From the halls of Delcastle Technical High School to the campus of Temple University, Chris Laws’ basketball life has been an extraordinary journey. Laws, Delcastle’s all-time leading assist man and steals leader, will come back to where he started, as he was hired late in September as new boys’ basketball head coach, replacing Kenny Avent.

Laws, a 1,000-point scorer at Delcastle, also played for three years at Temple under legendary coach John Chaney, which he feels gives him a unique perspective.

“I’ve definitely had to persevere and overcome – when one door closed, I couldn’t quit,” Laws explains.

“The work that I’ve had to do – on the court, off the court and in the classroom – has prepared me for this position. I want our players to see that playing at the next level is possible.”

Improvement on the court and exposure will be the core of Laws’ mission with these Cougars, part of a 4-way tie for first place in Flight A before being upset by Tatnall in the first round of the state tournament this past March. Notable returnees include 6’4 high-flyer Jaheem Gadsen and point guard Gabe Valmond.

“Basketball has taken guys like Gary Lumpkin (William Penn) around the world, it’s gotten me on national TV three times a week at Temple – these kids see that and they want that,” he said.

Laws hopes that the upcoming schedule, COVID-dependent of course, will be the toughest in Cougar history, as he’s reached out to former Temple teammate Rick Brunson (Camden High) and other Philly area high schools such as Engineering and Sciences and Simon Gratz for possible games. He’s also planning for trips to Atlanta and Texas as well.

“We’ve got some talented kids here who can outplay anybody,” he said. “Coach Chaney’s attitude was ‘I’ll play you any time, any place, anywhere.’ We want to compete and come back home and get these kids scholarships because they deserve it.”

Also, Laws is glad to be a part of a small but important group of former Delaware high school heroes (Lumpkin at William Penn, Shannon McCants at Newark) that have returned to their alma maters to coach.

“We’ve come back out of love and respect for Delaware basketball,” Laws said. “Our era was an era where you saw guys getting scholarships and exposure. I want to see their programs succeed and I want to see ours succeed as well. We want our kids to be recognized.”

COVID-19 has changed our lives and the world in ways we hadn’t imagined almost five months ago, so it was only natural that sports were going to be affected by the pandemic as well.

Thursday morning, DIAA voted 15-0 to postpone fall sports until mid-March and start the sporting calendar with winter sports in mid-December, giving finality to the fact sports must be on hold until the Corona curve flattens out. It’s disappointing for everyone – the athletes who love to play, the coaches who love to guide, the fans/family/students who love to cheer and yes, us media types who love to report these happenings.

Safety is paramount, however – we’re still waiting for a vaccine and most of all, certain segments of the population to display some common sense and hygiene by wearing masks and washing all 2000 parts, shout out to Lever soap. I think we’d much rather deal with shortened seasons if it keeps everyone safe.

It’s going to be a challenge though because if we know anything about the good ol’ First State, it’s that winters here can be wildly unpredictable. The last few winters have been rather dry and not as bone chilling, but who’s to say we won’t have a 2014-2015-2016 stretch of snow in 2021? It’s all a guessing game at this point, but if DIAA wants to guess on the side of keeping student athletes safe, healthy and alive, then there’s no wrong answer with this schedule.

Ah yes, the schedule. It looks fun, honestly. Winter sports would start January 4, 2021 and regular season play would conclude February 15, or 6 weeks later. That would lead to some interesting basketball almost nightly and now that coaches/AD will have to be creative with their scheduling since quite a few in-season tournaments are out, we might have some fun tournament preview-type matchups.

Of course, this is all hypothetical still as the next six weeks will go a long way to determining whether sports can resume as normal or the hybrid/condensed plan will be the way to go. DIAA really didn’t have much of a choice, in spite of the pressure from people who either have nothing to lose or everything to gain from sports continuing as usual.

COVID-19 is a serious pandemic that shouldn’t be taken lightly and no matter how bad we want to get back to normal, the safety of the kids should always be first. DIAA deserves a ton of credit for doing just that while coming up with a plan on the fly that could lead one of the more exciting calendar years in our state’s high school sports history if all goes according to plan.

Chris Stevens is the founding editor of First State Hoops Report. He can be reached at either [email protected] or [email protected].

Full circle is the phrase Gary Lumpkin used Wednesday afternoon to describe the feelings of being named head coach of the William Penn boys’ basketball team – a team which he starred on for four varsity seasons in the mid-‘90s.

“I told my wife and my family it’s all coming full circle because it’s always been a dream of mine to come back and lead the program,” said Lumpkin, who along with Lenny Brown and Tail Davis made up one of the most exciting teams in Delaware history, the 1994 state champion Colonials. “I always wanted to come back and put my stamp on the program, but I don’t want it to be all about me – I want it to be about the team.”

Team first was how Lumpkin played the point guard position throughout a career that included three all-state nods, the ’94 state title and a four-year career at Xavier University in Ohio along with several years of pro ball in Europe. Lumpkin was an assistant coach at Penn the last two years before being named head coach Wednesday.

“It was the right time. I spoke with our athletic director and just felt the timing was right,” he stated.

While the world waits out the COVID-19 pandemic, Lumpkin is already excited for that first day of practice as head coach.

“I’m just really looking forward to connecting with my guys and being in the gym,” he says. “I’ve been in the gym maybe twice in the last three months, so the things we take for granted, the smell of the gym, the ball bouncing on the floor, those are the things I’m ready for.”

He’s also looking forward to carrying on a family tradition – older brothers Rudy and Kenny played for the Colonials before Gary and another older brother, Danny, led Delcastle to the 1982 state championship game.

“They were ecstatic for me when I texted them earlier today,” Lumpkin said of his family. “Once again, it’s full circle for me and my family.”

Lumpkin is also in a unique position of being a high profile athlete returning to his alma mater to coach – something he would like to see more of as time passes.

“Ultimately, you want the best person for the job, but it’s great to get a chance, especially when you’ve been around and have the experience,” he said, citing Newark High’s Shannon McCants as an example of a successful coach at his alma mater.

And he’s also aware of the expectations of leading the Colonials boys’ program back to prominence.

“It’s a different beast when you’ve been around and you not only know the expectations of the community, but your expectations as well,” he said.

Eight teams began the first DSSAA ever (now DIAA) state tournament on Monday March 13^th at four neutral sites – the Flight A and Flight B champions, along with the Henlopen and Diamond State conference champions, the Flight A runner up, Henlopen/Diamond State runners up and an at-large/independent team made up the field.

Salesianum made the first of its state-high 43 state tournament appearances as an at-large team, edging Diamond State Conference runner-up Seaford 62-60 at Dickinson. The trio of Pat Igo, Tom Nagle and Bill Knowles led Sallies by combining for 43 of the team’s 62 points.

Diamond State Champion Milford, who came in the tournament unbeaten at 17-0, fought off a determined challenge from Flight B champion McKean 60-53 at Brandywine. The Highlanders, in their first year as a varsity program, tied the game at 53 with a little under two minutes to go, but seven foul shots between Bob Parker and Larry Fulman lifted the Buccaneers to the semis.

Flight A runner up Brandywine wasted no time in sending Henlopen Champion Milton home, winning 62-35 at Delaware State University’s Memorial Hall. Miles Johnson led the way for the Bulldogs with 19 points.

Flight A champion Mount Pleasant defeated Henlopen runner up Bridgeville 84-65 at Seaford to close out the first round. Joe Dunning led the Green Knights in scoring with 22 points and Bridgeville’s Al Horne became the first player to score 30 in a tournament game in the loss.

The semifinals were played on March 15^th and they were as different as different can be. For starters, the Green Knights upended Salesianum 49-46 in overtime at Dickinson as guard Joe Dunning made a three-point play with two seconds remaining to close out an exciting contest.

There wasn’t much excitement in the other semi as Brandywine handed Milford its only 1966-67 loss in convincing fashion, cruising to a 74-31 win at Salesianum. Ron Robinson scored 20 to lead the Bulldogs and Miles Johnson added 18 for Brandywine.

The very first state championship game took place on Saturday night March 18, 1967 at then brand-new Delaware Field House. Brandywine hung tough, trailing 6-4 after the first quarter, but Mount Pleasant center Jack Blozis keyed a 17-6 Green Knight run in the second quarter, scoring five points and hauling down nine rebounds in the frame.

Mount Pleasant held serve throughout and won 49-38, becoming the first basketball state tournament champions in Delaware history. Joe Dunning led the Green Knights with 13 points, while Miles Johnson scored 23 for the Bulldogs in the losing effort. It was the final game for legendary Mount head coach Buddy Clark, who retired after the game.

In the first years of the state tournament, there was a third-place game between the semifinal losers prior to the state championship game being played. Milford became the first winners of that contest, upending Salesianum 57-54.

1967 Delaware boys basketball tournament

Monday, March 13, 1967

First Round

Milford 60, McKean 53 (at Brandywine)

Brandywine 62, Milton 35 (at Delaware State University)

Sallies 62, Seaford 60 (at Dickinson)

Mt. Pleasant 84, Bridgeville 65 (at Seaford)

Wednesday March 15, 1967

Semifinals

Brandywine 74, Milford 31 (at Sallies)

Mt. Pleasant 49, Sallies 46 (OT, at Dickinson)

Saturday March 18, 1967

Championship game (at Delaware Field House)

Mt. Pleasant 49, Brandywine 38

One week from today, the fate of hundreds of student-athletes will likely be decided as the Christina School District will attempt to pass a referendum that will provide close to 10 million dollars designed to provide an infusion of funding and resources to the 20-plus school buildings and programs within the district. The previous referendum failed and CSD announced that they would be forced to lay off 67 teachers and paraprofessionals and cut ALL sports, along with music, Chinese immersion and gifted programs.

Seeing as this is a basketball-centric website, I can talk about how catastrophic this would be from a sports standpoint, but it does run deeper than that. Make no mistake – even if Christiana/Glasgow/Newark can’t field sports teams this season, their opponents would just shuffle schedules around, add a non-conference opponent, possibly one from out of state and be done with it.

That unfortunately doesn’t help the students who make up a huge chunk of the district – residents of the East Side and Southbridge neighborhoods in Wilmington, as well as certain segments of West Side. Those kids that play football, basketball, volleyball, run track, etc. would be without an outlet and considering how late this referendum is going down, transferring to another school is not as simple as it would appear to be.

For starters, DIAA’s transfer rules make it virtually impossible for a junior or senior to play somewhere else – the probationary period varies between 90 days and an entire year, although I can’t imagine DIAA wouldn’t make an exception for kids penalized by Christina School District’s hardships. (Note – Former DIAA Executive Director Tommie Neubauer clarifies that students would be a granted a one-time transfer exemption should a school end sports programs – Ed.)

Even if waivers are granted in the event of CSD’s collapse…where can the kids transfer to? The city of Wilmington is one of the largest in the Philadelphia metropolitan area without an official public high school – been that way since Wilmington High School was phased out to create the Charter School of Wilmington in 1999.

Charter school application processes aren’t exactly easy, nor are there that many options available for the serious athletes to go to a competitive and challenging environment athletically and, in some cases, academically.

The Christina School District says the referendum would cost residents between an extra 5 and 29 cents per day. I don’t think that’s a heavy price to pay for kids who count on athletics and extracurricular programs to have something to look forward to. And it’s not the Wilmington residents I’m too worried about – it’s the neighborhoods surrounding Christiana/Glasgow/Newark who might be content to let these schools fail just to keep certain segments of the population out of their neighborhoods.

Even as a teenager, I knew the charter/private/specialty school movement would spell trouble for public schools (full disclosure: I graduated from Howard High School of Technology and as much I am a proud Wildcat, I fully understand it wasn’t the Howard High/Howard Career Center my family has attended going back to the Great Depression).

20-plus years later, public education above the C&D canal is on life support and if this referendum fails to pass, the plug might be pulled. Is it fair to punish the kids because of government’s inability to put an emphasis on free and GOOD public education? That’s a question everyone needs to ask, especially in a time of high tension and strife like the current era we’re living in.

The failure to invest in public education and the future of Wilmington’s most vulnerable residents can only lead to troubled waters for the kids and their parents. And blame will be passed around as it often is in these situations, but there won’t be a lot of excuses if the kids suffer because an extra quarter a day is too much to allow students chances to pursue their dreams and become positive and productive members of society.

Chris Stevens is the founding editor of First State Hoops Report. He can be reached at [email protected]

Our weekly College Corner update has some big news and updates. If we are missing anyone in these recaps, e-mail us at [email protected]

Dover graduate Allen to enter NBA draft

After a successful season at Division II Lynn University in Boca Raton, FL, Dover High graduate Jordan Allen will enter the NBA Draft, making the announcement on Twitter Monday night. Allen has signed with an agent.

A 6’4 guard, Allen was second on the Fighting Knights in scoring (18.4 ppg) and rebounds (6.5 per game) while leading the team in three-point field goals made (97). Allen transferred to Lynn after two years at Division I Rider in Lawrenceville, NJ, where he was an all-MAAC rookie team pick and third team all-conference as a freshman.

Allen was a DSBA first-team all-state pick in 2016, as well as Delaware’s Gatorade player of the year, averaging 26.5 points per game to lead the state. He is the older brother of 2020 Player of the Year Elijah Allen, who will begin his college basketball career at Wagner University this coming season.

Caravel grad Lange earns academic honor

Former Caravel girls’ hoops standout Grace Lange earned the Villanova University women’s basketball team’s Scholar-Athlete award as one of only 19 athletes at the university to maintain a 4.0 GPA.

Lange made the Wildcats as a walk-on following a stellar four-year career at Caravel as a starting forward, including averaging a double-double in her junior and senior seasons. Grace’s mother Karen, currently an assistant coach with the Caravel boys’ team, also played Big 5 women’s basketball at Temple.

Jordan Harding and Danny Walsh (William Penn), Alvin West (St. Thomas More) and Chima Okwu-Lawrence (Concord), Wilmington University

Four players with Delaware high school roots took the floor for the Wilmington University men’s basketball team this season.

Sophomore forward Jordan Harding of William Penn was second on the Wildcats in scoring (12.1 ppg) and led the team in rebounds (5.7 per game). Former Colonial teammate Danny Walsh averaged 11.2 points per contest and led WilmU in three-point field goal percentage (40.9).

Concord alum Chima Okwu-Lawrence (3.3 points and 3.5 rebounds per game) and former St. Thomas More guard Alvin West (2.2 points per game) appeared in 15 and 14 games respectively for the Wildcats in 2019-20.

WilmU to get homegrown transfers

The Wildcats will add more Delaware flavor to the mix as former Cape Henlopen standout Randy Rickards, Smyrna star Caleb Mathews and Newark Charter’s Justin Thomas will all be transferring to WilmU next season.

Thomas was Alvernia’s leading scorer last season, while Matthews will be coming from New Jersey Institute of Technology and Rickards will join the team after two solid years at Baltimore City Community College and Miami Dade College.

We’ve got some updates on Delaware kids doing big things at the college level, so here’s our latest update. If there’s someone we should feature in the College Corner, shoot us an e-mail at [email protected]

Malik Curry (St. Elizabeth), Old Dominion University

Former St. E standout Malik Curry made an immediate impact upon joining the Old Dominion men’s basketball team this past season.

A 6’1 point guard, Curry led the Monarchs in scoring (13 ppg) and assists (4 per game) while shooting 72.7 percent from the free throw line and also collecting 35 steals and 18 blocks on the season. Curry previously played at Palm Beach State College, where he was a dean’s list student and the Southern Conference player of the year.

Bridget McLaughlin (Delaware Military Academy) and Taylor Samuels (Sanford), Washington College

DMA graduate Bridget McLaughlin and Sanford graduate Taylor Samuels finished their careers on the Washington College women’s basketball team as starters and key contributors. Both players finished in the top 5 in scoring for the Shorewomen, who finished 10-14.

McLaughlin averaged 7.4 points and 2.8 rebounds per game, while Samuels averaged 6.6 points and 4.4 rebounds per game, while leading the team in free throw percentage (93.5 percent), three-point percentage (40.9) and total blocks (26).

Yshaad Butcher and Rashaan Butler (Mount Pleasant), Delaware Technical & Community College

Mount Pleasant graduates Yshaad Butcher and Rashaan Butler provided the spark for the Del Tech men’s basketball team this past season. Butcher led the team in scoring (22.2 points per game) and rebounding (7.6) while Butler was second in scoring (21.2 per game) and led the team in assists (2.8) steals (2.1) per game.

We still have some ground to cover as far as former Delaware high school players contributing at a college level, so if we are missing anyone, feel free to reach out with their information at [email protected]

Olivia Tucker (Sanford), St. Bonaventure University/Sacred Heart University

2019 First Team All-State guard Olivia Tucker will be changing locations but staying at a Division I level. The 5’10 shooting guard will be transferring to Sacred Heart University, a member of the Northeast Conference located in Fairfield, Conn.

Tucker spent her freshman season with St. Bonaventure of the Atlantic 10 Conference, appearing in all 29 games for the Bonnies. Her highlights included a season-high 20 points and six three pointers made at Bucknell on November 13.

Sasha Marvel (Caravel Academy), West Chester University

Caravel Academy graduate Sasha Marvel finished her freshman season at West Chester University as a starter and regular member of the Rams’ rotation.

A 5’9 guard/forward, Marvel averaged 7.9 points and 5.1 rebounds in 18 games for WCU, while leading the team in field goal percentage (49.4) and placing second in steals (48).

Her season highlight came in the Rams’ 85-71 win over Millersville on February 26, in which she recorded her first career double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds.

Lamar Hamrick (St. Georges), Portland State University

Former St. Georges Tech standout Lamar Hamrick concluded his college career as a contributing member of the Portland State University men’s basketball team.

Hamrick, a 6’4 shooting guard, was the Vikings’ fourth leading scorer, averaging 8.4 points per game, shooting 51 percent overall from the field and a team-high 44.4 percent from the three-point line. Hamrick scored in double figures 10 times, including a season high 16 points in PSU’s 89-83 win over Weber St. on February 29.

Eric Ayala (Sanford), University of Maryland

Former Sanford guard Eric Ayala finished up his sophomore season as a regular starter and contributor for the University of Maryland. The 6’5 Wilmington native started 20 of the Terrapins’ 31 games, averaging 8.5 points, 2.9 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game.

To date, Ayala has played in 65 games over two seasons for the Terps, starting 53 of those contests.

LJ Stansbury (Hodgson Vo-Tech), Delaware State University

Hodgson graduate LJ Stansbury has the distinction of being the only Delaware athlete on any of the two Division I school’s basketball teams as a starter for most of the season on the Delaware State men’s basketball team.

A 6’3 guard, Stansbury appeared in 20 games, starting 18 of those contests, and averaged 7.9 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.5 assist per game. His season high in points was 18 in a game against Long Island University on November 18.

It’s Commitment Season and several Delaware athletes have began announcing their college destinations, so this post will serve as an ongoing update of where the Classes of 2020 and beyond will be heading. Got some info for us or want to let us know we’re missing anyone? E-mail us at [email protected]

Boys

Elijah Allen (Dover ’20) – Wagner University

Nasir Brown (St. Elizabeth ’20) – Dominican College

Brett Callahan (Newark Charter ’20) – St. Joseph’s University (baseball)

Tim Cooper (Newark Charter ’20) – Salem Community College

Eden Davis (Dover ’20) – Texas A&M – Corpus Christi

Jyare Davis (Sanford ’20) – Providence College

Colin Hockenbrock (St. Elizabeth ’20) – Penn State – Brandywine

Hudson Lashey (Middletown ’20) – Boyce College

Brett Lesher (Newark Charter ’20) – University of Delaware (baseball)

Wyatt Kwiatkowski (Delmarva Christian ’20) – Lancaster Bible College

Nnanna Njoku (Sanford ’21) – Villanova University

Marvin Nwankekwu (Newark Charter ’20) – Cabrini College

Justin Owens (Caravel ’20) – Salisbury University

Nick Semonelle (Middletown ’20) – Delaware Tech

Adrian Watts (St. Andrew’s 20) – Middlebury College

Jeb Williams (Caravel ’20) – Salisbury University

Sincere Wilson (McKean ’20) – Penn State – Brandywine

Andrew Workman (Delmarva Christian ’20) – Lancaster Bible College

Girls

Ayanna Barnes (Smyrna ’20) – Farleigh Dickinson University

Ashley Campbell (St. Elizabeth ’20) – Christopher Newport University

DaNia Cannon (Cape Henlopen ’20) – Delaware State University

Alissa Crafton (Middletown ’20) – University of Charleston

Symphonie DeLoatch (Wilmington Christian ’20) – Salisbury University

Abbey Hearn (Cape Henlopen ’20) – Kutztown University

Arianna Henry (St. Elizabeth ’20) – Mount Holyoke College

India Johnston (Caravel ’22 ) – Towson University

Tamyah Jones (Dover ’20) – Farleigh Dickinson University

Michelle Kozicki (Padua ’20) – LaSalle University

Allie Kubek (Sanford ’20) – Towson University

Julie Kulesza (Conrad ’20) – Bucknell University

Stefanie Kulesza (Conrad ’21) – University of Massachusetts

Ber’Nyah Ward-Mayo (St. Elizabeth ’20) – University of Massachusetts

Juliann McCarron (St. Elizabeth ’20) – Goldey-Beacom College

Jada McCullough (Caesar Rodney ’21) – Delaware State University

Bridget Philbin (Padua ’20) – Immaculata University

Serena Pluta (St. Mark’s ’20) – Washington College

Janeira Scott (Woodbridge ’21) – Robert Morris University

Madison Stewart (Archmere ’20) – Neumann University

Fiona Teaney (Archmere ’20) – Alvernia University

Kanisa Tucker (Sanford ’20) – Goldey-Beacom College

Kaleigh White (Ursuline ’20) – Washington College

Ja’Nylah Whittlesey (Conrad ’21) – Delaware State University

Aniyah Williams (St. Georges ’20) – Wilmington University

Here is our second installment of recaps of Delaware high school athletes playing college basketball. If we’re missing anyone, let us know! Shoot us an e-mail at [email protected]

Myles Cale, Seton Hall University (Appoquinimink High School)

Former Appo all-stater Myles Cale completed his junior season as a key member of the Seton Hall men’s basketball team.

Cale, a 6’6, 210 pound forward, started 26 of the Pirates’ 31 games this season, averaging 6 points, 3 rebounds and 1 steal per contest. His season high of 16 points was achieved in back to back wins over Big East rivals DePaul and Georgetown, including 5 of 6 three pointers made against the Hoyas.

Emily Ansah, Wilmington University (Newark Charter)

Newark Charter graduate Emily Ansah played a critical role both as a starter and as a reserve for the Wilmington University women’s basketball team.

Ansah, a 5’11 sophomore forward, averaged 7.5 points per game for the Wildcats and led the team in total rebounds (172) and blocked shots (21). She collected four double-doubles on the season and scored a career-high 20 points in a loss at Georgian Court on February 26.

Mikey Dixon, Grand Canyon University (Sanford School)

2016 Delaware boys’ basketball player of the year Mikey Dixon jumped right into the swing of things at Grand Canyon University after sitting out the first month of the season due to transfer rules.

The leader of Sanford’s 2016 state championship team, Dixon started 16 of the 18 games he played in for the Lopes, averaging 11.8 points per game and led GCU in three-point field goal percentage with a sharp 43.1 percent output from beyond the arc.

Da’Naziah Brown (Archmere Academy) and Kay Wulah (Ursuline Academy), Eastern University

The Eastern University women’s basketball team were led by two former Delaware high school standouts, junior guard Da’Naziah Brown and first year forward Kay Wulah.

Brown, an Archmere graduate, started all 26 games for the Eagles, averaging 8.9 points and 6 rebounds per game, as well leading the team in assists (79) and steals (56).

Ursuline grad Wulah started 24 of 26 games and was third on the Eagles in scoring, averaging 12.6 points per game, and led the team in rebounds per game (9.1), total rebounds (237) and blocked shots (59).