University of Delaware players worked up a sweat and competed vigorously in a full-court scrimmage Thursday afternoon on the Carpenter Center court.
The Blue Hens have begun the early but important basketball preparation for a season that is still four months away.
But before that, they had to get some other details ironed out.
Most of those began with a handshake and “Nice to meet you” greeting.
There are an unprecedented six new transfers on the UD roster. That’s a sign of the times, with players no longer needing to sit out a season after transferring and the transfer portal giving them a vehicle from which to explore other destinations.
Improving the roster
Delaware finished a very unsatisfying 17-16 last season after winning the CAA Tournament to earn an NCAA tourney berth in 2022. Following his team’s ouster from the 2023 CAA Tournament, coach Martin Ingelsby said immediately that developing a more compete, deeper roster that addressed the Hens’ needs was imperative.
Since, Delaware has added transfers Zion Bethea (from St. Francis of Brooklyn), Gerald Drumgoole (Albany), Jalun Trent (North Dakota), Niels Lane (Florida), Kobe Jerome (UC-Riverside) and Tyler Houser (VMI). All except Houser are guards.
“Guys are ready to compete. They’re working hard,” Ingelsby said after Thursday’s session, one of two weekly on-court practices teams are permitted over eight summer weeks. “I think we identified what we were lacking and really attacked it in the portal and feel good about the guys we added to the program, the skill level, the ability to make shots.”
Quick courtships
Basketball recruiting has long been characterized by the often months-long courtship of high school players.
Nowadays, with so much player movement, the portal has provided an alternative team-building tool. But it requires a quicker, more urgent approach that Ingelsby has jokingly said is akin to speed dating.
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“From day one,” Ingelsby said, “you’re getting kids on campus and trying to sell your vision, the opportunity, and trying to close the deal pretty quickly. I compared it to speed dating because you’re getting in front of as many kids as you can see.”
Delaware seriously considered about 15 potential transfers, Ingelsby said, and had seven on campus for visits. The only one who didn’t opt for Delaware was Lafayette point guard C.J. Fulton, who landed at CAA rival and 2023 champion Charleston.
The Blue Hens also had three departures as first-team All-CAA pick Jameer Nelson Jr. (TCU), Gianmarco Arletti (Albany) and Ebby Asamoah (East Tennessee State) decided to go elsewhere. All are guards.
The six newcomers join scholarship returnees Jyare Davis, the All-CAA player out of Sanford School, fellow starter Christian Ray, veteran Johnny McCoy, Wes Peterson, the guard who missed nearly all of last season with a knee injury that required surgery, and the three freshmen from last season Cavan Reilly, Houston Emory and Gabe Moss. Moss red-shirted as a knee injury healed.
Roll out the welcome mat
Davis (Providence) and Ray (La Salle) also came to Delaware from elsewhere. A year ago, Ray was in the same position the new players are now trying to get to know coaches, teammates and a new environment.
Coming into this summer, he said it was initially important for the returning players “to stay strong as a corps” through frequent meetings before the new players arrived.
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“I learned from last year’s team,” Ray said. “What did they do that helped me out and would could’ve been done better? So when these guys got here, I came back from Atlanta [from a Name/Image/Likeness event] and there were four of them in the gym so it was easy to integrate.”
Drumgoole, who had already transferred once before from Pitt to Albany, said it has been a smooth transition.
“It was pretty cool,” he said. “The whole team is likable guys. And it was good having people like C.Ray around and the other returning guys to make the transition a lot easier.
“If you want to take some shots or any type of reps, finding out where to go on campus, if you need to get in contact with somebody, they were right there to help us. It’s a blessing to have teammates like that, and not every program is like that. It’s very amazing here.”
Chemistry lessons
On July 5, after everyone was on campus, Ingelsby held a get-to-know-you team meeting that he called “a good exercise for us to break the ice.” It involved players talking about themselves, their families, how they got into basketball, where they’re from and other personal recollections.
Building on-court chemistry will take time and be an ongoing process throughout the 2023-24 season, as the Blue Hens experience the ups and down, the disappointment and satisfaction, that accompany every season.
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What they’re doing now, Drumgoole said, is the ideal foundation.
“I think chemistry on the court is very important,” he said. “But it starts off the court. If you got good teammates off the court, it makes everything on the court easier. If you’re yelling at your teammate, you know it’s coming out of a place of love. So as we grow off the court, I think we’re gonna grow on the court.”
Spirited start
They like what they’ve seen so far.
At various moments Thursday, Ray passed to Emory for a fast-break dunk that elicited oohs and aahs and watched Bethea deliver a pass to Drumgoole that he buried for a 3-pointer.
“I’ve already seen him take that shot 1,000 times since he’s been here and I love that shot,” Ray said. “I think we’re doing a great job.”
Delaware was a bit overmatched in the post last season and ranked 10th in the CAA in 3-point percentage. Ingelsby has seen positive first impressions in his quest to get better in those in other areas.
“It feels like the energy has been good, a lot of new faces, a lot of good spirit about this group,” he said. “So I’m excited to figure out how it all fits together.”
Have an idea for a compelling local sports story or is there an issue that needs public scrutiny? Contact Kevin Tresolini at ktresolini@delawareonline.com and follow on Twitter @kevintresolini. Support local journalism by subscribing to delawareonline.com.
