Basketball is BACK! Okay, not yet, but it’ll be back really, REALLY soon. In just 17 days to be exact, the Tribe will head down south to take on the NC State Wolfpack November 13. Replacing Marcus Thornton will be a tough task, but we believe that this year’s team has more than enough fire power to get the job done.

William & Mary checks in at the #4 spot in the first basketball ranking of the season. Just this morning, the Colonial Athletic Association released its preseason poll at CAA Basketball Media Day in Baltimore, MD. Voters included the league’s coaches, media relations directors, and members of the media.

In addition, the league announced preseason honors for individual players. The Tribe’s Terry Tarpey was named to the First Team All-CAA squad, and Omar Prewitt was named to the Second Team All-CAA squad. Hofstra’s senior guard Juan’ya Green took home Preseason Player of the Year Honors, an award given to the Tribe’s Marcus Thornton last season.

Preseason CAA Rankings & Player Awards

1.  
   Hofstra: Juan’ya Green (Preseason POY, 1st Team), Ameen Tanksley (Preseason 1st Team)
2.  
   JMU: Ron Curry (Preseason 1st Team), Yohanny Delembert (Preseason 2nd Team)
3.  
   Northeastern: David Walker (Preseason 1st Team), Quincy Ford (Preseason 2nd Team)
4.  
   William & Mary: Terry Tarpey (Preseason 1st Team), Omar Prewitt (Preseason 2nd Team)
5.  
   Delaware: Kory Holden (Preseason 2nd Team)
6.  
   UNCW: Craig Ponder (Preseason Honorable Mention)
7.  
   Towson: John Davis (Preseason 2nd Team), Arnaud William Adala Moto (Preseason Honorable Mention)
8.  
   Drexel: Tavon Allen (Preseason Honorable Mention)
9. 
   Charleston: Canyon Berry (Preseason Honorable Mention)
10. 
    Elon: Tanner Sampson (Preseason Honorable Mention)

Now, one should know never to get too hung up on preseason rankings. There is so much fluctuation, especially at the mid-major levels, that you never really know what will happen by the end of the year. And if you add in injuries, then you truly have absolutely no idea.

Getting our first look at the rankings, Hofstra leads the pack, as they return four out of five starters from a season ago, including this year’s Preseason Player of the Year. JMU, a team that W&M absolutely destroyed a season ago, returns all five starters–all of whom form a strong, young core of players hungry to prove their worth. Northeastern returns two strong players from last year in Quincy Ford and David Walker, and will look to build off of last year’s NCAA Tournament berth.

And then there’s the Tribe. W&M returns four out of five starters: Omar Prewitt, Daniel Dixon, Sean Sheldon, Terry Tarpey–and adds David Cohn, a transfer guard who came over from Colorado State a year ago. Cohn was able to practice with the team all last year, but was not allowed to play due to transfer rules. Early reports have people raving about Cohn’s agility and quickness getting to the basket. Time will tell how quickly Cohn can gel with the squad on game-day, but all signs point to a seamless transition from Thornton to Cohn at the PG position for the Tribe this year.

As we look forward to basketball season, it’s hard to forget last season’s crushing loss to Northeastern in CAA Championship. Head Coach Tony Shaver will undoubtedly have the boys hungry and ready to go November 13th. The Tribe returns a strong, tested, and very deep squad this season. Even with the loss of all-time great Marcus Thornton, W&M has a very real shot at its first-ever NCAA Tournament berth again this year. We believe.

Roll Tribe Roll.