By Dave Johnson
W&M Athletics
 
As a preschooler, Gabe Dorsey was stubborn. So stubborn that despite being less than four feet tall, he kept shooting on a regulation-size basketball goal. Each miss, especially the early air balls, only made him more determined.
 
Dorsey doesn't remember that first make on the 10-foot rim. What he does remember, and is unlikely to forget, is his first 3-point basket in an organized game.
 
"It was AAU and I was in the fourth grade," said Dorsey, William & Mary's leading scorer heading into Sunday's CAA quarterfinals. "I was really proud of that."
 
So proud that when Dorsey came home after the game, he wrote a letter to his older self. He has kept it to this day.
 
2/22/12
 
Dear Older Gabe,
 
I hit my first 3-pointer ever in a game today. I am 9 years old. We still lost though against Team Dedication.
 
— Younger Gabe
 
Since that breakthrough 3-pointer, literally hundreds have followed. He made a school-record 184 triples in his first three years at The Hill School in Pottstown, Pa. His 288 makes in three seasons at William & Mary are second only to Marcus Thornton (who played four).
 
A second-team All-CAA pick, Dorsey leads the CAA in 3-point percentage (.446) and is second in makes (99). Nationally, he is sixth and 11th in those respective categories.
 
"His accuracy is among the best I've ever seen," Tribe coach Brian Earl said. "If you wanted someone to shoot for the most important thing in your life, he'd probably be the guy you'd want to take it from pretty much anywhere."
 
In his time at William & Mary, 83% of Dorsey's attempts and 79% of his makes have been from beyond the 3-point arc. As his reputation grew, the harder it became for him to get open looks. Which led to further extending his range.
 
"I might have to break out a logo three every once in a while," he said.
 
You have to love something to be good at it, and Dorsey loves shooting. He grew up following Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and — a rare lefty like himself — James Harden.
 
"I studied Klay Thompson more because I don't handle the ball as much but I've always shot the ball, catch-and-shoot, well," Dorsey said. "Dribble pull-ups and coming off screens, that's more my game."
 
Undoubtedly, it goes back to something his father drilled into him at a young age.
 
"I've always told him that if you can shoot the ball, you'll find a spot on a team," Stephen Dorsey said. "He's lived by that his entire life."
 
The magic doesn't just show up on game day. Dorsey is a workaholic on his craft with a shooting routine before each practice that seems every bit as grueling as the practice itself.
 
He starts with form shooting around the basket — three makes in a row, each only net — and methodically works his way around the court. Bank shots, midrange, and (of course) a bunch of jumpers from seven locations along the 3-point arc.
 
Then comes catch-and-shoot, coming off a screen, pull-ups threes in transition … all types of scenarios. The whole process usually takes 45-50 minutes
 
"You can tell why he's a good shooter," Earl said. "He's very serious about it."
 
Dorsey gives a shout-out to team managers Aidan Holmes and Jackson Scott for their assists.
 
"Those are my guys," he said. "We've built a pretty strong friendship throughout these last few years."
 
Of course, his strongest relationship at William & Mary is with teammate and roommate — not to mention older brother — Caleb Dorsey. After graduating a year apart at The Hill School, they went their separate ways — Caleb to Penn State, Gabe to Vanderbilt.
 
Gabe played one season at Vandy before transferring to W&M. They've played two seasons together and are guaranteed to go out with a winning season — the program's first since 2019-20.
 
"I'll definitely cherish it the rest of my life, and I know he will," Gabe said. "We didn't think we'd have this opportunity to play together again after high school."

Their parents have loved it.
 
"It's been a dream come true to have them at the same place," said their mother, Myra.
 
Naturally, Gabe wants to take his stroke to the NBA. Pre-draft camps begin shortly after the Final Four, but Dorsey's mind is on the CAA tournament and whoever the fourth-seeded Tribe faces in Sunday's quarterfinals.
 
"It's always been a dream of mine to play in the NCAA tournament," he said. "I really just want to help carry this team to where we want to grow as a group and figure out all that (other) stuff when the season's over. I really just want to focus on having a great season and winning the CAA.
 
"I'm really excited to have this opportunity to make history here for this school. We're pumped."