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LOCATION: Williamsburg, VA
CONFERENCE: Colonial Athletic Association
LAST SEASON: 8-19 (.296)
CONFERENCE RECORD: 3-13 (8th)
STARTERS LOST/RETURNING: 2/3
NICKNAME: Tribe
COLORS: Green, Gold & Silver
HOMECOURT: William & Mary Hall (10,000)
COACH: Charlie Woollum (William & Mary '62)
record at school 58-77 (5 years)
career record 376-288 (23 years)
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ASSISTANTS: Mark Lezanic (Bucknell '86)
Bobby Woollum (Bucknell '89)
Kihlon Golden (Bucknell '96)
TEAM WINS: (last 5 years) 8-10-12-20-8
RPI (last 5 years) 247-238-186-106-293
1998-99 FINISH: Lost in conference play-in game.
ESPN.com Clubhouse
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Just a little more than a year ago, William & Mary was one of the truly feel-good stories in college basketball. Led by William & Mary alumnus Charlie Woollum, the Tribe won 20 games in 1997-98 and a share of the Colonial Athletic Association regular-season title. The pieces appeared to be in place for a good, long stay as a league power. Woollum was a happy guy. Then it all fell apart in a hurry. Injuries, defections, disappearances you name it and it happened. By the end of last season, the normally affable Woollum came off more as a guy auditioning for a role in the remake of the movieGrumpy Old Men. If not for a late-season victory over James Madison, William & Mary would be lugging a 12-game losing streak into this season. As it was, the Tribe won only twice in its final 16 games. "It's all behind us now," Woollum said. "We're looking forward to moving forward."
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Blue Ribbon Analysis |
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BACKCOURT C BENCH/DEPTH C
FRONTCOURT C+ INTANGIBLES C
Well, it can't get any worse. As long as there aren't more defections, William & Mary can't help but be improved. The Tribe would love to be able to add "vastly" in front of the "improved" and, by the end of the season, that might happen. It won't come easily. William & Mary is still a long way away from where it was when it won 20 games in 1997-98. The Tribe figures to catch back up to its previous standard about the time the rest of the league has moved forward. Forwards Mit Winter and Jim Moran give the Tribe a couple of tough nuts. As long as they don't have to play out of position and 40 minutes every game, they are solid players. Sophomore forward Tom Strohbehn will benefit the most when transfer Mike Johnson becomes eligible during the second semester. Johnson will be able to handle some of the dirty work up front and keep Winter and Strohbehn from getting pushed around. If Alex Duggins, the Tribe's really big freshman, is any good at all, this could turn into a very good front line in a year's time. A backcourt of Scotty Scott and Justin Jackette would have been pretty good. Of course, Jackette didn't stick around. So newcomers Alex English, Sherman Rivers and holdover Cody Carbaugh will get ample opportunity. Carbaugh didn't hit much in limited time last season, and the wing job will go to one of the freshmen if he pulls another .161 percent job from three-point range. Just having some bodies will make the Tribe better. With all the defections and injuries a year ago, garbage-time guys moved into the rotation. That's never good. Woollum has proven himself a pretty darn good coach over the years and he has built this program once already. He seems to have brought in good pieces again. He just has to keep them around, and keep his sanity, for another year or so. |
First, it's imperative to summarize what went wrong for William & Mary: ú Soon after the 1997-98 season, freshman Bill Phillips decided to transfer to St. Joseph's. Strike one forward with All-CAA potential. ú Senior guard Randy Bracy, a conference player-of-the-year candidate, never played up to form and missed the end of the season with a knee injury. ú Senior forward Jermaine Harmon left the team at Christmas for reasons that were never fully explained. ú After last season, freshman guard Justin Jackette and sophomore center Jarad Houston opted for other pastures. Both departures really galled Woollum. Jackette, when he wasn't hobbled by a bad ankle, averaged 12.1 points. Houston, at 7-1 the tallest Tribe player ever, was just getting to the point where he was more than just big. By the end of the year, Woollum was down to nothing but freshmen and sophomores. "It was tough, no doubt about it," Woollum said. The good news is that experience will help many Tribe players this season. The team will have no seniors, so if it sticks together, the Tribe could get good again one day. William & Mary's leaders are two 6-7 junior forwards, Jim Moran (13.2 ppg, 5.1 rpg) and Mit Winter (8.9 ppg, 5.0 rpg). Both had to play more than 30 minutes a game last season and were often out of position (Moran is not a power forward; Winter is not a center). Given a little more rest, they should have good years. "They both gave us all they had last season, that's for sure," Woollum said. Junior guard Scotty Scott (7.1 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 71 assists) benefited from Bracy's absences last season and proved himself a capable point guard. The 5-10 Scott, too, logged way too many minutes when Bracy wasn't around. This year, he should get some help from 6-0 freshman Sherman Rivers (Potomac HS/Woodbridge, Va.), a 19.4-per-game scorer as a prep senior. Rivers also averaged 5.3 assists. Jackette would have looked awfully good on the wing. Instead, he will look on from the bench at Manhattan as he sits out a year. His position will go to either 6-3 sophomore Cody Carbaugh or 6-3 freshman Alex English Jr. (Hammond School/ Columbia, S.C.). Carbaugh played 13.1 minutes per game as a freshman and averaged 2.4 points. He had terrible shooting numbers (.239 percent from the field). English is the son of the Hall of Famer with the same name. He averaged 21.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.0 steals as a prep senior. With his name, he will draw some attention. "We certainly don't expect him to be his father and there won't be any pressure put on him from here," Woollum said. "We just want him to be the best he can be and we think that can be pretty good." Up front, things will change for William & Mary just before Christmas when the first semester ends. Mike Johnson, a 6-7, 230-pounder, becomes eligible for the rest of this season and two more. The Shawnee Mission, Kan., resident transferred from Oklahoma State. He saw limited time there (0.6 ppg, 0.8 rpg as a freshman). In high school, Johnson was a two-time all-state selection. "He's a very nice addition to our program," Woollum said. Returning up front is 6-9, 220-pound sophomore Tom Strohbehn, who had a strong freshman season (8.9 ppg, 7.1 rpg). William & Mary's fourth new face is intriguing. Adam Duggins (Page HS/Greensboro, N.C.) is a 6-11, 235-pound freshman who joins a collection of big men coming into the league. He averaged 18 points and 12 rebounds as a prep senior. That crew will probably make up the Tribe's rotation, but Woollum has no shortage of bodies to turn to if necessary which it was many times last season. Also on the Tribe roster are 6-5 junior swingman Brian Brown, 6-6 junior foward Kori Brown, 6-1 sophomore guard Peter Coughter, 6-7 sophomore forward Bill Davis, 6-6 junior forward James Haunty and 6-4 junior guard Alex Klein. Brian Brown could be the wild card. He missed last season with bad knees. Two years ago, he played a little (0.7 ppg, 0.3 rpg). He missed all 12 shots he tried from three-point range. Of the others, Klein was the busiest last season. He played in 24 games and averaged 1.3 points, 0.8 rebounds. None of the others played in as many as half the games a year ago or averaged as much as a point.
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