By Dave Johnson
W&M Athletics
 
Going into his fifth season as men's basketball coach at William & Mary, Dane Fischer already sees a big difference from where his program was a year ago.
 
The Tribe returns nine players from last season, seven of whom saw significant minutes. With five newcomers, including three ready-to-go transfers, there's a nice balance of experience, freshness and depth.
 
"I was talking about this with someone the other day — we've got five new guys, and that sounds like a lot," he said. "Not when you had 10 last year. We started from a totally different place all the way back to the summer when everybody got here.
 
"As you look at our team moving forward this year, a lot of the guys who played significant minutes for us are back and they're a year older with some really good experience. We're adding some guys I think can fill some holes for us and add to the overall talent level. I've been really pleased with how the team has been looking."
 
Guard Gabe Dorsey and forward Noah Collier were both starters playing 28 minutes a night until injuries ended their seasons the first week of February. Dorsey (10.9 ppg, 3.0 rpg) finished fourth nationally in 3-point accuracy at 44.4%. He made a season-high seven in 13 attempts against Hofstra.
 
Collier (9.0 ppg, 8.2 rpg) had seven double-doubles in 23 games, including a 22-point, 16-rebound night against North Carolina A&T.
 
"Those two guys had really good years for us," Fischer said, "and they've gotten better and better."
 
Also part of the mix last season were junior Matteus Case (4.8 ppg, 21.3 mpg) and sophomores Jack Karasinski (4.8 ppg, 15.4 mpg), Chase Lowe (3.3 ppg, 11.5 rpg) and Charlie Williams (2.7 ppg, 8.4 mpg).
 
"We've got a really talented sophomore class," Fischer said. "We've got a strong group of guys who had a really significant amount of playing time in addition to some of the guys we're bringing in."
 
The lone fourth-year senior is Jake Milkereit, who has battled injuries throughout his career but has proven to be productive when healthy. He scored nine points in 14 minutes in a narrow loss to UNCW.
 
The Tribe welcomes back sophomore guard Miles Hicks, who Fischer often praises for preparing the starters in practice, and 6-9 forward Nick Evans, who redshirted last season.
 
"The way this team is coming together with chemistry and off-the-court camaraderie has been really fun to watch," Fischer said. "A big reason for that is the guys who returned from last year knowing who we want to be and welcoming in the new guys."
 
Three of the five newcomers are transfers — guards Trey Moss (South Florida) and Sean Houpt (Florida Tech) and 6-foot-8 forward Caleb Dorsey (Penn State).
 
A point guard, Moss played in all 31 games as a freshman at South Florida. His offers out of high school included Virginia Tech and Texas A&M. Houpt, who began his career at Bradley, averaged 21 points a game and shot 36% from the 3-point arc last season at Division II Florida Tech.
 
Dorsey played in 33 games with nine starts in his three seasons with the Nittany Lions. And, as you probably knew by now, he is Gabe Dorsey's older brother.
 
"Their games complement each other really well," Fischer said. "Caleb has the ability to get in the paint and can shoot the ball from three and facilitate well. Gabe's obviously one of the best shooters in college basketball and builds his game off that.
 
"They have some history in terms of chemistry. You can see that. We're excited to have them both here, and I know their parents are both very excited."
 
Joining the program are true freshmen Jayden Lemond, a 6-4 point guard from suburban Atlanta, and Tai Hamilton, a 6-10 forward from Charlotte. 
 
All told, Fischer's roster has 10 players who have played at least 23 games at the collegiate level, seven of whom with multiple starts.
 
"Last year, there was a process with the daily routine and building chemistry," Gabe Dorsey said. "With fewer new guys this year, we've been able to bring back that foundation and chemistry we built last year. The returners and new guys we've brought in have really fit the mold of what we're trying to do.
 
"They're great people first and they bring a different skillset to the team. And I'm most excited for some of the returners who are younger because I can see their hunger. There's a new aura about our program this year. There's a new energy. Everybody's just hungry and we want to win."