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William & Mary’s seniors Daniel Dixon, Omar Prewitt earn All-CAA honors

Posted at 10:27 PM, Mar 02, 2017
and last updated 2017-03-02 22:27:19-05
David Cohn and Daniel Dixon celebrate a basket.

David Cohn and Daniel Dixon celebrate a basket.

WILLIAMSBURG, Va. – William & Mary seniors Daniel Dixon and Omar Prewitt were recognized among best players in the Colonial Athletic Association as the league announced its conference awards on Thursday evening. Dixon became the fifth player in W&M history to be named to the All-CAA First Team, while Prewitt garnered his third career All-CAA honor as a member of the second team. Freshman Nathan Knight was named to the CAA All-Rookie Team, and sophomore Paul Rowley was selected to the CAA All-Academic Team.

It marks the fifth-straight year that W&M produced multiple all-league performers. The first team honor is the first All-CAA accolade of Dixon’s career. He joined an exclusive list of Tribe greats to be named to the CAA’s top team that includes Randy Bracy (1998), Marcus Thornton (2014 and 2015), Adam Hess (2003 and 2004) and Prewitt (2016). Prewitt also etched his name among the best in W&M history, becoming the third player in the program’s CAA history and sixth overall to be named all-conference on three occasions. He joined a list that includes Chet Giermak (1947, 1949 and 1950), Jeff Cohen (1959-61), Keith Cieplicki (1983-85), Thomas Roberts (1991-93) and Marcus Thornton (2013-15) as a three-time all-league choice. In total, it is the 15th occasion that W&M placed multiple players on an all-conference team and eighth time in the CAA. Dixon and Prewitt bring the number of All-CAA players under head coach Tony Shaver to 20, including four first teamers.

Omar Prewitt scored 30 points in a win over Charleston

Omar Prewitt scored 30 points in a win over Charleston earlier this season.

Dixon enjoyed arguably the best CAA season in W&M history averaging a program record 22.9 points per game. He scored in double figures in all 18 league games, including 11 20-point contests and four 30-point efforts. The Great Falls, Va., native ranked second in the CAA overall in scoring at 19.5 and in league games as well. In conference play, he was among the top 12 in rebounding (5.6) and assists (2.8). Dixon also ranked among the top 10 in free throw, field goal and 3-point percentage both overall and in league games only. He is among the top 50 nationally in 3-point (39.4) and free throw percentage (86.7).Twice this season he was named the CAA Player of the Week. He poured in 32 points in games against Elon, Drexel and in each of the final two games of the regular season against Hofstra and Towson.

Prewitt is the only player in the CAA to rank among the top 12 overall in scoring (15.2), rebounding and assists (3.2). He leads W&M at 6.1 rebounds per contest and was among the top 10 in all three categories in league play. Prewitt is one of only two players in W&M history and currently one of only three active Division I players with career totals of 1,500 points, 600 rebounds, 300 assists and 100 steals. He turned in his best performances against the best in the CAA in 2017. Prewitt scored a game-high 28 points on his way to CAA Player of the Week honors in the Tribe’s win over UNCW on Jan. 28. He tallied a season-high 30 points, his third career 30-point tilt, in W&M’s Gold Rush win over Charleston on Feb. 11.

Knight became the 21st W&M player and ninth under head coach Tony Shaver to be named to the CAA All-Rookie Team. He is the first honoree for the Green and Gold since Omar Prewitt was the league’s rookie of the year in 2014. Knight appeared in all 29 games in 2016-17, including five starts. He is averaging 8.2 points and 4.4 rebounds per game, while also leading the CAA at 1.4 blocked shots per contest and shooting 56.6 percent from the floor. Knight ranks sixth among CAA freshmen in scoring and is second in rebounding. He is coming off a career-high 20 points on 8-of-10 shooting to go with a team-high seven rebounds in the Tribe’s win over Towson on Feb. 25. Knight also enjoyed stand-out performances with 15 points, five rebounds and five blocked shots at Towson on Feb. 4 and another 15 points and six rebounds vs. Charleston during the W&M Gold Rush Game on Feb. 11.

Rowley garnered his first CAA All-Academic Team nod. He has appeared in all 29 games with nine starts and is averaging 5.1 points and 2.5 rebounds per contest. Rowley also has 32 made 3-pointers and is shooting 45.1 percent from long range. He was an NABC Honors Court selection last season and earlier this season was named a nominee for the Allstate NABC Good Works Teams®. A double major in finance and computer science, Rowley will earn his degree from W&M in just three years. He scored a career-high 14 points to help W&M to a home win over James Madison on Jan. 19 and chipped in 10, including three 3-pointers, in the victory over UNCW on Jan. 28. Under head coach Tony Shaver, the Tribe has had 41 CAA All-Academic team honorees, the most in the CAA since 2004.

Northeastern’s T.J. Williams was named the CAA Player of the Year. He and Dixon were joined on the All-CAA First Team by Joe Chealey of Charleston and the UNCW pair of C.J. Bryce and Chris Flemmings. Along with Prewitt, the CAA All-Second consisted of Charleston’s Jarrell Brantley, Drezel Ingram of UNCW, Elon’s Tyler Seibring and Justin Wright-Foreman of Hofstra. CAA Rookie of the Year Ryan Daly of Delaware highlighted the league’s third team along with the Towson duo of John Davis and Mike Morsell, Devontae Cacok of UNCW and Drexel’s Rodney Williams.

Daly and Knight were joined on the CAA All-Rookie Team by Drexel’s Kurk Lee, Grant Riller of Charleston and Hofstra’s Eli Pemberton. Cacock was the league’s defensive player of the year, Charleston’s Earl Grant was the CAA Coach of the Year and the Cougars’ Evan Bailey was selected as the Dean Ehlers Leadership Award winner.

The Tribe (16-13, 10-8 CAA) earned the No. 4 seed in the 2017 CAA Championship and faces No. 5 Elon (18-13, 10-8 CAA) in the second quarterfinal on Saturday, March 4, at 2:30 p.m. The CAA Championship will be played at the North Charleston Coliseum in Charleston, S.C., March 3-6. The Tribe-Phoenix match-up will be televised on Comcast SportsNet and streamed online at CAA.TV. For complete Tribe information in preparation for the CAA Tournament in Charleston visit TribeAthletics.com/MarchOnTribe. Click HERE for the CAA Tournament TV Clearances.