HAMPTON, Va. – The Hampton University men's basketball team will return to the HU Convocation Center for the first time since Nov. 17 on Saturday, taking on the College of William & Mary at 4 p.m.
 
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The Series: The Pirates are 7-11 against William & Mary, including an 86-67 loss in Kaplan Arena last season. Four of Hampton's seven wins over the Tribe have come in the HU Convocation Center, including a 77-69 defeat early in the 2014-15 season. The Pirates have won three of the last six meetings against William & Mary, and the two teams have played in five of the last six seasons.
 
Pirates Against the CAA: The Pirates are 10-24 against schools currently in the CAA. Hampton is 0-1 against Charleston, 1-5 against Delaware, 1-4 against James Madison, 1-2 against Towson, 0-1 against UNC Wilmington, and 7-11 against William & Mary. Hampton has never faced Drexel, Elon, Hofstra, or Northeastern.
 
Pirates at Home: In head coach Edward Joyner Jr.'s first seven-plus seasons at the helm, the Pirates are 52-33 at home – including a 9-2 mark in the HU Convocation Center last season. That was the team's best home record under Joyner, though the Pirates did go 9-3 at home in 2013-14 and 8-3 in the Convocation Center in 2010-11 – a season in which Hampton won 24 games and made it to the NCAA Tournament. Hampton dropped its home opener on Nov. 11, falling 67-56 to Rider, before defeating Chowan 70-69 in overtime on Nov. 17.
 
Scouting the Tribe: William & Mary (3-3), in its 14th season under head coach Tony Shaver, has alternated wins and losses to open the season, including a 91-81 loss at Central Michigan on Tuesday. The Tribe went 20-11 last season, finishing tied for third in the CAA with a mark of 11-7. They return three starters and 11 letterwinners this season, and senior swing man Omar Prewitt leads the team in scoring (15.5 ppg), while redshirt junior forward Jack Whitman is second in the scoring (11.3 ppg) and leads the team in rebounding (6.5 rpg).
 
Pirates Picked to Finish Third: Despite winning back-to-back MEAC titles, the Pirates were picked to finish third in the conference this season in a poll conducted by the league's head coaches and sports information directors. Hampton, which returns just one starter from last season, picked up two first-place votes and racked up 250 points in the poll. Howard was tabbed the preseason favorite, while South Carolina State – which fell to the Pirates in last season's MEAC Tournament championship game – was picked to finish second.
 
Cooks the Only One: Lawrence Cooks is the lone returning starter for the Pirates, and he comes into 2016-17 as the team's top returner in scoring (7.8 ppg), rebounding (3.7 rpg), assists (47), and steals (19). He is also the only player on this year's team that isn't a freshman, sophomore, or junior – though he does have two MEAC championship rings and NCAA Tournament appearances to his credit. Cooks dropped a career-high 22 points at Winthrop last season, a campaign in which he scored in double figures 11 times. Cooks had 10 points in Hampton's season opener against Rider.
 
Wilson-Fisher Looking for a Bigger Role: Charles Wilson-Fisher was a key role player in the Pirates' run through the MEAC Tournament in 2015, and he was a key reserve down low for the Pirates last season. 2016-17 could figure to be a breakout season for the Los Angeles native with the graduation of Jervon Pressley, and Wilson-Fisher will be looking to improve on his scoring and rebounding averages (2.7 and 2.5, respectively) this season. He tied his career high in points with 10 last season against Northern Arizona, and this past Friday against Rider, he set new career highs in rebounds (15) and blocks (two).
 
Strong Start for Marrow: Seven games into his collegiate career, freshman Jermaine Marrow leads the Pirates in scoring, averaging 13.4 points per game. He opened his career with 13 points against Rider, before dropping 11 points on Nov. 17 in an overtime win over Chowan and then scoring 15 points at Kansas State and dropping 16 at Richmond. He dropped a season-high 25 points against Stony Brook, and Marrow has scored in double figures in six of his first seven games. The Heritage High graduate from nearby Newport News, Va. was 4A East State Player of the Year last season, proving to be one of Virginia's best scorers – averaging over 25 points a game in 2015-16.
 
Astroth Making an Impact: AJ Astroth was key in Hampton's win over Chowan on Nov. 17 – not just because he poured in a season-high 18 points and nine rebounds in just his second game with the program, but because it was his layup in the closing moments that gave the Pirates the lead. Astroth is tied for third on the team in scoring, averaging 9.0 points per game, and he grabbed a season-high 12 rebounds this past Tuesday at East Carolina. His 7.4 boards a night are the team's best.
 
For more information on Hampton University basketball, please call the Office of Sports Information at (757) 727-5757, or visit the official Pirates website at www.hamptonpirates.com.