RICHMOND, Va. (TribeAthletics.com) – William & Mary senior Luke Loewe earned All-CAA Second Team honors and freshman Connor Kocherawas named the conference's rookie of the year when the Colonial Athletic Association handed out its annual men's basketball awards on Friday afternoon.
Loewe and junior Mehkel Harveyboth earned a spot on the CAA All-Defensive Team as well, giving the Tribe two players on the league's top defensive team for the second-straight year. Along with his top rookie honor, Kochera headlined the CAA All-Rookie Team as well.
Loewe earned the first All-CAA honor of his career with a spot on the second team. He is the third All-CAA selection under head coach Dane Fischer, and overall, is the 27th Tribe player on the 42nd occasion to earn All-CAA honors. Loewe also became the sixth W&M player to be named to the CAA All-Defensive Team in multiple seasons after also earning the honor last year as well.
Loewe leads the Tribe and ranks seventh in the CAA at 16 points per game. He is also among the CAA leaders at fourth in minutes played (35.7), fifth in free throw % (84.9), sixth in steals (1.4) and eighth in assists (3.2). Loewe leads the CAA and ranks 76th nationally in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.2).
He has been a model of consistency for the Tribe, especially in CAA play. Loewe tallied 15 or more points in eight of 10 league contests. He scored 20 or more points in a game on five occasions this season, including a career-high tying 27 at Hofstra in January.
Kochera became the fourth Tribe player to be named the CAA Rookie of the Year, joining a list that includes Thomas Roberts (1990), Corey Cofield (2004) and Omar Prewitt (2014). He was the 23rd Tribe standout to earn a spot on the All-Rookie Team.
In CAA play, Kochera was on a tear, averaging 15.4 points and 5.5 rebounds per game and ranking 10th and 13th in league play in those categories, respectively. He is just the second CAA freshman since 1992-93, along with Ryan Daly (Delaware) in 2016-17, to average at last 15 points and five rebounds per game in CAA games.
Kochera's 13.9 points per game overall is the highest scoring average for a Tribe freshman since Thomas Roberts in 1990 and the fourth-best overall. He is 14th nationally in scoring among freshmen. Over his last six games, Kochera has scored 20 or more points four times. He posted a career-high 30 points and 12 rebounds in a win at Towson (Jan. 31) on his way to earning national rookie of the week honors. It was the only 30-10 double-double in the CAA this season and one of only three nationally for a freshman, joining Cade Cunningham (Oklahoma State) and Rayshon Harrison (Presbyterian).
Harvey became the 10th W&M player on the 17th occasion to be named to the CAA All-Defensive Team. He leads the CAA and ranks 21st nationally in blocked shots at 2.3 per game. Harvey also ranks 11th in the CAA in rebounding at 5.7 per contest, and he totaled a career-high 16 rebounds earlier this season at Hofstra. His blocked shot average ranks fourth in W&M history. Harvey posted four or more blocked shots in a game on five occasions in 2020-21, including a career-high five in the Tribe's win at George Washington in December.
W&M is the No. 7 seed in the 2021 Hercules Tires CAA Championship and will take on the No. 10 seed UNCW on Saturday night. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. from the Atlantic Union Bank Center in Harrisonburg, Va.
