A Preview of 2015-16 Blue Hen Basketball
Some call it a rebuilding year. We call it an opportunity.
Women’s Basketball
The University of Delaware Women’s Basketball team has big plans. Determined to embrace the program’s winning culture, the team hopes to return to postseason play during the 2015-16 slate.
With a senior class of three that experienced a Colonial Athletic Association championship and run to the NCAA Sweet 16, head coach Tina Martin and her squad are resolute.
“Last year was difficult because we were rebuilding, and a lot of young players saw a lot of action on the court,” said Martin, who is in her 20th season at Delaware. “We had some injuries that certainly hurt us, but this group feels like they have something to prove because of the winning tradition that has been built here over the last two decades. We want to get back to that.”
The Hens, who were below .500 for just the second time in the past 17 seasons last year, return 10 letter winners from the 2014-15 campaign and add three freshmen. Also re-joining Delaware is sophomore Sadé Chatman, HS18, who was unable to compete in games last season due to NCAA transfer regulations.
Martin feels she has a strong nucleus, with Chatman joining senior Courtni Green, AS16, junior Erika Brown, AS17, and sophomore Makeda Nicholas, AS18.
Brown, an All-CAA Second Team selection and Team MVP last year, led the team last season with 14.2 points per game alongside Green. The guard also finished second in program single-season history with a .436 3-point field goal percentage on 24-of-55 shooting from behind the arc.
Green, also a guard and sharpshooter from 3-point range, was second in program history with 58 3-pointers. In addition to earning All-CAA Tournament Team accolades, she was awarded the Joyce Perry Coaches Trophy.
Nicholas, a CAA-All Rookie Team honoree, posted 5.1 rebounds and 4.5 points for Delaware last season. Listed as a forward, the sophomore could also see time as a guard, where the Blue Hens will benefit from her 6-1 frame.
Chatman, a Clemson University transfer and “big-time competitor,” will play in the forward spot.
The players are led by team captains Alecia Bell, HS16, and Hannah Jardine, AS17.
Bell, a senior who broke her left tibia and fibula in just the second game last year, is expected to return stronger than ever. After what could have been a career-threatening injury, the forward ran the second-fastest mile during summer training and will play both inside and outside positions for the Hens.
“She’s our leader,” said Martin, “and it took us a while to recover from her injury.”
The team’s third-leading scorer with 11.8 points per game, Jardine started all 32 games for Delaware last season and was eighth in the CAA with 6.7 rebounds per contest.
“She’s our glue because of her toughness,” Martin added.
Freshmen Nicole Enabosi, AS19, and Hannah Friend, AS19, are also integral to the team. Enabosi joins the Blue Hens from Gaithersburg, Maryland as a 6-0 forward; Friend is a 5-11 guard/forward combo from Farmington, Connecticut.
The 2015-16 season will be no walk in the park for the Hens as Delaware will be on the road for eight non-conference contests (starting in November and continuing through December), while hosting just three. The second half of the season will feature CAA action and will follow a Friday/Sunday format throughout the final two-plus months of play. Delaware will face each of the league squads at both home and away for a total of 18 CAA matchups.
“The schedule will be challenging, but I believe it will prepare the group,” Martin said. “We’re all excited and anxious to get back on the floor.”
Article by Maggie Hayon
Men’s Basketball
The University of Delaware Men’s Basketball team saw some of its most talented players graduate in 2015, including senior guard Kyle Anderson, HS15, the school’s career leader in three-pointers. But the talent that remains is ready, willing and eager to take the reins of a team hungry for wins.
“We have the pieces in place to move back into the upper echelon of the league,” says 10th-year Blue Hen head coach Monté Ross, who was named CAA Coach of the Year when he led the Blue Hens to a 25-10 record, the CAA Tournament title and an NCAA Tournament berth in 2014. “We have the guys here who will be able to pick up the slack.”
Leading the way is sophomore point guard Kory Holden, AS18, a CAA All-Rookie Team selection a year ago when he ranked second in the league with 5.0 assists per game. Holden also was second on the team and second among league freshmen with a 12.4 scoring average, and became the first UD freshman to score at least 24 points in four games.
“Kory wants to be the best, and he worked that way throughout the summer,” said Ross. “He has a tremendous work ethic.”
Junior Cazmon Hayes, AS17, the only Blue Hen to start all 30 games last season, also returns after ranking third on the team by pouring in 11.4 points per contest a year ago. Hayes led the Blue Hens with 27 steals and reached double figures in 20 games, including the first seven of the season. Classmate Devonne Pinkard, BE17, who averaged 4.1 points a game a year ago, is also looking for an increased role in the backcourt.
Sophomore Chivarsky Corbett, AS18, is expected to move into the starting lineup on the wing, as he joined Holden on the conference All-Rookie Team last year when he contributed 8.8 points per outing. Corbett reached double figures in 13 contests including a season-high 21 points at Robert Morris.
“Chivarsky is another guy who gained valuable experience,” said Ross, “and we expect him to take the next step this season.”
Marvin King-Davis, AS15, one of just two seniors on the squad, again started at the power forward position after leading the Blue Hens and ranking 11th in the CAA with 5.7 rebounds per game a year ago. King-Davis posted a 9.7 scoring average in 2014-15, including a career-high 31-point effort at James Madison.
“I think Marvin can have a breakout year, the type of year you always want your seniors to have,” Ross said. “He definitely knows how to be successful during games.”
The fourth returning starter is junior center Maurice Jeffers, who started all but two games last year when he led the team with 145 rebounds and 28 blocked shots. Jeffers was sixth on the Blue Hens with 6.8 points per game, and shot a team-best 57 percent from the field. Junior Barnett Harris and sophomore Syke Johnson will also see significant playing time in the Blue Hen post, especially after sophomore Eric Carter suffered a season-ending ACL injury in September.
Although Delaware features just one senior and two juniors in the projected starting lineup, the experience gained by the younger players last season should be a significant factor in the Blue Hens’ success this year.
“These guys have been through it,” said Ross. “All of our key guys were so green and young last year, they didn’t know what we wanted. This year has been different, in a good way. What excites me is that we had some success toward the end of last year, and we have [those] guys back. And the way they worked all summer and during the preseason leads me to believe we’ll have a chance to be in the mix at the end of the year.”
Article by Kevin Tritt, AS00
