WILLIAMSBURG — William & Mary men’s basketball head coach Brian Earl announced the addition of 6-5 guard Reese Miller (Round Rock, Texas / Blinn Community College), 6-4 guard Ethan Connery (Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio / Casper College), and 6-6 forward Jo’el Emanuel (Suffern, N.Y. / FDU) to the program for the 2025-26 season.
Miller and Connery spent the last two seasons at the junior college level, while Emanuel graduated from Fairleigh Dickinson in three years with a degree in business administration. He will have one season of eligibility remaining and plans to enroll in a graduate program at the prestigious Raymond A. Mason School of Business.
Connery and Miller both earned NJCAA All-Region honors last season. Connery was selected to the All-Region IX Third Team playing for Casper College, while Miller was an All-Region XIV Second Team pick at Blinn Community College.
Connery averaged 12.4 points, 7.4 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 1.9 stelas per game, shooting 50.2% from the field in helping Casper to a 25-7 season. Miller led the Buccaneers in scoring at nearly 15 points per game. He added three assists per contest and shot an impressive 41.6% (57-of-137) from 3-point range.
Over his three seasons at FDU, Emanuel played in 102 games, including 65 starts, and averaged 8.1 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per game. He has been a starter and double-digit scorer for the Knights each of the last two seasons. As a junior in 2024-25, Emanuel averaged 11 points, 5.1 rebounds, and two assists per game, while shooting 36% from 3 (41-of-114).
“Jo’el gives us a veteran presence as a two-year starter at the Division 1 level and has played in the NCAA Tournament,” Earl said. “His athleticism will provide a different look on both ends of the court. He can score in a variety of ways and is a strong passer from the forward position.”
A stat-sheet stuffer, Connery tallied five double-doubles this season, including 16 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists against Western Nebraska Community College in December. The 6-4 guard scored a season-high 19 points on three occasions, including twice vs. Western Wyoming (2/6/25 and 1/20/25) and at Central Wyoming (1/18/25).
“Ethan really competes and will immediately give our team an added level of toughness,” Earl said. “He has a winning background and does a little bit of everything to impact winning. He is also a great rebounder from the guard position and fits our style of play.”
Connery started his career at Division III Wittenberg University in 2022-23 and redshirted one season at Casper in 2023-24. In high school, he played at St. Vincent-St. Mary in Akron, Ohio, helping the program to two state championships.
During his sophomore campaign, Miller scored in double figures in each of the final nine games of the season and tallied 10-plus points in 26 of 31 contests. He scored 20 or more points on seven occasions, including a career-high 27 at Lee College in February. Miller, who posted an assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.67, also tallied 26 points on 5-of-11 from 3-point range at Odessa College in November.
“Reese is a great shooter and a crafty scorer going to the basket,” Earl said. “He is a good passer and values the basketball. Reese will also add toughness and is a good defender.”
The 6-5 guard started his career at Abilene Christian but redshirted in 2022-23. He played two seasons at Blinn, including averaging 6.7 points per game as a freshman in 2023-24. Miller scored over 1,000 points during his high school career at Round Rock, earning District 25-6A Offensive MVP and First Team All-District honors.
A Preseason All-NEC selection, Emanuel had a number of notable games during his junior campaign this past season. He posted a double-double with 24 points and 10 rebounds vs. Saint Francis and led FDU to a win at Chicago State with 22 points and eight rebounds. At Big Ten foe Minnesota, Emanuel tallied a 14-point, 11-rebound double-double.
Emanuel earned national notoriety for his athleticism. His alley-oop dunk off an inbound pass at Merrimack on Jan. 5, 2024 was selected to SportsCenter’s Top 10 Plays. As a freshman in 2022-23, his massive dunk in FDU’s Dec. 11 match-up against NJIT was part of the “You Got Mossed!” segment on ESPN’s Sunday NFL Countdown.
As a sophomore in 2023-24, Emanuel averaged 10.6 points and 5.2 rebounds per game. He was named NEC Player of the Week after posting an impressive stat line of 24 points on11-of-16 from the field, including 2-of-4 from 3, to go with 11 rebounds in a win at Buffalo. He also scored a career-high 29 points against Stonehill in January.
Emanuel was part of FDU’s historic win over Purdue in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in 2023 during his freshman season. He appeared in all three NCAA games for the Knights. During the year, Emanuel saw action in all 37 games and averaged 16.4 minutes per game.
In its first season under Earl, the Tribe enjoyed one of the best turnarounds in the country, finishing with a 17-15 record. The 17 wins rank 12th in program history, while the Tribe also produced 11 CAA wins for the fifth time. W&M debuted a new style of play featuring a fast-paced tempo. The Green and Gold ranked among the national leaders in tempo, 3-point shooting, scoring, and assists.
