The University of Delaware men’s basketball team will celebrate a special milestone during the 2005-06 season, marking the 100th anniversary of collegiate basketball on the Newark campus.

And, the Fightin’ Blue Hens will open the centennial season with one of the top players in the Colonial Athletic Association, forward Harding Nana, taking the floor for his senior season.

The 6-foot 8-inch, 220-pound Nana averaged 18.5 points and 10.4 rebounds per game and was one of the top players in NCAA Division I in achieving double-doubles, or double figures in two offensive categories.

He was named first team All-CAA, the first member of the Hens to be so honored since UD joined the conference, and is a candidate for All-America this season.

Nana provided a bright spot for the Hens, who suffered through a number of key injuries en route to a record of 11-20 overall and 7-11 in the CAA.

Also back is senior guard Andrew Washington, the only other UD player who averaged double figures in 2004-05. Washington scored 13.2 points per game for the Hens after transferring from Allen Community College in Kansas.

In addition, UD is hoping for a return to action by 6-foot 7-inch forward Herb Courtney, who missed the latter part of the 2003-04 season and the entire 2004-05 season after a knee injury.

The Hens have several holes to fill, the largest a result of the graduation of four-year point guard Mike Slattery.

UD Head Coach David Henderson says he hopes that Calvin Cannon, a 6-foot 2-inch point guard who transferred to UD from Palm Beach (Fla.) Community College, will be able to handle that role.

“We are really happy to have Calvin join our program,” Henderson says. “He has experience at the college level, and we will look for him to help with our transition out of the Mike Slattery era. Calvin is a very good shooter and decision maker, and those are things we are going to need from the point guard position.”

Also new to the Hens are Matt Hewson, a 7-foot 2-inch center from Hylton, Va., and Zaire Taylor, a 6-foot 4-inch guard from Staten Island, N.Y.

Hewson averaged 17.2 points and 11.4 rebounds per game during his senior season, and was a first team all-district, all-region and all-area selection. “Matt is a unique player, and we are very excited to have him in our program,” Henderson says. “He has the ability to block and alter shots, which is something we have not had since Ajmal Basit. Matt also has good hands and runs the court well.”

Taylor averaged 13 points, five assists and 2.8 steals per game while leading Charis Prep of North Carolina to a 29-7 record. “Zaire is a combination guard whose height will allow us to match up well with other guards in the CAA,” Henderson says. The UD program will feature some new faces on the sideline, as well, this season. Henderson, who is entering his sixth year with the Hens, has a revamped coaching staff that includes popular former UD player Ryan Iversen.

Kenny Blakeney, who like Henderson was a star basketball player at Duke University, has been elevated to a position as the top assistant. New to the staff are Darryl Jacobs, formerly head coach at Felician College in Lodi, N.J., and Iversen, a crowd favorite for his hard-charging style of play.

UD will participate for the first time in the ESPN Bracket Busters series, taking on an opponent to be named later on Feb. 18. The Hens also will participate in the Hispanic College Fund Classic tournament to be played Nov. 18-20 at North Carolina State University.

—Neil Thomas, AS ’76