Roster Reshuffle: Delaware Basketball Bolsters Power Five Experience Heading into Conference USA

2025 Recap

Delaware Men’s Basketball’s 2024-25 season initially was one to forget, as the Hens lost 11 of their final 12 regular season games and ended as the 12th seed. However, their postseason run made their final year in the CAA one to remember. In the first round of the tournament, all five starters (John Camden, Niels Lane, Erik Timko, Cavan Reilly, Izaiah Pasha) ended scoring in double figures as the Hens defended off a late Stony Brook run, winning 80-76. In Round 2, Niels Lane tied a career-high 24 points off 11-15 shooting, guiding a second half run to end with a comfortable 79-62 win over 5-seeded Campbell. In the quarterfinals, John Camden caught fire, shooting 8-10 from behind the arc and scoring a career-high 36 points as the team ended in triple figures, defeating William & Mary 100-78. After falling to top-seeded Towson both times in the regular season, Delaware used their scorching postseason form on offense and converted the energy to frustrating Towson on defense, where the Tigers only shot 37% from the field in the second half. A balanced scoring effort, where all five starters and Trent Middleton Jr. off the bench finished in double figures, assisted in an 82-72 victory. After winning four games in four days, the first team to do this in a single CAA Tournament, the Cinderella Hens fell just a game short of punching their ticket to March Madness. The CAA Championship was a back-and-forth battle between Delaware and UNCW, but the Seahawks had the upper hand in the final 10 minutes and countered every final punch the Hens had, finding revenge from the 2022 Finals in a 76-72 win.

Returning Pieces

Question marks opened up for Delaware’s future roster the days and weeks following an exhilarating conference tournament run. Lane and Timko ran out of college eligibility, while Camden, Pasha, Reilly, and Middleton Jr. entered the transfer portal. All that was left standing were forwards Tyler Houser, Houston and Macon Emory. Houser suffered a season-ending injury last preseason but will look to build off his 2023-24 season in Newark, where he averaged 6.1 points per game and 48% from three in non-conference play. Both Houston and Macon Emory brought life off the bench last season, Macon leading the team in blocks and shooting 34% from three as a true freshman.

After a couple weeks of exploring opportunities in the portal, Cavan Reilly announced his return to the program for his senior season, a rarity in today’s scope of college basketball to play at one school for all four years. “I came back because of my love for this program. What I’ve built here, the relationships, the trust, the love, it’s too real to walk away from. I’ve always believed in staying true to the people who’ve believed in me, and Delaware has had my back since day one,” Reilly stated in an official press release. Cavan has seen his scoring, rebounding, assists, and steals numbers increase across each of his previous three seasons, averaging 12.4 points and leading the CAA with 1.9 steals per game in conference play last year. Reilly is a career 38% three-point shooter and will be a leader both on-and-off the court for Delaware’s transition into Conference USA.

High School Additions

The program’s first wave of new additions arrived through a trio of high school signings: guard Mason Ellison, wing Alex Kazanecki, and forward Jayden Taylor. Freshmen have the opportunity to immediately earn key minutes under Head Coach Martin Ingelsby’s system, as four of the past eight CAA Rookie of the Year winners have been from Delaware: Izaiah Pasha in 2025, Jyare Davis in 2022, Ryan Allen in 2018, and Ryan Daly in 2017.

Ellison, a 6’4″ shooting guard from Edgewood, MD, averaged 20.7 points per game in his senior season at Loyola Blakefield, including a season-high 41 points against John Carroll. Ellison was highly recruited at the collegiate level, receiving offers from Maryland, George Mason, Yale, Rhode Island, Indiana State, Towson, and others. Ellison ended his high school career as the all-time leading scorer in Loyola Blakefield’s history and was announced 2025 Baltimore Catholic Player of the Year. Mason will have an opportunity to immediately become a vital member of the Blue Hens’ rotation next winter.

Kazanecki, a 6’6″ wing from Morrow, Ohio, led the Greater Catholic League South in scoring his senior season with 16.6 points per game. He made the All-Conference First-Team in both junior and senior seasons, earning GCL South Player of the Year honors in 2024. His length and athleticism allow him to defend across multiple positions. Kazanecki’s level of IQ and ability to effect the game on both ends of the floor should lead him to contribute right away for Delaware.

The last forward that the program developed from Sanford School turned out to be rather successful in Jyare Davis, who received several pieces of hardware in his three-year career as a Blue Hen. Jayden Taylor, who has family history within the basketball program, now has the opportunity to write his own story. The 6’9″ 3-star forward had offers from mid majors across the entire east coast, but eventually committed to Delaware last November, a week after an official visit to his hometown school. His grandfather, Richard Hickman, played for Delaware Basketball in 1969-73 and was the program’s captain and MVP in 1972-73. His uncle Stan Waterman, the current head coach of Delaware State, also played for the 1989 team. Taylor, the 2024-25 Delaware Player of the Year, also has his own recent experience playing in The Bob Carpenter Center, where he won a State Championship last March. Jayden had 8 points, 11 rebounds, and 6 blocks in the finals, guiding Sanford to its 11th state title in school history.

Plucking the Portal

In the late spring/early summer, the staff signed six transfers to round out the roster, all of which have experience within a high major program. Let’s give a little bio of each below.

Justyn Fernandez

Given his profile, Fernandez is poised for a breakout season at the mid-major level. The former 4-star recruit earned a starting spot during his freshman season at George Mason in early A-10 conference play. After the season ended, he followed his head coach Kim English to Providence. He missed his sophomore season due to injury and was not a consistent member of the Friars’ rotation until Big East play his junior year. In his first start, he scored 17 points against Villanova, shooting 5-10 beyond the arc. 62% of his career field goal attempts have come from three. Similar to seeing Niels Lane and John Camden expand their offensive abilities after transferring to Delaware from Florida and Virginia Tech, I expect Fernandez to be implemented in positions to showcase his three-level scoring ability this winter. Justyn will be a focal point for the Hens’ offense in 2025-26.

Nnanna Njoku

A Bear, Delaware native and former Sanford alum, Nnanna Njoku returns home with the hopes of finding health and happiness on the court again. The 2021 Delaware Gatorade Player of the Year and former top-150 recruit had each of his last two seasons cut short due to knee surgeries. In his sophomore year, he minimally dressed due to a foot injury. As a freshman, he also dealt with a concussion. Recovering from injuries in each of his four seasons at Villanova, Njoku has only played in 180 minutes across 34 career games. As a prospect, Nnanna’s frame, physicality, and willingness to control the boards were all reasons several high-major programs were after him. The Blue Hens were one of the weakest rebounding teams in the CAA last season. If Njoku can stay healthy, he has an opportunity to rewrite his story and be the presence in the paint the Hens have been missing since Dylan Painter, another Villanova transfer who found success in Newark.

Jameel Brown

Jameel Brown, another former highly-touted high school prospect, will be looking to find a role that fits his strengths this upcoming season. A finalist for Pennsylvania Mr. Basketball his senior year, Brown was one of the highest-rated recruits in Penn State history. Jameel showed flashes in a reserve role through his two year stint as a Nittany Lion, scoring 20 points off shooting 6-8 from three in their 2024 season opener against Delaware State. He returned home to Philly for his junior season, following Penn State assistant Adam Fisher to Temple. After 8 games of serving as a spark off the bench, Brown stepped away from the team due to personal reasons. In this limited sample, Brown shot 10-27 (37%) beyond the arc and averaged a steal per game. Jameel will be an immediate contributor for the Hens, who will be looking to refill offensive production along the perimeter.

Christian Bliss

The Delaware staff highlighted Christian Bliss as a target for the program in early high school. In his final season at George School, Bliss averaged 20 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists while shooting 56% from the field and 44% from three. The 2022-23 Non-Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association Player of the Year’s recruitment took off, who later reclassified from 2024 to 2023 to sign and redshirt at Virginia. The 6’4″ point guard from Queens, NY dealt with a foot injury in 2024-25, causing him to miss a second consecutive full season. A full-circle moment presented itself when Bliss entered the portal, as Delaware also lost their young promising point guard Izaiah Pasha to Virginia Tech. A developed relationship assisted in landing Bliss, who in his first full collegiate season will be looking to run the offense for the Blue Hens, a program with new challenges ahead in their first season of Conference USA.

Bouna Kebe

Born in Dakar, Senegal, Bouna Kebe started his collegiate career at Independence Community College in Kansas, where he averaged 6.9 points, 4.1 points, and 18.6 minutes across 31 games. He moved to Gillette College in Wyoming for his sophomore year, finding strides in all aspects of his game and eventually leading to an offer from Penny Hardaway’s staff at Memphis. While Memphis is not in a high-major conference, it is a program that receives high-major funding and holds elevated expectations within their fanbase. Kebe redshirted this past season for the Tigers, and re-entered the portal this spring, later signing with Delaware. The Blue Hens value forwards who can step out on the perimeter and shoot it, so Bouna’s multi-dimensional abilities will fit in their system. This is quite an intriguing addition to the forward room.

Lance Piper

Tyler Houser’s brother, Justin Houser, was recruited and offered by Delaware before signing with Penn State. Justin went to Phelps School in Malvern, Pennsylvania, where he was teammates with Lance Piper. Piper, a 6’6″ wing originally from Holtsville, New York, averaged 16.3 points and 4.1 rebounds in his final year of high school. Lance joined South Carolina’s Men’s Basketball program as a walk-on last summer. While he did not see the floor his freshman season, he gained a year of experience within an SEC program. His size and shooting capabilities present an interesting developmental project on the wing for Ingelsby and his coaching staff this season.

With these new additions, the 2025-26 roster is set. We will dive deeper into opponents and season expectations when the winter inches closer, but until then you can check out our projected depth chart here.

Delaware announced their 2025-26 conference schedule for their inaugural season in Conference USA, starting with a three-game homestand through the holidays. Each conference opponent will be played twice outside of Western Kentucky and Florida International. The 2026 Conference USA Basketball Championship will take place on March 10-14 in Huntsville, Alabama for the third consecutive year.