W&M News and Notes
- W&M opens the CAA slate on the road on the third time in four years. The Tribe is just 17-21 all-time in CAA openers, but has won seven of its last 10 to start league play. W&M is 2-1 under head coach
Dane Fischer in league openers. The Tribe opens CAA play against Drexel for the second time. W&M downed the Dragons, 85-73, in Kaplan Arena during the 2013-14 season.
- The Tribe has won seven of the last 10 against Drexel in Philadelphia, including the last two. Last season, W&M topped the Dragons, 83-75, in Philly behind a 21-point, 11-rebound double-double from
Ben Wight.
- W&M head coach
Dane Fischer (2002) and Drexel head coach Zach Spiker (2000) know each other from their days at Ithaca College. Fischer credits Spiker as being instrumental in helping him get into coaching.
- Junior
Noah Collier recorded double-doubles in each of the last two non-conference games. He posted 14 points and a career-high 14 rebounds at UMBC and matched his career-high with 14 rebounds vs. Randolph. His four double-doubles rank second in the CAA and 39th nationally. He is averaging 9.3 points and a team-high 8.6 rebounds per game. Collier ranks fourth in the CAA and 52nd nationally in rebounding.
- Graduate student guard
Anders Nelson has been on a tear offensively of late, averaging nearly 15 points per game over the last five contests, hitting 14-of-28 from 3 (50%). He leads the Tribe in scoring at 11.0 points per game and boasts a pair of 20-point road games at Virginia Tech (25) and at Old Dominion (21).
- In its five wins, the Tribe is holding its opponents to 54.2 points per game and shooting % of 37.1% from the field and 28.4% from 3. W&M ranks fourth in the CAA in scoring defense (68.6).
- In short order, sophomore
Gabe Dorsey has established himself as one of the top shooters in the country. He ranks 45th nationally in 3-point % (42.4) and 56th in 3's per game (2.8). He ranks second in the CAA in both categories. Dorsey connected a career-high five in the win over Richmond. He scored a career-high 16 at American and had 14 at Virginia Tech.
- Rebounding, especially on the offensive end, has been a focus for the Tribe. W&M has outrebounded its opponents in six games this season, including three of the last five games. Overall, the Tribe ranks third in the CAA in rebounding margin (+2.8) and third in offensive rebounding. The Tribe's 12.2 offensive rebounds per game are its most since 2004 (12.8). W&M ranks 70th nationally in offensive rebounding.
- Nelson, who moved into the starting lineup at the point guard position in the win over Army, has been a catalyst for the Tribe offense. He leads the CAA in assists per game (5.2) and assist-to-turnover ratio (2.6). He ranks 39th nationally in assists and 53rd in A/T ratio. He ranks sixth in the country in assist rate (40.6), according to KenPom.com. Assist rate divides the number of assists by the field goals made by the player's teammates while he is on the court.
- Junior
Ben Wight, who was named preseason All-CAA, has been a force for the Tribe this season. He enjoyed a career night at Pitt, scoring a career-best 24 points and pulling down 11 rebounds for his fifth career double-double and his third 20-point, 10-rebound double-double. He also tipped in the game-winner against Richmond with just 28.3 seconds remaining.
- W&M ranks second in the CAA and 88th nationally in 3-point % (36.0). The Tribe is averaging 7.1 triples made per game. The Tribe's numbers this season are a substantial improvement from the last two seasons, when W&M shot just 30.1% from distance and made 6.4 per game.
- The Tribe is averaging just 11.6 turnovers per game in 2022-23, which is a significant improvement from a season ago. W&M averaged 16.2 turnovers per game in 2021-22, the sixth-worst mark in the country. The Tribe ranks 56th nationally in fewest turnovers per game.
- In its win over Richmond, the Tribe closed strong with big plays down the stretch. W&M trailed, 55-49, with 4:22 left, but outscored the Spiders, 9-2, the rest of the way in picking up the win on
Ben Wight's tip-in with 28.3 seconds left. Wight (4) and Collier (5) scored the Tribe's final nine points. Graduate student
Chris Mullins came up with a big defensive stop in the final seconds, forcing 6-7 wing Tyler Burton into a fade-away baseline jumper.
- Four former Tribe standouts are in the NBA as either a player or a coach. 2020 graduate Nathan Knight, who was the National Mid-Major Player of the Year in 2020, signed a two-year deal with the Minnesota Timberwolves in the offseason. He spent last season with the Timberwolves after playing his rookie season with the Atlanta Hawks. Jim Moran '01 is in his second season as an assistant coach with the Detroit Pistons, while Sean Sheldon '16 joined the Utah Jazz as an assistant coach this offseason. Daniel Dixon '17 is an assistant coach with the Oklahoma City Blue, the NBA G-League program of the Oklahoma City Thunder. Another nine former Tribe players are currently playing professionally in Europe.
