William & Mary big man Ben Wight spent most of the offseason focused on adding some bulk to his lanky frame with the aim of developing a better ability to body opposition players.
The 6ft 9in star has always found it hard to pack on muscle yet, last season, it was clear that adding some bulk would be to his benefit. Wight led the W&M men’s basketball program in scoring and rebounding last season (11.6 ppg and 5.5 rpg), having redshirted as a freshman in 2019/20.
He played at 205 lbs last term but has since put on 20 more.
“I’ve always been a skinny guy and (the gained weight) helps me be stronger defensively, not getting pushed around as much,” the player was quoted as saying. “Offensively, I can kind of be the guy pushing around a little bit.
“Being able to face-up and drive the ball towards the basket instead of just back to the basket all of the time.”
Wight shot a remarkable 61.6 percent from the floor last season, with mostly all of his attempts coming from around the rim. His summer work also included shooting from farther out, so he will hope to lead The Tribe to something meaningful next season, with the program going 4-14 in the Colonial Athletic in the last campaign. Virginia sportsbook promos would have certainly been a welcome deal where residents are concerned but, while they can bet on college sports, they can’t bet on any games that involve Virginia-based teams. Fortunately, said promos could be used to bet on many other sporting events.
Meanwhile, W&M has welcomed 10 new faces in the form of five freshmen and five transfers. Head coach Dane Fischer is sure the transfers will boost his side’s prospects for the upcoming season but is also aware that Wight is the main man.
“Certainly, we’re building the thing around Ben Wight and what he was able to do for us last year,” Fischer said.
The Columbus, Ohio native had signed with Ohio University at first but he started looking to go elsewhere when the program underwent a coaching change. He ended up at W&M, where he has fit in perfectly since committing in June of 2019, around three months after Fischer was handed the reins.
“An incredibly athletic forward whose best basketball is ahead of him,” Fischer said of Wight back then. “He plays extremely hard and has a unique skill set for someone his size.”
Wight was named a preseason All-Colonial Athletic Association selection last week, one of 17 players to be honored. His 61.6 percent shooting from last term was the sixth-best field goal percentage in W&M history. He was third in field goal percentage in the CAA, sixth in offensive rebounding, 13th in total rebounds, and 19th in scoring.
The Tribe, who posted a disappointing 5-27 overall record last term, will hope to regroup and do a lot better, with the team being built around Wight. They were picked at No.8 in the CAA preseason poll.
“We had three goals this summer with the team. Of course, one was to make sure we establish a culture of gratitude and appreciation. Guys did a great job with that over the summer,” the head coach noted. “We talked about really wanting to work hard, and establishing what that is.
“And then, just talked about building a team, which obviously is a ton of new faces for us.”
Fischer reckons W&M will put better long-range shooting on display, as well as more consistent play in the backcourt. The team will open their season at home against Navy on November 7 and will follow that up with a fixture against Virginia Tech on November 13. They will host Richmond on December 3 before games at Pittsburgh and N.C. State.
The Colonial Athletic added four new teams in North Carolina A&T, Stony Brook, Hampton, and Monmouth but lost James Madison to the Sun Belt Conference. Fischer is pleased to see the additions, praising the CAA for the augmentation.
“I think if you look at college basketball and college athletics right now, there’s strength in numbers with leagues,” said Fischer. “I think (the CAA) did a great job of adding some really good programs.”
