By Dave Johnson
W&M Athletics
 
It would be understandable to glance at Brian Earl's first roster as men's basketball coach at William & Mary and focus on the nine newcomers — five transfers, four freshmen. And, yes, many will have a vital role in a newly installed system that underlines pressure and pace.
 
Yet the flip side is that Earl, who coached the last seven seasons at Cornell, inherits five veterans who have started a combined 156 games for the Tribe. That includes the Dorsey brothers — Gabe, one of the nation's elite 3-point shooters, and Caleb, who had four double-doubles last season — in addition to Chase Lowe, a 6-foot-5 guard who led W&M in rebounding and assists.
 
"We retained some guys who are really, really high-character people … all you're ever trying to bring in to a program," Earl said. "It's not a massive shift because you're dealing with people like Caleb, Gabe, Chase, Noah (Collier), Matteus (Case), and Miles (Hicks), who want the best for everybody.
 
"When you start with that, I think you can do great things. That's how we did it at Cornell, and that's how we're doing it here."
 
Going into her third season coaching the women's team, Erin Dickerson Davis has by far her most veteran team. Among the returnees are seven veterans — Bella Nascimento, Cassidy Geddes, Rebekah Frisby-Smith, Alexa Mikeska, Kayla Beckwith and Kayla Rolph — who averaged at least 17 minutes a game last season.
 
"We have a veteran group, and because of that, we've been able to flow in what we do a little better and faster," Davis said. "I'm really excited to see this veteran group lead these newcomers.
 
"We've got some great freshmen and some really good young transfers who are going to have an impact right away. But it all starts with the veterans who have played in this league and know what it takes to win night in and night out."
 
Geddes, who made the CAA's All-Rookie team last season, has already seen a difference in practice.
 
"Being in my second year, I can see how much faster we've progressed this summer and now through the preseason," she said. "Everything is more intense and focused."
 
Much of the buzz heading into the men's season is a change in tempo. Last season, Cornell averaged 5.6 more possessions per game than W&M. The Big Red was fifth nationally in shortest average possession length at 15 seconds; the Tribe was 299th at 18.5 seconds.
 
"I feel like we played a much slower pace last year, so the biggest adaptation for me has been just being able to play fast," said Caleb Dorsey, a versatile 6-8 forward. "Everything after that is being able to react and make the right reads. It's a simple transition but I think a major one, and I think we'll be pretty fun to watch this year.
 
"Personally, I've really enjoyed this new style of play. … I think everyone's adapting to that pretty well and just trying to make sure we're doing the right thing at the right time. It's been pretty fun so far."
 
W&M already has one of the nation's premier shooters in Gabe Dorsey, whose 113 3-pointers last season ranked fourth nationally. Incoming transfers Keller Boothby (Cornell), Kyle Pulliam (St. Thomas Aquinas) and Kyle Frazier (Belmont Abbey) each has a shooter's reputation.
 
Still, Earl doesn't plan to completely reinvent the wheel.
 
"I don't pretend I'm bringing what happened at Cornell here," said Earl, whose team opens Nov. 4 at home against Dickinson College. "These are different guys. It rhymes with what we did, but we want to make sure we're doing what's best for each guy."
 
In addition to its experience level, the women's team will have its tallest roster in years with the addition of 6-foot-4 freshman Natalie Fox and 6-3 sophomore Jana Sallman. Fox is the Tribe's tallest player since 6-4 Abby Rendle '18. Sallman, originally from Cairo, played her freshman year at Memphis.
 
"Our Achilles' heel the past two seasons has been rebounding — offensively and defensively but more so defensively," said Davis, whose team was 11th in the conference in margin last season. "We were very solid defensively, but then we'd give up offensive rebounds and you have to play defense for a longer time. Bringing in more height will help us.
 
"We're very excited to see how good they can be over these next couple of years. It helps that they have these veteran guards that are leading them in telling them exactly what they need of them."
 
W&M finished fifth in the conference standings in 2023-24 and fourth the season before. With what appears to be her most complete roster yet, Davis hopes her team can take another big step — if it shows what it takes.
 
"For me, toughness is not just physical toughness and grit but also mental toughness," said Davis, whose team begins play Nov. 4 at Norfolk State. "It's the mindset that you need to be successful. The mindset to push through when you're not feeling well or your body hurts or you just aren't having a good day.
 
"This is what it's going to take for us to be champions in this league. And, of course, making a couple of shots."