With its season right around the corner, William and Mary women’s basketball immortalized the achievements of its 2024-2025 campaign with a banner-raising in Kaplan Arena Saturday, Oct. 18. In front of a number of fans and alumni, many of whom were in Williamsburg for the homecoming weekend, William and Mary President Katherine Rowe, Director of Athletics Brian Mann, Tribe head coach Erin Dickerson Davis and others spoke at the event, which honored last year’s Coastal Athletic Association champions.
To begin the afternoon, Mann recounted William and Mary’s run through the CAA Tournament, which clinched the first March Madness berth in the history of either basketball program. The Tribe went on to battle High Point in a play-in game held in Austin, Texas. It defeated the Panthers 69-63, setting up a matchup against the No. 1 seed Texas Longhorns in their own arena.
“This is a lucky opportunity for us to get together and celebrate what was a magical, magical run,” Mann said. “Ten days, five wins, Virginia to D.C. to Texas to back, and television sets all over the country, and social media all over the world.”
Although William and Mary’s winning streak came to an end against Texas, Rowe spoke about how the team’s run electrified the school’s fanbase as alumni flew into Austin from across the country.
“The alumni who traveled out said, ‘I promised myself that I would be there for that win,’” Rowe said. “‘And so I’m here from the U.K. I’m here from Seattle. I’m here from St. Louis. I’m here because I was not going to miss this win.’”
Dickerson Davis expressed her gratitude to a number of parties, including the school’s administration, its student and alumni body and her coaching staff, but her highest words of praise were saved for her team.
“You are amazing players,” Dickerson Davis said. “You did this. You carried this program with pride and passion. You believed that it was hard, and you led with your hearts. You showed the world what William and Mary basketball is all about: trust, resilience, intensity, belief, and excellence. You made everybody watching proud to wear green and gold. And you didn’t just change the season. You changed the standard moving forward, and all those sacrifices you made propelled you into the rafters. Congratulations, ladies. You have made the history book.”
Dickerson Davis proceeded to lead the crowd in a countdown as pieces of black cloth fell from the ceiling, unveiling two new banners that commemorate William and Mary’s conference title and NCAA Tournament bid.
The ceremony concluded with the presentation of championship rings. Nearly every player from the 2024-2025 squad was represented, including star guard Bella Nascimento ’25, whose parents accepted her ring in her place.
William and Mary now looks ahead to its next season, which begins against Davidson on Thursday, Nov. 6, at John M. Belk Arena in Davidson, N.C. Although the banners ensure the team’s accomplishments will be hard to forget, the Tribe must turn its attention to a roster that loses six seniors. According to junior guard Cassidy Geddes, the knowledge of what the program is capable of has only made the roster transition go more smoothly.
“I think it’s also helped that all of our newcomers that have come in, they watched [the CAA title],” Geddes said at CAA Media Day, Oct. 2. “They experienced it from the outside, and so we were able to kind of feed into that hunger to get it for them, for them to go and experience that. So I mean, it’s really just been a seamless transition into the motivation for this year.”
