By Ryan Honey
After being eliminated from the Colonial Athletic Association Tournament in March due to an overtime loss to the Hofstra Pride, the Delaware Men’s Basketball team had some time off. They needed it too, as the season stretches to a length of around four-to-five months.
However, now that spring break is over and the team has had some time to recuperate, the Blue Hens are back to work. The team is back to lifting together as well as getting some gym time for pickup games throughout the week.
One of the players that many have to keep an eye on next season is guard Ithiel Horton. In his freshman year this past season, Horton averaged 13.2 points per game, shooting 43% from the field and 41% from beyond the three-point arc. He was a big help for the Blue Hens in the tournament loss to Hofstra, where he dropped 21 points with four assists and five rebounds. Horton shot 62% from the field that game along with shooting 56% from three.
Now that the Blue Hens are back after spring break and ready to prepare for next year’s season, Horton commented on how excited the team is to get back into the swing of things.
“The level of excitement is pretty high,” said the former Roselle Catholic High School standout. “The boosters, a lot of people that come to the games, they’re really excited for next year. I think that we have a good shot to at least win the CAA championship and get to the NCAA tournament so it’s pretty high around here.”
Horton’s shooting abilities really stood out on Delaware’s stat sheet this past season, as he proved to be one of the more effective shooters in the entire CAA conference. It’s an aspect of his game that Horton looks to continuously perfect, as he mentioned what he’s going to do this offseason in order to improve on it.
“Pretty much just staying in the gym and working on my craft every day,” Horton said. “You can only get better to be honest.”
Unlike some of the older guys on the team, Horton has a lot of time left. Being only a freshman currently, Horton has three years of eligibility remaining. Needless to say, he has a great amount of time to not only improve his skills as a basketball player but also be a part of numerous great memories as a member of this program.
However, regardless of his young age, Horton still reflects on his first year as a Blue Hen along with his favorite memories from the 2018-19 season.
“Just coming here every day, putting in the work, getting ready for games, going on the road and just being with my guys are my favorite memories.”
Having averaged 32.6 minutes a game, Horton will look to play even more in the coming years. He’ll be without a doubt one of the leaders of this Blue Hen squad going forward and will look to bring Delaware deep into the CAA Tournament next season.