The past five years have been up, down and ultimately thrilling for Beckwith, Frisby-Smith
Looking back, it would be hard to imagine a stranger time for Kayla Beckwith and Rebekah Frisby-Smith to have joined the women's basketball team at William & Mary. On one hand, the Tribe had won a school-record 21 games the previous season. On the other, the world was in the early stages of a deadly pandemic.
In their five seasons, Beckwith and Frisby-Smith have seen plenty. An abbreviated freshman campaign that ended early with too few players available. Twenty losses and an eighth-place finish (out of 10 CAA teams) in their second season.
Then a coaching change, which brought Erin Dickerson Davis and an immediate turnaround with back-to-back 12-6 records in the conference. But as fifth-year seniors, they endured and up-and-down season that looked headed in the wrong direction going into the CAA tournament.
And then … well, surely you know by now.
The Tribe not only made history last week as the first No. 9 seed to make the CAA championship game, it won the trophy. And Thursday night, this team will be W&M's first (women or men) to play in the NCAA tournament.
"It's been amazing to see where we were in our freshman year with the old staff and see how this new staff came in and embraced us," Beckwith said. "They really kind of took us under their wing. My teammates and coaches here, everything has just been … rewarding would be an understatement."
Frisby-Smith, who has played in a program-record 129 games, sees it all well worth it.
"These five years, going through everything to get to this moment right now, words cannot describe how I'm feeling," she said. "I remember the first time these coaches came here, we looked into the stands and were like, 'Guys, we could be the first team to put a banner up there.'
“That was the end goal of everything we were doing every single day. Now it's happened. We made history."
They certainly did. But for Beckwith and Frisby-Smith, it required patience and toughness, both physical and mental.
Beckwith, a 6-foot-1 center, played in all 29 games last season and had career highs of 121 points and (4.2 per game) and 133 rebounds (4.6 per game). Coming into her senior year, she was set for a breakout season.
Ten games in, each of which she had started, Beckwith was averaging 6.4 points and 5.1 rebounds. Then came a foot injury in early December, and she missed the next 12 games. She returned on Feb. 16 at Delaware and has played in nine of W&M's last 10 games.
"All the pieces were aligning and I was playing the most confident basketball I've played," said Beckwith, who had six rebounds and three blocked shots against Drexel in the CAA semifinals. "For that to happen, it was tough. But I knew that was God's plan for me and I never really questioned him.
"I wanted to be out there with my team and it was really frustrating, especially when we were losing some games I couldn't be part of. But I knew at the end of the day I needed to stick to my rehab plan and trust my athletic trainer."
Davis credited Beckwith for staying engaged even while unable to play.
"She was a huge leader for us on the bench when she couldn't play and on the court when she got back in," Davis said. "And in practices every single day. She's been in my practices for three years and she knows what it takes. She knows what we do."
Frisby-Smith has missed only four of 133 possible games in her career and has a streak of 92 consecutive appearances. She's carved her niche as a hard worker who throws her body around and doesn't mind floor burns.
But she'll also be remembered for a shining moment in Sunday's championship game.
Playing from behind all afternoon, the Tribe trailed Campbell 53-46 with time running out in the third quarter. As Bella Nascimento drove to the lane, she understandably drew a crowd. That left Frisby-Smith open in the right corner but with very little time to get off a shot.
It was the ultimate catch-and-shoot, and Frisby-Smith knocked down her fourth 3-pointer in seven attempts. It was right in front of the W&M bench, which went bonkers. The deficit was cut to four, and the Tribe would take over in the fourth quarter.
"I was ready for the shot and when (Nascimento) passed it, I was like, 'Oh, my goodness, I have to shoot this!'" Frisby-Smith said. "I don't even think I had two feet set. I just held the follow-through and hoped it went in.
"That was definitely a momentum shift. It definitely sent us in to the fourth feeling good."
Looking back, maybe Frisby-Smith should have called game.
"That's when everybody said, 'Oh, we're going to win this,'" Davis said. "Right in front of the bench, she's falling out of bounds, right before the buzzer. The bench erupts. The whole crowd erupts.
"I've said since I got here that Bek is the X-factor for us. She's always going to do the things you need to do to win. I'm glad she was able to make that moment."
Beckwith will graduate the Raymond A. Mason School of Business in May with an M.B.A. She figures to have plenty of options.
"I want to get into sports and entertainment, preferably sports," she said. "Hopefully a job with the league, maybe NFL, maybe NBA, maybe WNBA … whoever's willing to have me, I'm more than willing to go."
Frisby-Smith is set to leave Mason in May with an M.S. in business analytics. But she won't be done with college or basketball.
Frisby-Smith's next stop will be Durham University in England, where she'll play another season.
"It's about 2½ hours north of London," she said. "It's going to be really cold there, but I'm going to be really excited to keep playing basketball."
Watch parties:
William & Mary Athletics will host a pair of watch parties for the women’s basketball program’s NCAA First Four match-up with High Point on Thursday night. Tip-off is set for 9 p.m. ET at the Moody Center in Austin, Texas on ESPN2.
W&M students are invited to an on-campus event at the Sadler Center in the Chesapeake Room beginning at 8:30 p.m. Athletics will be handing out various swag items to students and will have FREE pizza and beverages available as well.
Tribe Athletics will also host a watch party in New Town at Paul’s Deli & Neighborhood Restaurant (4345 New Town Ave STE 100, Williamsburg, VA 23188), beginning at 8:30 p.m.
This article was originally published as a Tribe Scribe on the W&M Athletics page on March 19 entitled, "Tribe Scribe: The past five years have been up, down and ultimately thrilling for Beckwith, Frisby-Smith."
