College Notebook: Allen giving Delaware Blue Hens a big spark

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NEWARK — It’s not every team that has the program’s fourth-leading all-time scorer coming in off the bench.

But it seems to be working pretty well for the Delaware men’s basketball team right now.

Senior guard Ryan Allen tallied a game-high 23 points despite not starting in the Blue Hens’ 81-77 win at Drexel on Tuesday night.

Allen has come off the bench in three straight games, averaging 18 ppg in that stretch. He’s not slated to start again on Saturday when Delaware (2-1 CAA, 11-5 overall) plays a 2 p.m. Colonial Athletic Association game at Hofstra (1-2 CAA, 9-7 overall).

“Ryan’s obviously a confident guy,” UD coach Martin Ingelsby said after the Drexel game. “He scores the basketball. He could be almost a 2,000-point scorer in our program.

“Ryan Allen is as good as anybody we’ve had at finding a bucket and getting the ball in the hoop. He made some big shots when we really needed it.”

With 1,642 career points, Allen trails only Devon Saddler (2,222), Mike Pegues (2,030) and Greg Smith (1,713) on the Hens’ all-time scoring list. Ironically, Saddler also came off the bench for parts of his senior year in 2014.

Allen also owns the school record for career three-pointers (279) and currently leads the team in scoring at 14.4 ppg. (Jameer Nelson, Jr. at 14.3 and Dylan Painter at 14.1 are right with him).

Whether he’s starting or not, Allen said he’s always just looking to score.

“I’m just trying to be aggressive,” said Allen. “Tonight (at Drexel) was just one of those nights when my shot was falling.”

Delaware won at both Drexel and at Charleston in its previous game for the first time since 2015.

In part because of COVID postponements, the Hens are playing seven games in the next 15 days. With a game at Northeastern on Monday, they will end up playing five straight conference road games for the first time in their history.

No masks for Del. athletes

Delaware college athletes will continue to be able to compete without masks during the COVID surge.

Gov. John Carney on Friday signed a revision to the COVID-19 emergency order that allows the Division of Public Health to approve alternative mitigation measures in place of the mask mandate for college athletes.

With the Delaware Blue Coats also playing in the state, the revision also applies to pro athletes.

“This revision will allow competitions to move forward with a potential mask exemption only for professional and NCAA athletes,” Carney said in a press release. “These organizations already have their own safety plans, which this revision recognizes. DPH will work closely with them to ensure they are protecting athletes and helping prevent the spread of this virus.”

Fans, staff, and other attendees of indoor sporting events will still need to comply with the public mask requirement.

Davis nets 29

Eden Davis, the former Dover High basketball All-Stater, netted a career-high 29 points for NCAA Division II Young Harris last month.

A second-year college player who transferred from Texas A&M Corpus Christi, Davis hit 3-of-5 three-pointers and 10-of-10 foul shots in the win over Morehouse.

Davis is averaging 8.1 ppg for the season and has scored in double figures three times.

Iowa St. excited about Reeder

Iowa State football coach Matt Campbell seemed thrilled to land Delaware transfer Colby Reeder last month.

What’s not to like about a linebacker whose father (Dan) and brother (Troy) both made it to the NFL, right?

Campbell said that Reeder probably could have declared for the NFL draft but decided to improve his stock with another college season.

“You talk about a football player, a football family,” said Campbell. “Colby was a huge win for our football program just because when you look at that videotape and you watch him play, some of the elite linebacker play that we’ve had here, there are some very similar traits and qualities and characteristics.

“You’re talking about a guy that’s also already performed at a high-end elite level with great consistency.”

UD’s Dickey still No. 1

Delaware’s Jasmine Dickey continues to lead women’s Division I in scoring at 25.2 ppg. She’s tied for the top spot with Iowa’s Caitlin Clark.

Thanks to the Blue Hens having four straight games wiped out by COVID issues, Dickey missed only one game with an arm injury. She returned to the court last Sunday by tallying a team-high 22 points in a overtime victory at CAA rival Charleston.

“felt real good playing today,” Dickey tweeted after the game. “them elbow jitters gone baby. conference time.”

Free throws

Speaking of Troy Reeder, the former Blue Hen linebacker is third on the L.A. Rams with 91 tackles this season. ... Former Dover High basketball standout Elijah Allen is now at NCAA Division II West Chester after transferring from Wagner. Still considered a freshman, he hasn’t played in a game yet. ... Delaware offensive lineman David Kroll was named to the Phil Steele FCS All-America second team. It is the third All-American recognition for the senior this post-season. ... The Chicago Bears firing of Matt Nagy also impacts another former Blue Hen quarterback, Brian Ginn. Ginn had been on Nagy’s staff since 2018, most recently as an assistant special teams coach. ... The Delaware State women’s basketball team hasn’t played a game since Dec. 18 and isn’t slated to play again until Jan. 22 when it hosts North Carolina Central.

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