As everyone knows by now, the W&M men’s basketball team finds itself in a COVID-induced pause.
Due to a recent team outbreak, the Tribe has had its upcoming games cancelled, and because of that, W&M likely won’t play the vast majority of its out of conference (OOC) schedule this season.
The Tribe’s next 5 games are cancelled; outside of that, just two OOC games remain — and that’s assuming the team meets COVID requirements by then (i.e. no more positive COVID tests).
Unfortunately for the Tribe, this means that its fledgling team will lose crucial time to develop its young guns.
In most seasons, even the most experienced teams use their OOC schedules to figure out which rotation of players works best for them.
They do that so when it comes time for conference play, the team knows which players are its starters, which player is its “sixth man,” who plays what roles, and so on.
Even with that being said, and through just one game, it’s quite obvious that Coach Fisch has done a great job recruiting fresh (pun intended) talent to a Tribe squad that lost key pieces to graduation a season ago.
But just who are these young shooters that played against ODU this past week? It’s time to formally introduce the new faces of the Tribe.
Connor Kochera – Guard
- Named 2nd Team All-State by both the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association and the Chicago Sun-Times
- McDonald’s All-American nominee, one of 13 from the state of Illinois
- Averaged 24 points and six rebounds per game, while shooting 43% from 3-point range
- Led St. Viator to 21 wins and a regional championship in 2019-20
- Scored a career-high 40 points in a win over Waukegan during the Lakes Martin Luther King, Jr. Tournament — two nights later, eclipsed the 1,000-point mark in leading St. Viator to the event title with a win over Naperville Central
- A three-year starter for Quin Hayes at Saint Viator
- Helped St. Viator to a regional championship and a 26-7 record in 2019
- Played soccer at Saint Viator as well and was named the Lion Award winner in freshman soccer
- Played the last three years for UAA-Rise Fundamental University Basketball Team
- In the summer of 2019 played on the Under Armour Rise Circuit and his team was ranked in the national top 25
- Averaged 17 points per game while leading Fundamental U to an overall UAA-Rise record of 14-2
- His team won the UAA-Rise Anatomix Division with a record of 10-1
- Named All-UAA-Rise honorable selection
- A member of the National Honor Society
- Involved in Champions Club, Ambassadors Club and Investment Club at St. Viator
Ben Wight (redshirt freshman) – Forward
- Selected to compete in the Ohio vs. Kentucky All-Star Game following his senior season (for Ohio)
- Averaged 13.5 points, nine rebounds and 2.5 blocked shots per game as a senior
- A two-year starter at Thomas Worthington High School (Ohio) under head coach Sean Luzader
- Named First Team All-Ohio Capital Conference and honorable mention All-Central District in 2019
- Was a District All-Star selection in 2018-19
- Tallied 22 points, 14 rebounds and seven blocks in a win over Worthington Kilbourne in 2019
- As a junior, averaged 12 points and eight rebounds a game
- Named First Team All-Ohio Capital Conference and All-District Honorable Mention in 2018
- Played AAU for Ohio Nova in 2018 and the team was ranked second in the state
- Involved in community service in high school
- Named a Scholar-Athlete
Jake Milkereit (“the Milk Man”) – Guard
- Despite missing the final 10 games of his senior season, ranked as one of the top 20 players in the state of Texas by Rivals.com
- As a senior, averaged 17.8 points, 5.9 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game
- Hit 69 3-pointers and shot 38.1% from distance in 2019-20
- Tallied a season-high 30 points in a win over Bryan Adams on 13-of-20 shooting with four 3-pointers on December
- A Texas Association of Basketball Coaches All-State selection in 2019
- Averaged 20 points, six rebounds, three assists, two steals and a blocked shot as a junior
- Ranked No. 23 in Texas by Prep Hoops
- A two-year team captain for coach Kyle May at Bishop Lynch
- Made 340 3-pointers in his high school career
- An Academic All-State selection in 2019
- Named to the all-district first team as a junior
- Selected to the all-tournament team at the South San Antonio Tournament
- Led Bishop Lynch to the TAPPS 6A District Championship
- Held the National 3-point Shooting Record for several weeks during his junior campaign
- In 2017-18, averaged 18 points, five rebounds three assists and three steals per game
- Shot 46% from 3-point range as a junior after shooting 47% in 2017-18 and 43% in 2016-17 … As a freshman, averaged 13 points, four rebounds and two assists per game
- Played AAU for Drive Nation in the Nike EYBL in both 2018 and 2019
- A 4.0 student at Bishop Lynch and a member of the student leadership
- One of 20 male high school athletes chosen to be a member of the inaugural class of Trey Athletes in the Dallas-Fort Worth area — Trey Athletes, a nonprofit youth sports startup on a mission: empower athletes to become lifelong leaders, representative role models, and influential voices for their communities
Yuri Covington – Guard
- Averaged 17.9 points and 2.3 assists per game as a senior for Trevor Brown at National Christian Academy in Fort Washington, Md.
- Named to the All-Capital Beltway Athletic Association First Team in 2020
- An honorable mention Washington Post All-Met selection as a senior
- Selected to the Bojangles Bash First Team after scoring 33 points in a win over Cardinal Newman in December 2019
- Scored 30 points in leading NCA to an 11-point comeback win over No. 8 Rock Creek Christian in January 2020
- Averaged 19.5 points per game to earn All-Tournament honors at the 2019 Slam Dunk to the Beach in December 2019
- Named the DMV Fall Elite MOP in 2019
- As a junior at Clarksburg High School in Clarksburg, Md., averaged 15.6 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game, shooting 45% from the field and 33% from 3-point range
- Played AAU for the Crusaders Elite U16 and the DMV Stags U17
- A member of the Black Student Union in high school
- During the off-season, trained youth biweekly at Plum Gar Community Center in Germantown, Md.
Road Ahead
December 3: vs. Hampton (postponed)
December 5: at GWU (postponed)
December 9: at Norfolk State (postponed)
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