The Tribe go into the new season with Coach Bernard ‘Barney’ Wilson still at the helm but the patience of the administration is wearing thin even around these parts.  After all this program has not been above .500 since JFK was alive but as Hojo says ‘things can only get better.’  Why has this program been so bad?  Blame should not be place at the feet of senior post trio of Chambers, Chet Germiak and Jeff Cohen.  These three boys have played their heart out against much bigger and more athletic competition and usually stood their own.  All three are incredibly physical players but are undersized against the behemoths that dot the basketball landscape and that now includes their beloved CAA.  For instance, the duo was giving up some 15 inches combined against the front line from Clemson and much athleticism.  Yes, the style of athlete that this program has recruited seems to be a thing of the past and maybe Wilson has held on to this trio up front for too long but loyalty has to count for something.  And at a higher learning institution that was founded by royal decree by King William III and Queen Mary II, hence the name, in 1693, it definitely does.  Chambers and Cohen are all-world rebounders and have been tested against big time competition.  Cohen was second on the Tribe in scoring and is one of the best rebounders on the East Coast.  He at least has a little size at six seven and is a solid 230.  He might not be able to guard Horace Grant or even Chris Gatling athletically but he holds his own in the paint.  Germiak is also a scorer and two years ago when the Tribe actually competed he was the stud of the team. He is only six five though and was trying to guard seven footers and had no chance and is not really a board guy.  His hooks and rolls did allow him to average over ten points a game though at times he looked like a middle schooler compared to the big boys of the East Coast.  Chambers is just a horse on the boards who at six four would seem completely overmatched down low.  Well, he was but not on the boards as even though he is vastly undersized has a long wing span and can really leap.   Chambers wears his Green, Gold and Silver # 32 with pride and has a game for the ages last season when he grabbed 41 rebounds against East Carolina.  Chambers became quite the mentor to the underclassmen who will be taking his place. Someday.  He, like his two buddies, has no chance of playing at the next level as they are way too small and not athletic enough for the Pros but will always be legends in Williamsburg.  All three of these players are men of honor and pride and have enjoyed some great days at William & Mary.  Wilson will try to work in some new, bigger guys to replace them this year but as we said earlier this college is a place of honor and the follow the rules of seniority so the chances of these guys getting replaced are about as long as the electoral college getting replaced.  It might be what’s best for the institution but tradition is tradition. 

Junior John Lowenhaupt jumped into the starting lineup rather quickly as Wilson realized that he was the kind of player this front line needed.  He is a good scorer who gets it done from the wings and had a nice touch up to about 18 feet.  He is tough as nails and multifaceted.   At six five he is as big as the post players but this kid makes his living on the perimeter though he can mix it up down low and does help out on the boards.  He is feisty and plays with a chip on his shoulder and is loyal to the nth degree.  He is without question the best passer on the team and is becoming the offensive primary option in Williamsburg.  He is a gamer and a leader but he is not exactly the most athletic cat on the wing in this neck of the woods.  He is by far the best the Tribe have and will start and quite possibly lead the team in scoring this year. 

Coach Wilson did not want to play any underclassmen but sometimes you go to make some changes and he finally succumbed to one special freshman last year.  A skinny kid from Burlington Vermont decided to enroll here for the education but what the coaches did not know is this kid was the real deal.  When you look at the kid you do not think basketball as he goes 6’4 165 pounds soaking wet.  What you think of is Sheldon Cooper with a growth spurt and to be honest Coach Wilson even admitted he almost sent him home last year when he saw him at his first practice.  Sophomore to be Keith Cieplicki stepped up and showed he belonged here and quickly became the kind of perimeter scorer this team lacks.  A fine shooter, Cieplicki is the type of player every coach loves to have.  A hard worker, Cieplicki is tough as nails and will not be intimidated.  He showed he was not just a shooter but can also pass and plays much better defense than you expect from your designated long-distance bomber.  He also will do whatever it takes to compete.     That is the way you are supposed to build a program, not holding on to the past when the future is right in front of you. 

Wilson rotated many others up front during the season trying to find answers from seniors John ‘DAD’ Mahoney, Dave Daugherty and Bob Sherwood (who got hurt early) to underclassmen Brett Weidner.  Mahoney and Sherwood are two more old school players that can score and board but cannot defend the big guys of Division One.  Daugherty has some size at 6’8 but is still developing and needs to get on the court more.  Weidner is a Sophomore that fits his name well as he has a ‘wide’ body that takes up space and though he is not much offensively gives the Tribe some real size it needs badly.  This Orefield PA kid goes 6’9 230 and sets screens Wes Unseld would admire but needs to find some kind of offensive game or he will not play.  Heck, he barely played last year except on the JV but he showed enough to get a shot at more minutes this year    Seniors Ben Pomeroy and Roy Lange played often early on and both have some game.  Both are too small for the post but they got some quality minutes and do compete.  But none of these guys have the athleticism the Tribe need to compete at this level. The same issue was in the back court as senior Ron Panneton was phased out for the likes of Cieplicki.  Junior Ron Satterewaithe was the one constant in the backcourt not named Cieplicki.  Satterwaithe did not get as much time as he would have liked but he did start most of the year though point guard is not his position.  He can pass and score and did not complain too much when he finally lost his starting role late in the year when Wilson tried some new kids in the back court. He is consistent and will be a solid bench guy this year.  Those new kids are sophomroes Billy Barnes, Michal Strayhorn and Curtis Pride and do have some upside. Barnes is a big point guard (6’5) who is great defensively and a gamer but needs to get better offensively. Strayhorn is another 6’5 guy who has a huge skill set and can play anywhere on the perimeter.  He gets by on toughness and smarts and yes he is a great talker and no he does not have a gap in his teeth.  Pride is an exceptional athlete (he also is a star baseball and soccer player) who gives the Tribe incredible quicks.  At 6’0 215 Pride is also strong and tough defensively but needs to get better offensively (a theme for these new guys). Pride only has 10% of his hearing and is an example of what hard work and sticktuitness does for you.  None of these guys are going to remind you of Jerry West but they are tough and they will compete and they are full of Tribe Pride. Junior Steve Dodge, a 6’3 wing, is also in the mix in the backcourt but needs to imporve defensively.  His offense is fine and he is a cult hero around here for saving a kid from drowning in a drainage ditch.  One other bench guy Junior John Kratzer became an inspiration to the team for his battle with cancer.  He did not play but one game but he was on the sidelines for every game rooting his teammates on! 

The William and Mary Tribe relied on brute force to compete in games this last season.  Gifted with a couple of experienced and tough post players, The Indians will long be remembered as a physical team who liked to mix it up with opponents.  The Indians stayed in most of the games they played last year even against superior Competition.  The problem was they just didn’t have the size, scorers and athletes to win games.  A couple of underclassmen look very promising in that department.  The team’s goal is to bring this team into the modern age of basketball.  The tribe have been stuck in the dark ages for too long and if they don’t get start playing the brand of basketball that will bring in the athletes who they need the future will not be much brighter.  But at a school that has educated three Presidents and is the second oldest University in the country the past sometimes is more important!