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William & Mary 48, Hofstra 47
Piecing Together Wins at William & Mary
On Wednesday, William & Mary Coach Tony Shaver entered the Tribe’s locker room at the Comcast Center after a victory over Maryland as his players swayed in a circle to the Black Eyed Peas song “I Gotta Feeling.”
Shaver, a Dean Smith disciple with a well-maintained mustache and a sharp part to the left in his hair, surprised his players by jumping in and bouncing around.
“It was a wild, winding circle, like at a wedding,” the senior David Schneider said. “I’ve learned not to take Coach too seriously.”
For the Tribe, one of five programs with 50 or more years of history to never make the N.C.A.A. tournament, the sensation of winning continues to pick up popularity. In each of the last four Associated Press polls, William & Mary has received votes for the first time since 1977-78. In beating Hofstra by 48-47 on Saturday, the Tribe improved to 10-2 its best start since 1948-49.
“There’s something going on with these guys,” said Shaver, who has beaten four teams that played in last year’s N.C.A.A. tournament.
Three years ago, Shaver and his staff preached up-tempo, breakneck, pressure basketball to their players. Then the coach made what he called a “gut-wrenching decision” because he no longer felt he could challenge the more athletic competition with the personnel he had. Instead, he studied what John Beilein had done nearby at Richmond: success with more skill and less sizzle. Beilein opened his vaults and Shaver mapped out a new strategy to procure “feel players” and better passers.
“We call ours the ‘Tribe Hybrid,’ ” said Shaver, who has also incorporated elements from Arizona State Coach Herb Sendek. “We take a little from everybody.”
The offense’s best plays are slippery and cerebral. Back-door cuts catch opponents off guard; slips off screens serve as understated paths to the basket. According to Kenpom.com, a statistical analysis Web site, William & Mary has the nation’s most efficient offense.
“They’re a pain in the butt to prepare for,” Hofstra Coach Tom Pecora said.
Players have bought in, too. Asked to name the favorite plays he has seen from the sophomore Quinn McDowell, who is second on the team in scoring, Schneider said, “Against Maryland, I just really loved his cuts.”
Hofstra, a physical, fast-moving team, bumped the Tribe off many of the cuts, but Shaver implored his guards to keep making the same reads. A ball screen at the top of the key sprang point guard Kendrix Brown, scoreless until that point, to hit a game-tying layup and ensuing game-winning free throw with 16.9 seconds left.
“Honestly, I didn’t even know the shot went in,” Brown said. “I just saw my teammates running at me.”
As hard as Shaver wants his cuts to be made, it is his softer side that has helped develop chemistry. During one practice, ostensibly upset with his players, he threw them out of the gym, saying, “If you’re ready to play, let me know.”
Upon entering the locker room, the players were greeted with pints of ice cream.
“I’ve split my head open diving for ball for him,” said Schneider, who scored a team-high 12 points against Hofstra. “He understands our sacrifices made.”
Shaver is not always Mr. Good Humor. His fiery side showed through when there was no foul call on a drive to the basket by McDowell. With 10 minutes 34 seconds remaining, McDowell spun on a defender with the Tribe trailing, 40-34. Shaver, who had been working the referee for what he thought was a previous missed call, shouted, “Make the call! Make the call!” while slapping his hands together each time like two cymbals.
The motivational tactic seemed to work. The Tribe received a 3-pointer from Schneider, eventually running off 7 straight points to tie the score at 41-41 with 6:59 remaining.
“We never matched their intensity after that,” Pecora said.
Throughout the game, Hofstra students standing close to the William & Mary bench chanted, “Shaver, shave your mustache!” He heard them, but he will not follow their advice.
“Last season I shaved and we only won 10 games,” he said. “It’s here to stay.”
If his team can stay cutting-edge, the Tribe may hang around longer than ever before, possibly into the middle of March.
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