10 to watch: Teams to follow as the 2024 DIAA Boys Basketball Tournament begins
Delaware’s version of March Madness isn’t even going to wait for March.
Sixteen of the 24 teams in the DIAA Boys Basketball Tournament will be eliminated in the first round on Tuesday night or second round on Thursday night, before the calendar even turns to the third month of the year.
So everyone will have some work to do just to make it to March.
The No. 1 seed has won seven of the last 16 tournaments played to the end (the 2020 event was ended due to the COVID outbreak before the semifinals). Top-seeded St. Elizabeth is a deserving favorite, but the Vikings suffered their only loss just 11 days ago.
Here’s a look at 10 teams that we believe have a chance to be cutting down the net after the championship game on March 9 at the Carpenter Center:
St. Elizabeth
The Vikings (19-1) have been the state’s most consistent team, winning 18 straight before falling to Sanford 58-51 at home on Feb. 16.
St. Elizabeth has a knack for winning the close ones, edging Dover 61-60 and winning 59-56 at St. Georges. The Vikings also racked up convincing victories over Salesianum (84-77) and Middletown (74-63).
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Temple signee Aiden Tobiason leads the way, but St. E is far from a one-man team. Kenneth Hunter Jr., Julius Wright and Steven Nixon Jr. are among the others playing key roles.
Dover
The second-seeded Senators (19-2) are two points away from being undefeated.
Dover lost 53-52 to Stephen Decatur (Maryland) at the Governors Challenge and 61-60 at top-seeded St. Elizabeth. The Henlopen North and overall Henlopen Conference champs have proven they can go toe-to-toe with anybody in this field.
Dynamic point guard Denim Perkins runs the show, Dorell Little and Istavan Norwood are strong inside and the Senators have a variety of other players capable of having a big night.
Middletown
The third-seeded Cavaliers (16-5) graduated most of last year’s state semifinalist team, but are right back in the running with a new crew.
Middletown won its first 12 against in-state teams before losing to St. Elizabeth and Howard within the last week. But the Flight A champs bounced back to easily win a rematch with the Wildcats (64-49) in the Blue Hen Conference championship game on Saturday.
The Cavaliers are strongest in the backcourt, with Clyde Frasier and Zion Mifflin leading the way. Middletown also gets frequent contributions from brothers Akendre and Aviyon Matthews, Eric Mathenge and Jack Murdaugh.
Salesianum
The Sals entered last year’s tournament seeded fifth, with a 13-7 record, and went on to win it.
This year, Sallies is seeded fourth, with a 12-8 record. So they may be right on schedule.
Salesianum is 8-3 against Delaware opponents, with losses to St. Elizabeth, Middletown (57-55) and Dover. The Sals own key wins over Appoquinimink, William Penn, Sanford and Howard.
Senior guard Isaiah Hynson, who hit the big late baskets in last year’s semifinals and final, is back and will be hard to stop again. Kareem Thomas, R.J. Johnson and Zach Swartout also play key roles.
Sanford
The fifth-seeded Warriors (16-4) may be the hottest team entering the tournament, having won 12 of their last 13 games. A 62-55 loss to Salesianum is the only dent in that stretch, but the impressive win at St. Elizabeth on Feb. 16 shows how dangerous Sanford can be.
The Warriors may have the most length of any contender, as 6-foot-8 junior Jayden Taylor is quickly blossoming into a difference maker around the rim on both offense and defense. Stephen Conway, Nico McNeill, Marquis Newson and Khareem Hart can all jump into the offensive mix.
Saint Mark’s
The sixth-seeded Spartans (16-4) are 14-3 against Delaware foes, although convincing losses to St. Elizabeth (63-48 and 63-45) and Salesianum (56-43) may put them a notch below the most serious contenders.
Alassan N'Diaye, a 6-5 sophomore, is a consistent double-double threat for the Spartans. Chase Wright, Michael Friend, AyoMosiah Odumosu, Christian Taylor and Chad Dohl are among the other key players.
Seaford
The seventh-seeded Blue Jays (18-3) will let it fly from anywhere.
Five different players made a combined 10 3-pointers in a 76-55 win over Early College HS@DSU on Feb. 16, and that’s not an unusual showing.
That makes Seaford a threat to beat anybody. Senior Kashmier Wise is the leader of the long-range shooters, with 51 threes so far. Vincent Evans III and Jordan Smith are also dangerous from deep, and Omari Nichols and Justin Jackson can score as well.
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William Penn
The eighth-seeded Colonials (16-4) are as hot as Sanford, coming in on an eight-game winning streak.
After losing to St. Elizabeth and Salesianum early in the season, William Penn has won 12 of its last 13. The only setback in that stretch was a 60-54 loss at Middletown on Feb. 2.
Senior Jaylin Horsey has perhaps the deepest range of any shooter in the state. Emmanuel Vonhm returns as a key player from the Colonials team that lost to Sallies in last year’s state final. Jah-Ri Coles, Andy Webb and Mahari Campbell are also key figures.
Howard
It gets a little tougher when you have to win a first-round game. But the ninth-seeded Wildcats (13-8) have played a tough schedule, and the Blue Hen Flight B champs showed how dangerous they can be with a 69-64 win at Middletown on Feb. 21.
Nicholas Baysah, Bryson Lane, Jamal Johnson and Kaden Brown are all consistent contributors to a balanced offense.
Appoquinimink
The 11th-seeded Jaguars (13-7) have proven to be a notch below the best in Blue Hen Flight A. But their triple-overtime, 98-87 loss to Middletown on Feb. 10 showed they have upset potential.
Kaleb Ra’lfa, Daniel Harvey, Riley Buzby, Dillon Griffith and Reynaldo Carrier are among the key players for Appo, which will need a home win over Woodbridge on Tuesday to set up a trip to Saint Mark’s on Thursday. A possible rematch with Middletown could await in the quarterfinals.
Contact Brad Myers at bmyers@delawareonline.com. Follow on X (aka Twitter): @BradMyersTNJ
This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: DIAA Basketball Tournament 2024: 10 boys teams to watch
