By Andy Walter

NEWARK — Thanks to a concussion, Jyare Davis never took the court for Providence last winter.

But the former Sanford School basketball standout says he never lost confidence in himself.

“I definitely put the work in,” said Davis, now a freshman forward at Delaware. “I spent the time in the gym. A lot of the things I do out there in a game is stuff that I’ve done hundreds of times — every morning, every night. I just had to get used to being back out there.”

It took Davis a little while to become a regular for the Blue Hens, too, after he transferred to Delaware in the off-season. An illness and injuries early in the winter kept the 6-foot-7, 215-pound Newark native off the floor for a month.

Finally, with starting center Dylan Painter sidelined with an ankle injury, Davis is showing what a force he can be around the basket. He takes a streak of six-straight, double-digit scoring games — including back-to-back double-doubles — into Delaware’s 4 p.m. CAA matchup at William & Mary on Saturday.

“I think it’s been a process,” said Blue Hen coach Martin Ingelsby. “He is a student of the game. He’s a hard worker. He’s got great instincts.

“Just being back in the gym with a coaching staff that really has believed in him and given him confidence ... it wasn’t always smooth sailing. There were some hard days. But he loves to compete and I think he’s very comfortable with who he is as a basketball player and how he can make an impact for us.”

Ingelsby said assistant coach Torian Jones has really helped turn Davis into the significant contributor that he is now. Davis has been named CAA Rookie of the Week three weeks in a row.

“He had some success,” said Ingelsby. “And then all of a sudden you see the impact he can make. He’s scary talented with his size and physicality.”

Davis is hitting a team-best 58.5-percent of his shots. While he’s got a soft jump shot, he’s quickly earned a reputation for attacking the basket and finishing with a dunk.

“Man, look out,” joked teammate Jameer Nelson, Jr. “Jyare’s like 6-7, it doesn’t matter who’s in front of him. It’s that mentality with him and we love that.”

“Even Coach has said my mentality has changed a lot,” said Davis. “When I first got here I’d settle for a lot of jump shots. But Coach Ingelsbsy and Coach ‘T’ talk about make sure I go strong to the basket and just see if I can get the easy ones.”

DSU’s Carter in all-star game

Delaware State guard Myles Carter has been selected to compete in the College Basketball All-Star Game.

The contest will be played on April 23 at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio.
Carter will join top seniors from Historically Black Colleges and Universities around the country on the HBCU All-Star team. The opposing team will be comprised of players from Ohio schools.

It is the second all-star opportunity for Carter, who is a candidate to play in the first HBCU Men’s Basketball All-Star Game set for the NCAA Final Four weekend (April 3) in New Orleans.

Carter currently ranks third in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference in scoring (15.3 ppg), ninth in rebounding (5.6 pg) and fifth in field-goal percentage (.425). He has reached double-figures in scoring in 19 games, including five with 20-or-more points.

Showdown for UD women

The CAA regular-season title in women’s basketball may well be decided when Delaware (12-1 CAA, 18-5) overall) hosts Drexel (12-1 CAA, 20-3 overall) on Sunday at 1 p.m. (NBC Sports-Philadelphia).

While the CAA Tournament crown — and the NCAA Division I tourney berth that accompanies it — is the ultimate prize, the regular-season title does give the winner an automatic WNIT bid.

The Hens lost at Drexel, 70-62, on Jan. 23. The Dragons have won 13 of the last 15 meetings.

Notes

Former Polytech High baseball player Carter Chasanov is starting his graduate-student season as an outfielder at Bloomsburg. A year ago, he had eight homeruns, nine doubles and 25 RBI. ... Cape Henlopen High grad Abbey Hearn recently had a streak of six-straight double-digit scoring games for the Kutztown women’s basketball team. ... The Delaware men’s basketball team has eight players who have scored 20 points in a game during their career — including four that have scored 30 or more. ... The UD men’s lacrosse team plays a 3 p.m. game at Duke on Tuesday.

Follow Andy Walter on Twitter at @DSNSports.