chemistry is what we'll need to be successful on the court."
 
Sophomore guard Connor Kochera sees a similar situation with the men's team, which has three incoming freshmen and a transfer.
 
"Being able to meet them has helped with our comradery as a team," said Kochera, last year's CAA Rookie of the Year. "Getting to know these guys and be in the gym with them should prove to be a big advantage for us when we get to the season.
 
"It's been really different this summer. We have a lot of new talent and our practices have been competitive."
 
Fischer said that for nine of his players, this was their first summer on campus.
 
"There are not a lot of other students around right now, so they get to spend a ton of time together," he said. "There's a lot to be said about getting to know one another on and off the court."
 
Aside from building chemistry, there has been the physical factor.
 
"Conditioning is something we also missed out on last summer," women's guard Chaniqwa Gilliam said. "We have a new strength coach (Erich Murphy) and that helps a lot."
 
Men's forward Ben Wight, who came to W&M in 2019-20 listed at 6-foot-8 and 200 pounds, could have used last summer to add some weight and muscle. Instead, he worked out on his own.
 
"It was just home gyms and stuff, which isn't the same without Coach Ray," said Wight, referring to Director of Basketball Performance Ray Eady. "This summer has been huge for me personally. With Coach Ray, all day pretty much I'm trying to put on weight in the weight room."
 
Of the men's four newcomers, only point guard Tyler Rice was able to take an official visit and meet with Fischer before the pandemic hit. The other three — freshmen Julian Lewis and Langdon Hatton and transfer Brandon Carroll — didn't meet Fischer until the initial team get-together in July.
 
"Especially since I wasn't able to have (an official) visit here with people on campus, it's been very good to meet people this summer," Lewis said. "I've been trying to meet as many people as I can to get familiar with faces.
 
"Conditioning has been pretty tough, but my body is getting used to it. I'm getting used to the area and the players."