The starting backcourt turned out to be first year players for Delaware.  Sophomore Ken Luck is one of the best athletes on the team on a team full of great athletes (heck they Blue Hens almost have a full track squad on their roster) and loves to finish with a jam when he can.  At 6’3 this Pennsylvania product has the size and athleticism to play with anyone in this league on the wings. Luck teams with fellow sophomore Oscar Jones, at for the second half, on the wings to give Delaware solid talent dare I say it on the wings with more to come as Steinvwedel has went after this position.  Luck is a huge fan favorite in Newark and has shown he can play.  Now he needs to become more consistent.  Jones, who is also 6’3,  might even be better than Luck athletically but does not have the shooter’s touch.  If this duo were 6’5 instead of 6’3 they would be playing in the A-10 or even the ACC instead of the AMEC but sometimes the big conferences loss are these smaller program’s ‘luck!’

The real find of the season was the play of sophomore guard Taurence Chisholm.  Chisholm did not look he was going to play but when Steinwedel brought him up from JV midway through the season, the kid never looked back. The diminutive Chisholm immediately became an offensive force with his ability to get to the key and draw attention.  He is fearless and loves the moment and the competition.  He is still developing a jump shot but it is coming.  He played point and is perfectly suited for this position as he is only five six but plays much bigger (like 5’8).  This waterbug makes things go for Delaware and averaged over 5 assists in less then 20 minutes per game. 

The front court was an issue for Steinwedel as he rotated in several players to find the right type of blue hen.  Senior Nate Cloud started the year at center but is a bit undersized at 6’6 198.  This Wilmington product has put up sensational numbers in the past but last year took a step back trying to guard much bigger players.  Cloud is a tremendous athlete and still led the team in scoring and rebounding but is better suited for the four.  But to do that Steinwedel must find a true center who can replace him and that is easier said than done.  Kenn Barnett stepped up last year and played well after transferring in from a JC.  At 6’8 he has some size and will block a shot but is not as good on the boards as Cloud.  He did take some pressure off the senior to be but is not exactly the next coming of Patrick Ewing.  Fellow senior Dave Sysko started at the four most of the year and is even smaller then Cloud or Barnett.  At 6’5 Sysko can score but battles with bigger guys in the trenches.  He lost minutes as the year progressed as Steinwedel tried to get bigger underneath.  Sysko was cool with the fact he lost minutes but he will not give up his starting gig without a fight. He at one point going into this year was the assumed star of the team and he got caught in the Steinwedel shuffle of talent.  Junior to be Wolfgang Fengler got some minutes and played well.  The guy with the coolest name on the roster goes 6’8 and is terrific on the boards but needs to get a better offensive game to win the job, even over Sysko.  Senior Frank Wickes, junior Brian Downie and sophomores Peter Mullenberg and Barry Berger are also in the mix.  The latter 3 all played primarily on the JV and showed some promise and have size but are nowhere near Sysko is talent.  Wickes is but at 6’4 is pecking at the wrong door for Delaware in the key.  This situation is not good and opens the door for the new recruits to get serious time right away which is a heck of selling point for Steinwedel. 

Steinwedel will rely on a variance of role players to compliment his starters on the perimeter.  Senior Skip Crawford is an undersized wing that got surpassed on the totem pole by Jones and Luck.  He is more of a shooter and still played often last year but his minutes are in serious jeopardy.  Fellow senior Steve Jackson is in the same boat.  Junior Mark Mancini got ‘skipped’ over for point guard with Chisholm taking over but still played well on the JV.  He teamed with first year players Tim Tompkins and Tom Cortuccio on that squad but will be pushing for minutes on the varsity this year. 

The Delaware Blue Hens are an extremely young basketball team that is attempting to bring their program into the modern age.  Behind the tutelage of Steve Steinwedel and never-ending tinkering increased the odds to find the right lineup.  Delaware improved dramatically over the course of the last season but still have some question marks especially up front. The season ended in epic fashion in a quadruple overtime classic in the conference tourney but Steinwedel may have found his quarterback and his back court.  A sophomore who is five foot six and two of his first-year sidekicks are the returning starters on the perimeter and will have first dibs after the run they made last year.  Steinwedel loves competition and there are plenty of guys hungry for minutes next season.  One thing is for sure Steinwedel will keep rotating until he fins the right combo and that may be a little more difficult up front.  The best big man in Newark goes only 6’6 and the once dominant big man took a step back this year.  There is much competition for the post spots but Steinwedel wants to fill these spots with some of his first-year recruits. He is trying to build a long-term program and the best way to do that is with four-year players.  Nobody, even in Newark Delaware is expecting this team to win the AMEC but they should continue to move up the food chain in this undervalued league.  One thing is for sure, this team will not sneak up on anyone next year, at least not in the American East.