By Andy Walter

DOVER — Just a year ago, Deywilk Tavarez was thrilled to call himself a Delaware State basketball player.

After dealing with a pair of serious knee injuries in high school, it seemed like no NCAA Division I programs wanted the Philadelphia native.

But then along came DSU coach Stan Waterman, who brought Tavarez to Dover to visit campus.

“Coach told me on the way there that ‘hopefully I leave campus as a Hornet’ and he was giving me the offer before I even stepped on campus,” Tavarez was quoted in a story on cityofbasketballove.com.

“I loved campus. ... It was an unofficial visit and all four coaches were there just for me. I appreciated that a lot like I felt loved. I felt wanted.”

Tavarez, of course, did become a Hornet. The 6-foot-2 guard went on to do big things last winter, being named the MEAC Rookie of the Year and helping DelState reach the conference title game.

Apparently, though, things change.

A few days ago, Tavarez announced that he was transferring to the College of Charleston after only entering the NCAA Transfer Portal on April 15.

Charleston won the Coastal Athletic Association title this past season but since has had its whole roster overhauled after coach Pat Kelsey was hired at Louisville.

The CAA includes the University of Delaware for another season before the Blue Hens depart for Conference USA.

Tavarez joins two other former basketball Hornets who have found new homes since the end of the season: Devin Muniz (Florida Gulf Coast) and Wesley Oba (Missouri State).

More comings & goings

• Jackson Taylor, the Delaware linebacker, has earned a rookie mini-camp invitation from the Kansas City Chiefs. In his one season with the Blue Hens after transferring from Division II West Chester, Taylor led the Hens with 116 tackles and ranked second on the team with 13.0 TFLs.
• DelState running back Michael Chris-Ike has received an invitation to the New York Jets’ rookie mini-camp. The 6-foot-2, 225-pounder ran for only 486 yards in his Hornet career but is physically impressive.The native of Hamilton, Ontario is also considered a Canadian Football League prospect.
• Delaware State standout football receiver/kick returner Rahkeem Smith entered the Transfer Portal last week. He already reports receiving offers from Bowling Green, Jacksonville State, Northern Arizona and Bethune-Cookman.
  In the Hornets’ one win last season, against Virginia University of Lynchburg, Smith had a touchdown receiving, on a kickoff return and on a punt return. Smith scored 10 TDs in his two seasons at DelState.
• Former Delaware basketball standout Andrew Carr has announced that he’ll spend his last season of eligibility at Kentucky. The 6-foot-10 forward spent two seasons with the Hens and the last two at Wake Forest.
  “I know what it means to wear Kentucky across my chest and couldn’t be more ready to get to work!!” Carr wrote on social media.
• Former UD football standout Noah Plack, who finished his career at Connecticut, received an invitation to the 49ers’ rookie mini-camp.
• Delaware football kicker James Collins, who made a name for himself as a high school kicker at Salesianum, has entered the Transfer Portal.
• Former DSU running back Sy'Veon Wilkerson, who followed coach Deion Sanders first to Jackson State and then to Colorado, is in the portal again. After running for a combined 2,000 yards in his two seasons at DelState and Jackson State, Wilkerson had only 190 yards onm 53 carries with the Buffaloes last fall.
• Delaware has added an offensive lineman, Wahkeem Roman, from Notre Dame College. The 6-foot-7, 315-pounder played in only four games in three seasons at the Division II school in Ohio.
• Delaware State defensive back Coleon Williams and defensive end Omakus Langley II have both entered the portal.
• 

  The Delaware softball team has set records for wins in a season and conference wins in a season. DELAWARE ATHLETICS PHOTO.
• Hens making softball history
• At 21-3 in the CAA and 38-9 overall, the Delaware softball team has broken the school records for conference wins and victories in a season.Also, Emily Winburn set the school mark for pitching wins in a season with 21.
  The Hens can add the CAA regular-season title to their impressive resume when they host Campbell in a three-game series starting on Thursday.
  Delaware leads the second-place Camels (19-5 in the CAA) by two games going into the series, which closes the regular season.
  The CAA Tournament then begins on May 7 in Wilmington, N.C.
• DelTech wins lacrosse title
  Delaware Tech, coached by Caesar Rodney High grad Dan Yearick, won the Region 19 title with a 13-12 win over Sussex, N.J.
  Sussex Central High grad Gabe Smith netted nine goals in the finals, including the game-winner with just five seconds left. Goalie Malaki Balentine from Smyrna finished with 15 saves.
  Also scoring for DelTech in the finals were Max Gray (Polytech), Shane Sylvester (Milford), Dom Hippler (Sussex Tech) and Cam Hellens (Sussex Central).
  But DelTech fell in the NJCAA North Atlantic District semifinals, falling to the College of DuPage, 20-2, last Friday Balentine made nine saves and Darius Hunt (Delmar) netted both goals.
• Extra points
•  Delaware is seeded No. 2 in the CAA Men’s Lacrosse Tournament and will face No. 3 Fairfield on Thursday at 7 p.m. at Towson in the semifinals.
  No. 1 Towson plays No. 4 Drexel in the other semi with the title game slated for Saturday at 3:30 p.m. The Hens have won the league title two years in a row and five times since 2007.
• The Delaware State women’s tennis team finished second in the MEAC Tournament, falling to South Carolina State, 4-2, in the finals. Klaudija Lisovska and Dara Jula both made the all-tournament team.
• The Delaware women’s tennis squad also made its league finals, falling to William & Mary in the CAA title match. It was the first time the Hens reached the finals.
• The DSU baseball team is tied for fifth in the NEC standings. The Hornets, who need to finish in the top six to make the league playoffs, host Stonehill in a three-game series this weekend.
• Delaware baseball Brett Lesher has been named to the watch list for the Brooks Wallace Award, which goes to the country’s best shortstop.
• Former Delaware QB Nolan Henderson (Smyrna) has played in three games for the UFL’s Houston Roughnecks, completing 6-of-8 passes for 47 yards.