5 encouraging signs for 2023-24 season as Delaware wins men's basketball home opener

By way of introduction, the University of Delaware’s 2023-24 basketball home opener Wednesday night had a nice-to-meet you feel for most in the crowd of 2,239.

There was plenty to like as the rebuilt Blue Hens walloped Goldey-Beacom 101-68 at the Carpenter Center with seven players scoring in double figures.

Was it a harbinger? Some, understandably, may be skeptical and consider dominating a Division II opponent not worth a grain of … sweat? … for the Blue Hens.

But there were still good signs galore, especially considering Delaware was without its best player Jyare Davis, who was out sick, and several others and the visiting Lightning showed potential of their own.

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Much more difficult tests loom, including Sunday’s visit from Air Force and next Wednesday’s trip to Delaware State, which has periodically produced angst for the Blue Hens.

These were five positives to draw as Delaware followed up Monday’s 78-57 season-opening win at Bucknell with another thorough victory.

Blue Hens are bigger, deeper

Delaware went 17-16 last season and never seemed to have the size and depth it needed after its 2022 CAA Tournament championship and NCAA Tournament trip.

The addition of six transfers and return of players from injury has significantly altered that. It was clear eighth-year coach Martin Ingelsby has many more options at his choosing.

Even after a game in which Delaware scored 101 points, his first postgame remark was “I’m really excited about what we can do on the defensive end,” which is another sign of improvement.

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The tone for that was set by point guard Jalun Trent, an Upper Darby High grad outside of Philadelphia who played at North Dakota last year, and Niels Lane, who played 49 games the last three years at Florida while coping with SEC foes.

“We’re still learning about our team but we got seven guys in double figures, we got some weapons, we got some depth,” Ingelsby said.

Relying on Christian Ray

Christian Ray is a 6-foot-6 swing guard who gets rebounds. His 17 Wednesday were a career high, ironically one more than he had playing against Delaware for La Salle two years ago.

He also had 15 points for his 11th career double-double, seven coming in his two seasons at Delaware after transferring.

Davis’ absence meant Ray had to rebound more. But it’s evident he and Davis will have more room to operate this year because opposing defenders have more players to cope with.

“I think that this year we have a lot of distribution,” Ray said. “A lot of guys are selfless, just want to share the ball with each other and we have a lot of guys who are capable.”

Other double-digit scorers were UC-Riverside transfer Kobe Jerome (18), VMI transfer Tyler Houser (14), Albany transfer Gerald Drumgoole (12), Trent (12) and Cavan Reilly (11).

“One small stepping stone to what a good season’s gonna look like,” Jerome said.

Speaking of Kobe Jerome

Jerome spent two years at UC-Riverside, redshirting his first season and playing nine minutes in three games last year as he battled shoulder injuries that required surgery.

“I wanted the opportunity to play,” he said of his transfer to Delaware.

His 18 points Wednesday were his first as a collegiate player and they came while going 6-for-6 on 3-pointers. That was one shy of the single-game record for consecutive threes set by Tyrone Perry, who was in the crowd Wednesday, with his seven at Duke in 1995.

Jerome, whose older brother Ty was on Virginia’s 2019 NCAA title team and is now with the Cleveland Cavaliers, nearly became famous in his first game at Delaware.

“Just trying to help us win, contribute in any way,” he said.

Watch this guy

Tyler Houser was the first transfer Delaware secured last spring. He played as a freshman at VMI, the only Division I school to offer a scholarship.

The 6-foot-9, 235-pound Houser was a popular portal target after being a Southern Conference All-Rookie pick who averaged 10.8 points and 5.0 rebounds per game. But he felt underutilized at VMI, unable to show his versatility.

At Delaware, he already has.

Houser had 11 points and four rebounds off the bench at Bucknell and six rebounds to go with his 14 points Wednesday. Notably, he is 3-for-4 on 3-pointers.

Statistically speaking

While surpassing 100 points for the first time in five years, Delaware enjoyed a 21-9 assist-to-turnover ratio.

“If you can do that on a nightly basis,” Ray said, “it doesn’t matter what team you have in front of you, you’re gonna give yourself a chance to win.”

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 and our DE Game Day newsletter.

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Delaware Blue Hens whip Goldey-Beacom Lightning in hoops home opener