By Dave Johnson
W&M Athletics
 
William & Mary lost one player from last season's roster, and even that isn't technically accurate. Kate Sramac, the only player to start all 30 games in 2021-22, is now a graduate assistant coach.

But counting her absence on the floor, W&M women's basketball returns 90 percent of its scoring and 82 percent of its rebounding from last year. All this for Erin Dickerson Davis, the Tribe's rookie head coach.

As anyone in Davis' shoes could tell you, inheriting such a veteran team can be a blessing and a curse. A blessing in that the players know their way around, a curse in that they're used to playing a different style. But Davis, the sixth head coach in the Tribe's Division I history, is happy with the transition.

"I have a wonderful group of young ladies, and they made it very easy for me," said Davis, a former associate head coach at Wake Forest. "I'm very thankful for that. We're playing a different style of ball than they have in the past, and they bought into it right away.

"One thing I love about this team is that we have a strong senior group. Our seniors are really creating the culture on the basketball court that they want to help us be successful."

Two of the Tribe's four seniors are graduate students — guards Sydney Wagner and Riley Casey, who Thursday morning were announced as first-team selections on the Preseason All-CAA team. Last season, they accounted for 45 percent of the Tribe's points.

The fourth-year players are forward Bre Bellamy, who has started 58 games in her career, and guard Chaniqwa Gilliam, who is recovering from an injury that ended her '21-'22 season just after Thanksgiving.

Also back is sophomore forward Dani McTeer, who started 28 games and was named to the CAA's All-Rookie team. Guard Ruthie Montella and forwards Kayla Beckwith, Rebekah Frisby-Smith and Ava Stevenson also saw significant minutes. Juniors Lanni Brown and Caitlin Wingertzahn and sophomore Madison Magee are also set to return. Davis inherits two freshmen signed prior to the 2021-22 season: point guard Alexa Mikeska and forward Kayla Rolph.

Wagner, who has scored 927 points in her three seasons at W&M, likes the program's direction.

"Coach E coming in, she brings something completely different to the table and is exactly what the team needs," she said. "I think this offseason was huge for the team, and not just on the court. Off the court, we developed in ways we never had previously.

"I'm excited to see the progress we've made so far. I can't wait to see how it continues to grow throughout the season."

Last season, William & Mary was more reliant on the 3-pointer than any team in the conference, with 29.5% of its baskets coming from behind the arc. Riley and Wagner combined for 124 threes on 32-percent accuracy.

The flip side is that the Tribe was last in the conference in free throw attempts at 12 per game. Davis wants to change that stat, but don't expect this former college shooter to overhaul the philosophy.

"I'm definitely all for 3-point shooting," said Davis, who played at Northwestern from 2006-09. "I don't think I've ever told Syd or any of our girls to not shoot. We want to play a more aggressive style.

"You do see us shoot a lot of 3s when we're practicing, but we're also getting to the rim. We're getting our posts touches and trying to push it. And with pushing the ball, you're getting those layups and rim runs with the post players."

Davis does plan to push the tempo.

"We've talked about playing a faster style of basketball," she said. "We do transition and conditioning every day to prepare for that. We had our first full scrimmage the other day, and they see how fast the game is moving for them.

"They've been thriving in it. We're going to continue working at it and hopefully, by the time the games start, we're really flowing."

The Tribe, which was picked seventh in the preseason poll, opens Nov. 7 at home against Navy.