By Dave Johnson
W&M Athletics
 
All along, the knock on Chase Lowe was his 3-point shot. Still, he was Weddington (N.C.) High's leading scorer in each of his four seasons. He graduated as the program's all-time scoring leader as well as No. 1 in rebounds and assists.
 
And there's this: His teams went 87-20 and won two state championships. All of that mixed together, even if the kid couldn't shoot the three, kept William & Mary coach Dane Fischer's attention.
 
"It's not that he was just scoring the ball," Fischer said. "He was rebounding, he was defending, and he was creating for his teammates. He did so many things to help his team win, and I could never get him out of my mind.
 
"I watched him play on film in the state championship game. That was the day when we said, 'We're going to try to get this kid.'"
 
The Tribe got him, and Lowe has been everything Fischer hoped he'd be. Eight games into the season, he's third on the team in scoring (12.1 ppg) and rebounding (4.9 rpg). He's second in assists (2.5 per game) and first in steals (1.1 per game).
 
Those numbers dropped after he played only three minutes (all zeroes on the box score) before injuring his ankle Thursday night at Norfolk State. Before that game, he was the only player in the CAA's top 20 in scoring, rebounding, assists and steals.
 
After playing mostly off the ball as a freshman, Lowe is spending more time at point guard this season. That's what he played all four years at Weddington. And that's where he's best able to create opportunities for himself and/or his teammates by getting to the paint.
 
"Having the ball in my hands more, I'm able to make decisions on ball rather than playing off the ball," Lowe said. "All of that has gone into me having more success this year.
 
"I've been watching a lot of film with Coach (Mike) Howland and taking instructions from Coach Fischer. I've been taking that all in and becoming a smarter player."
 
After averaging 11.5 minutes and 3.3 points a game last season, Lowe is playing and producing more as a sophomore. In his first three games, he made 13-of-16 shots from the field and 11-of-13 from the free throw line. For the season, he has an assist-to-turnover ratio of 1.7.
 
Lowe was never better than last week against UMBC when he posted career-highs of 22 points, six assists and three steals along with seven rebounds.
 
"He handles the ball, he's an elite passer, he scores really well at the rim, he gets to the line, he defends and he rebounds," Fischer said. "He's doing so many things to help our team with the ball in his hands more."
 
With his ability to handle and finish around the rim at 6-foot-5 and 200 pounds, Lowe is capable of playing anywhere on the floor.
 
"He can guard all five positions, and that's where his versatility really shows," Fischer said. "On offense, he's best when he has the ball in his hands, but he's really improved off the ball. He's an unbelievable screener, he's a great cutter, and he's finding ways to be effective when he doesn't have the ball in his hands."
 
At Weddington, Lowe finished his career with 1,671 points, 888 rebounds, 468 assists, 272 steals and 87 blocked shots (all according to MaxPreps.com). In his junior and senior seasons, the Warriors went a combined 49-0 with two state championships.
 
Weddington had plenty of talent, but Lowe was the catalyst.
 
"Everybody was better because of him," Warriors coach Gary Ellington said. "I was better because of him. He made every player able to play their natural position and do things because he could handle so much pressure.
 
"His passing was just so elite. We had four guys shooting 40% from three. They shot that high because they were good shooters but also because he always put that pass right where they could just catch and shoot. He made everybody better."
 
As for Lowe, he made 22 3-pointers in 102 attempts in his high school career.
 
"If he could shoot the three, he's probably one of the top point guards in the country," Ellington said. "That was the only knock on him. But he was so good at everything else that it never mattered."
 
A sophomore, Lowe plans to apply to the Mason School of Business, possibly with a concentration on marketing. He knows how many doors a degree from William & Mary and its prestigious business school can open.
 
As for basketball, Lowe appreciates how the Tribe's coaching staff instills discipline with encouragement. And there's another reason he's here.
 
"I like the allure of being on the first William & Mary team to go to the NCAA tournament," he said. "That's something I really want to be a part of."