By Dave Johnson
W&M Athletics
 
Last season, the men's basketball roster at William & Mary was made up of 10 newcomers and four returning players. That's the new normal in college athletics given the transfer portal and immediate eligibility for first-time transfers.
 
But going into Dane Fischer's fifth year as head coach, things look very different. With summer workouts underway, the Tribe's roster lists five newcomers and nine returnees.
 
"We've got more continuity than we've had in a while," Fischer said. "We've got a number of guys returning who had some great experience and produced, and we've added some really good pieces to it. It's flipped from a year ago.
 
"I think the guys we've brought in fit really well with the returners we had. We were able to bring in good talent and also positions of need."
 
The players returned to campus the final week of June, played pick-up games on their own and worked the team's annual summer camp. On July 3, the first day of summer classes, the team got together and began training. They will go through the first week of August.
 
With Kaplan Arena under renovations, the team is working out of Adair Hall.
 
"There are a lot of exciting things coming for us and all of athletics with the Kaplan renovation," Fischer said. "The team has embraced what this summer is."
 
Also in the summer, community service is a high priority. That began with the team camp, which sold out, from June 26-29. The team volunteers with Second Sundays, a monthly arts and music festival in Williamsburg. The players also are involved with House of Mercy, which works to assist the homeless.
 
Roster-wise, the bad news is that W&M lost four of its leading six scorers. The good news is that top rebounder Noah Collier, who had seven double-doubles in 23 games, and wing Gabe Dorsey, 18th nationally in 3-pointers per game, are back after injury-shortened seasons.
 
Fischer said Collier and Dorsey are "progressing really well and appear on track to be ready to go for the start of the season."
 
Also back are versatile guard Matteus Case and sophomore wing Jack Karasinski, both of whom averaged 4.8 points a game last season.
 
"Matteus has a real good all-around game," Fischer said. "What we've been trying to get him to do more of, and what he's doing now, is get to the basket. He's a good 3-point and mid-range shooter. We're trying to add this element of him getting to the rim, and he's really embraced that.
 
"Jack has a chance to take a really big step forward. He's worked really hard in the offseason and he brings a lot of competitiveness with him. Just that year of experience is really significant for these guys."
 
Also back are senior Jake Milkereit and sophomores Charlie Williams and Chase Lowe. Milkereit has battled injuries the past two seasons in particular, but Fischer expects him to have a sense of urgency as a senior.
 
"I think what happens as your career goes on and you get to the finish line, the more you focus on doing what it takes to win," Fischer said. "He's had a really great start and he's bought into what it takes to help this team win."
 
One of the newcomers is Caleb Dorsey, a 6-foot-8, 235-pound transfer from Penn State and the older brother of Gabe Dorsey. Fischer describes him as a versatile forward who can be effective either on the wing or in the paint.
 
Also transferring in are shooting guard Sean Houpt and point guard Trey Moss. Houpt began his college career at Bradley but played the last three seasons at Division II Florida Tech, where he averaged 21 points a game and made 91 3-pointers last season.
 
Houpt played in the same conference as Brandon Carroll, who came from Florida Southern to W&M as a grad transfer in 2021-22.
 
"He's a big-time shooter and really a strong, physical kid," Fischer said.
 
Moss appeared in all 31 of South Florida's games as a freshman in 2021-22. He played in eight games last year before redshirting and will have three seasons of eligibility at W&M.
 
The two freshmen signees are Jayden Lemond, a point guard from Marietta, Ga., and Tai Hamilton, a 6-10 forward from Charlotte, N.C.
 
Of the 12 scholarship players on the roster, the average height is 6-6¼. Moss is the smallest guard at 6-3, 180. Lemond is 6-4, 180; Houpt 6-4, 200.
 
"This will be one of our bigger teams across the board," Fischer said, "especially in the backcourt."
 
Time will tell, but it could become the deepest.
 
"We have some really good depth right now with health being the obvious key to that," Fischer said. "Our workouts and practices will be extremely competitive during the summer and preseason.
 
"When we get near the start of the season, we'll see what the playing time looks like. But I like the guys we're working with right now."