Paul Rowley

Classroom

Paul Rowley has excelled in the classroom at a level rarely seen in Division I athletics. In 2017, he graduated magna cum lade from W&M in just three years with a double major in finance and computer science. In the process, he maintained an exceptional GPA of 3.76 and received numerous academic honors. Rowley played his junior season as a first-year law student in the William & Mary Law School and is believed to be the first DI men’s basketball player to compete on the court as second-year law student during his upcoming senior season in 2018-19.

In 2017, Rowley became the first W&M men’s basketball player since 1912 to be selected to the prestigious Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society. He has been both a W&M Provost Award winner and a W&M Dean’s List honoree during each year of his academic career. Rowley was named both the Colonial Athletic Association Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year and the men’s basketball Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 2018. A James Monroe Scholar at W&M, Rowley was selected to the NABC Honors Court in 2016 and 2017. Last season, he was a CoSIDA Academic All-District First Team pick.

Over the summer, Rowley worked as a summer associate at the Norfolk law firm of Willcox Savage.

Character

Few, if any, enjoy being a student-athlete and relish both the fun and challenges that go with it like Rowley. He plays with a smile and excitement on the court and shows an appreciation for the opportunity off of it. A two-year team captain, Rowley is an exceptional leader for the Tribe program and has the ability to inspire his teammates in a number of ways.

During his career, Rowley has received the W&M men’s basketball program’s distinguished Mark Batzel Award and Kraze Award for his impact on his teammates and the program. In 2018, he took home the Batzel Award, which is given to the player who displays leadership, determination, mental toughness and heart, while having the ability to instill those qualities in his teammates. Rowley is also one of only three players in program history to twice win the Kraze Award for his ability to inspire his teammates. The award is named in honor of former Tribe team captain John Kratzer, who received the inaugural United States Basketball Writers Association Most Courageous Athlete Award. Kratzer lettered two years with the Tribe, before being diagnosed with cancer and battled the disease for three more years. Throughout the ordeal, he continued to be an inspiration to the Tribe and provided the major emotional lift that allowed the College to upset No. 2 North Carolina, 78-75, on Dec. 7, 1977.

Community

Rowley has been involved in a number of activities within the community during his time at William & Mary. He has spent time at local elementary schools in the Williamsburg area working with the community’s youth along with volunteering as a tutor and working with W&M’s Student Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC).

In both 2016 and 2017, Rowley visited a local elementary school. During one of his visits, he spent the day reading and interacting with elementary students, encouraging them in their school work. He spent another visit leading physical activities and playing with elementary students, encouraging them to be physically fit and active.

In 2015-16, he organized tutor sessions with a high school student in linear algebra. Rowley also tutored an algebra student with a learning disability in 2016-17 for 15 sessions of 1-2 hours each.

During the fall of 2016, Rowley helped collect food for W&M SAAC’s annual Harvest Baskets event, which benefited FISH and Grove Christian Outreach, which are local community organizations in Williamsburg. SAAC collected approximately 100 harvest bags filled with food donations.

In 2017, Rowley was a nominee for the Allstate NABC Good Works Team thanks to his contributions in the community.

Competition

On the court, Rowley has been a key cog for the Tribe starting 13 games over the last two years and serving as the program’s sixth man for the majority of his 69 career appearances. He enters the 2018-19 campaign ranked second in W&M history and seventh among active NCAA Division I players in three-point percentage at 45.1 percent.

As a junior in 2017-18, Rowley averaged 6.2 points and 2.4 rebounds per game off the bench in nearly 20 minutes of action. He ranked second in the CAA at 44 percent from the three-point range. Rowley was a significant part of W&M becoming the first team in NCAA history to shoot 50 percent from the field, 40 percent from three-point range and 80 percent from the free throw line.

A team captain in 2017-18, Rowley scored a career-high of 16 points in a Tribe win at Elon on Feb. 1. He scored in double figures on six occasions, including 14 in the CAA Semifinals against eventual league champion Charleston. He tallied 13 points in a win over JMU and 11 at nationally-ranked TCU. He also ranked among the league leaders in blocked shots with 20.

A part-time starter (nine games) as a sophomore in 2016-17, Rowley averaged 5.4 points and 2.4 rebounds per game in 16 minutes of action. He ranked 15th nationally in three-point percentage (47.8) according to ESPN.com among players who averaged at least two three-point attempts per game. He tallied seven double-digit scoring games to go with one double-double.