Last Wednesday night inside Kaplan Arena, the William and Mary men’s basketball team gutted an impressive win over in-state rival Old Dominion 84-79 in the annual showdown we have dubbed the “Battle of I-64.” The game was really a microcosm of the entire season for Dane Fischer’s squad. Why, you ask? Let’s dive in.
The most glaring statistic from Wednesday night is the number of injuries. The Green and Gold only dressed eight players with an unprecedented SIX players sidelined with injuries. Sean Houpt, Jake Milkereit, Noah Collier, Matteus Case, Tai Hamilton, and Jack Karasinski did not suit up for the Tribe. We can only hope that these are just minor injuries, as the Tribe will need the depth throughout the rest of the season. However, William and Mary STILL battled all the way to the finish line to close out the game in front of a boisterous crowd in the newly renovated Kaplan Arena.
This Tribe team is one of the most talented groups perhaps since the 2019-2020 season. We all remember that year, right? 20+ wins, CAA Player of the Year, CAA Coach of the Year, and the pandemic-shortened postseason that was, in a word, unprecedented. With the addition of the transfer portal frenzy, we must commend Fischer and his staff for recruiting talent to the ‘Burg despite having the odds stacked against them in a mid-major environment. Among the newcomers this year are Trey Moss, Sean Houpt, Caleb Dorsey, Tai Hamilton, and Jayden Lemond. All five have seen playing time and contributed in a number of ways up and down the stat sheet. Moss has been the most impressive, as the former South Florida Bull is averaging 13.9 points per game, good enough for 12th in the newly named Coastal Athletic Association.
Along with the newcomers, the Tribe returned several seasoned veterans this year as well. Preseason all-CAA selection Gabe Dorsey has been terrific this year, leading the team with 14.9 points per game. That mark is currently 11th in the CAA. Dorsey also ranks 4th in the nation in 3-pointers made per game, 2nd in the CAA in 3-point percentage, and 3rd in the CAA in free-throw percentage. Dorsey continues to assert himself as one of the best pure shooters in the nation. Despite being guarded heavily the entire night against ODU, Dorsey still knocked down five threes in the win.
Along with Dorsey, Charlie Williams has been electric the last two games, posting back-to-back 20+ point games including a career-high 23 points against ODU. Williams has been without a doubt the Tribe’s most-improved player this season showcasing a dramatic improvement in his post moves, passing, and scoring all over the court. He scored 16 points in the first half on Wednesday night, and the Tribe faithful was loving it. The Tribe will need Williams to continue this impressive stretch throughout the rest of the season.
Since the victory last week, the Tribe also took down overmatched Virginia-Lynchburg in a Sunday matinee at Kaplan. We would be remiss if we did not mention Caleb Dorsey, who has been playing the best basketball of his life lately. The junior scored a career-high 20 points on Sunday, one game after hitting five massive threes against Old Dominion. The victory on Sunday pushed the Tribe’s home record to 5-0 on the season, and the first time since 2019-20 that the Tribe went undefeated at home during non-conference play. That year, the Tribe finished 11-2 at home en route to 21 wins.
We have reached a lull in the season, as the Tribe has 11 days between games. The Green and Gold will head west on December 21st to take on Pepperdine in Malibu. Not a bad road trip, eh? Head coach Dane Fischer hopes that his team is healthy enough to perform at the level we all know they are capable of. The future is bright in the Burg, let’s keep up the momentum!
The William and Mary Sports Blog 
I wish we could get an update on the injury status of our walking wounded. They only way we know is injured so as not being able to play is to count heads during pre-game warmups.