My, how the mighty have fallen. After Delaware was crowned as the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) champion in 2014, the Blue Hens have failed to put together a winning record in each of the past three seasons. In two of those three, Delaware has been at the very cellar of the conference in 10th place.
Heading into last fall with a new coach in Martin Ingelsby, Delaware had lost their two leading scorers from the prior season. 2nd team All-CAA guard Kory Holden transferred to South Carolina while 3rd team All-CAA forward Marvin King-Davis was lost to graduation. The two accounted for 32.5 points per game in the 2015-16 season.
The Blue Hens finished the season 13-20 (5-13) and ninth in the CAA.
However, the team's lack of offensive weapons opened up an opportunity for Ryan Daly. The 6-foot-4 guard led all CAA freshman in minutes (33.5), points (16.0), and rebounds (7.4) per game. Daly's remarkable freshman year earned him CAA Rookie of the Year honors, making him only the second Blue Hens' player to be win the award and first since Devon Saddler in 2010-11. Look for Delaware to rely heavily on his offense this season.
Delaware loses three key players from last year's rotation. Guard Cazmon Hayes (8.6 ppg, 3.3 rpg) and forward Devonne Pinkard (6.3 ppg, 2.5 rpg) graduated while forward Chivarsky Corbett transferred and will play his senior season at Bellarmine University in Kentucky.
Corbett had planned to transfer to Texas-San Antonio in the wake of Monte Ross firing as head coach in the spring of 2016, but after Martin Ingelsby's hiring in May, Corbett reconsidered and returned. As last season progressed, Corbett saw his playing time tail off significantly and his role reduced. When the season concluded, the 6-foot-7 forward publicly stated that we wanted out.
Perhaps filling the hole will be newcomer Collin Goss, a transfer from George Washington University. The junior forward only appeared in 13 games last season for the Colonials, but could provide a spark with increased responsibility in Delaware.
Goss' former teammate, junior guard Darian Bryant, transferred from George Washington last season and became the fourth leading scorer for the Blue Hens at 7.6 points per game in 27.5 minutes per game.
Another big part of Delaware's offensive attack will be returning senior Anthony Mosley. The 6-foot-1 guard has been a starter on the team in each of the past three seasons and will provide the Blue Hens with some experience to go along with his speed and athleticism. Mosley led the team in assists per game (2.5) and was second in scoring (10.0 ppg) last season.
Bottom Line: Delaware returns four starters of its five top scorers from last year's 13-20 team. With Ryan Daly back after a tremendous freshman season and Anthony Mosley looking to make a mark in his senior year, the Blue Hens have some intrigue. That intrigue, however, probably won't lead to many more wins, if any. Their skilled backcourt could steal some games, but expect Delaware to be near the bottom of the CAA once again.