November 2021 – Young Guarde

Tribe Hoops 2021-22 Season

By Julian Boatner ’14

Before I get into this coming season I want to briefly talk about last season and some of the things we dealt with as a basketball team during Covid stoppages, cancellations, etc. Our team underwent a lot of adversity whether it was team meetings via zoom, games being cancelled, or having to go into quarantine. What many people don’t realize is the toll Covid took on our players mentally. It was extremely important that as a coaching staff, we were checking in on our players to make sure they were okay. I say all of this as a preface to our current Sophomore class only getting to play 17 games last season (a normal basketball season is around 30 games) and they just recently played their first game in front of fans. When you have a young/inexperienced team growing pains are natural, but it’s going to be our jobs to try and get them to a point where they’re playing their best basketball in March.

Shifting to this season, we are very excited to have more of a “normal” season and to see what this team can accomplish! This summer we got to work on our team chemistry as well as getting stronger for the season ahead. We added three freshmen to the roster, including Tyler Rice, Julian Lewis, and Langdon Hatton. Brandon Carroll is also new to the Tribe, a graduate student currently completing his MBA. These guys have spent the summer getting acclimated with their teammates and our staff.

As you can see from our first couple of games, we’re playing a lot of Freshman and Sophomores this season. I want to highlight three guys that will be ones to watch this year and that we’re excited to see grow this season. Connor Kochera, a sophomore wing from Chicago, IL and the reigning Rookie of the Year in the CAA. We’re hoping he continues to build on his success from last year. Tyler Rice, a freshman from Columbia, SC is another player we’re very excited about and you can see what we’re talking about if you saw anything from his debut game at Wake Forest. He’s going to be a guy that can create offense for his teammates as well as for himself. Ben Wight, a redshirt sophomore from Columbus, OH. Last season he struggled with foul trouble and the overall size of his opposition. Ben has one of the highest motors I’ve ever coached, there isn’t going to be a lot of players who play harder than him.

I’m so lucky to be back coaching at the school that has done so much for me in my life! Looking forward to passing those experiences on to my current players. I hope to see some of you all at the games this season, and if you are in attendance, please don’t hesitate to say hello!

Follow along with Julian on Instagram and connect with him on LinkedIn.

Life After

By Adam Siegel ’15

The first year out of college was both exciting and terrifying for me. I, like many of my friends, moved to a new city to start a new job, where I had to do new things like figure out the difference between an HMO, PPO, and HDP. There was an overwhelming amount of change happening, and on top of everything, I was beginning to feel some existential dread about my career. I didn’t yet know how to do my job (or if I even liked my job) and all I could think was, “Is this it? Is this what the rest of life is?”

The only thing that made it feel manageable was being surrounded by a community of great friends from William and Mary, most of whom were going through the exact same challenges and asking themselves the same questions.

In those first few years, we all got better at our jobs, navigated the healthcare system, and discovered what got us excited about work. We met up for happy hours to commiserate over how much we missed college, and to remind each other why we chose our respective career paths. We celebrated the big moments–engagements, promotions–and the small ones. Each year we would gather for “Friendsgiving”, and it felt like just as much of a family celebration as any traditional Thanksgiving dinner. The highs and lows continued, but we didn’t endure them alone.

My William and Mary circle has continued to expand over the years, no matter what city I move to. Some of these new friends have come through mutual connections, and others I’ve reconnected with during Homecoming. This annual pilgrimage back to Williamsburg is a chance for me to reinvigorate and re-center myself. In the midst of my constantly changing life, Williamsburg is familiar, my second home. Maybe more importantly, my time back on campus helps me to remember that there are more important things than promotions, new apartments, or the next job. Everyone always says it’s the people that make William and Mary so special, and it’s true. But sometimes I need to be back where it all started to remember that and reconnect.

The legacy of William and Mary continues to grow. Every year we welcome a new graduating class to the alumni community, who will face their own challenges. The last two years have been a time of unrelenting change in everyone’s life. I know that after 18 months of virtual connection, I need to surround myself with William and Mary friends again, just like I did after graduation. That’s why I am so excited for my 5+1 Year Reunion. I can’t wait to eat a Cheese Shop sandwich, walk through CW, and hold court on the terrace once again. I can’t wait to see some old friends, and maybe–hopefully, probably–make some new ones as well.

Follow along with Adam on Instagram and connect with him on LinkedIn.