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When Jyáre Davis entered the transfer portal on April 16, 2021, he immediately knew his next destination. As the state of Delaware’s No. 1 2020 recruit, University of Delaware head coach Martin Ingelsby understood recruiting Davis would be an uphill battle.

To pique Davis’ interest, Ingelsby and assistant coach Corey McCrae pitched him the idea of being the Elena Delle Donne of the men’s side. The Wilmington native starred for UD before becoming a top women’s player in the world.

Davis, however, decided to start his college career at Providence in the Big East. In 2008, Delle Donne originally committed to UConn but returned to Delaware to play for her home team. Following a rough go with the Friars, Davis kept the original pitch in mind. Again, he followed Delle Donne’s path.

“(Delle Donne) ended up coming back to Delaware and carrying her state on her shoulders,” McCrae said. “I thought (Davis) could do the same.”

After a year away, Davis returned to his home state and became its star. The Newark, Delaware, native notched Colonial Athletic Association Rookie of the Year honors in the 2021-22 season and helped the Blue Hens to their first CAA Tournament Championship and NCAA Tournament since 2014. He followed that up by making the All-CAA Third Team as a junior and Second Team as a senior.

Now, Davis is using his final year of eligibility at Syracuse, where he’s helped fortify SU’s inside presence with 8.6 points and 5.6 rebounds per game. The decision to leave gave him a final crack at Power Five basketball. But his initial decision to return home was rooted in his pride for The First State.

“Going back to Delaware, I knew I wanted to make it cool for kids from Delaware to play in Delaware and want to play in their hometown state,” Davis said.

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Davis was once that kid. With a population of just over one million, Delaware’s biggest professional team is the Blue Coats — the Philadelphia 76ers G-League affiliate. As a result, UD’s athletic programs often act as its main event.

Davis grew up attending UD football games weekly as Newark Charter — his school from kindergarten through seventh grade — was just minutes from campus. Additionally, his grandfather worked at the university.

Davis’ relationship with the basketball program began when Ingelsby’s staff allowed him to attend practices as a recruit and watched him play at the Sanford School in Delaware in.

When Davis first came back after his short stint at Providence, his family rejoiced. Ingelsby said he thought Davis’ return gave him extra motivation due to people inside and outside the program pouring life into him.

As Davis needed an abundance of tickets to allow local friends and family to watch him play, he used pregame meals as currency. Former teammates Ebby Asamoah and Kevin Anderson recall Davis trading Chick-fil-A nuggets and sandwiches for extra tickets. Anderson estimated Davis needed an average of 10 tickets per game, while Asamoah said it was more like 12 to 20.

“That’s Mr. Delaware himself,” Asamoah said of Davis. “It’s almost like the whole neighborhood watched him grow up. He went to a different school, transferred back home and he was doing his thing.”

The hometown feel is what created a safe haven for Davis. But it’s also what made leaving the school so difficult. Midway through his third season with the Blue Hens, Davis was thriving and Power Five opportunities quickly opened up.

Ingelsby described Davis’ decision to stay or leave Delaware as the “elephant in the room,” but Davis said it never crossed his mind until after the season. When the season ended, the two got breakfast, discussing Davis’ options. He decided to test himself again.

His first assignment was far from easy. In 2020, Davis wrestled with the obstacles of being a college freshman during COVID-19. His challenges increased in late October after falling backward and hitting his head on the hardwood during a preseason practice. A diagnosed concussion sidelined him for the preseason, and he later redshirted.

The lost season with the Friars brought mixed emotions. On one hand, Davis was frustrated that things didn’t work out. On the other, he grew confident in playing against top talent through practice.

A change of scenery was needed, and Davis had schools like Georgia and St. Joseph’s expressing interest. But returning home made the most sense.

“Life is about getting back on your horse. He got back on his horse, and he rode. He rode it out to the sunset,” McCrae said.

In 2022, Jyáre Davis helped Delaware win its first CAA Tournament Championship and make its first NCAA Tournament since 2014. Mark Campbell | University of Delaware

Davis was initially far from the No. 1 option with the Blue Hens. In the 2021-22 season, UD returned its five leading scorers from the season prior — Ryan Allen, Dylan Painter, Anderson, Asamoah and Andrew Carr. Along with snagging Davis through the transfer portal, the Blue Hens also corralled Jameer Nelson Jr. from George Washington.

Davis played sparingly throughout the early going, scoring in double digits just once through the first 17 games. Even with limited playing time, Davis said he continued to work daily with assistant coach Torrian Jones as if he was already the star player.

After Painter suffered an ankle injury in late January, Davis was thrust into a larger role. In his first game with increased minutes, Davis scored a then-career-high 22 points to lead Delaware past James Madison.

“It was almost like the breakout game he needed,” Ingelsby said. “You just see a guy that just got uber-confident and I think from that point on, he was the best player in the league.”

As Painter remained sidelined, Davis averaged 15.9 points and 6.9 rebounds per game across the final 10 games of the regular season. He closed the year as the conference’s Rookie of the Week five consecutive times, forcing the staff’s hand to keep playing him.

Despite Davis’ success, the Blue Hens dropped their final three games of the season, limping into the CAA Tournament. With a week to prepare, Delaware was up at 7 a.m. each day, practicing twice daily for a chance at the NCAA Tournament.

UD took down Drexel in the quarterfinal, as Davis led the way with 17 points and 10 rebounds. A 13-point win over Towson followed the next day, where Davis notched 14 and eight rebounds. With a trip to March Madness on the line, the Blue Hens were in a down-to-the-wire affair with UNC Wilmington.

Trailing by one with just over a minute to play, Davis maneuvered inside and converted a floater to put UD in front. Delaware never relinquished its lead, winning by four. Davis’ 18 led the way, clinching CAA Tournament MVP honors.

“He just locked in and became a different type of animal toward the end,” Anderson said. “He was making everything.”

As the Blue Hens reached the pinnacle of their conference, Davis continued to feel the support pouring in. At Delaware’s Selection Sunday party, groups of local kids came in to cheer on the squad’s announcement.

Jyáre Davis won CAA Rookie of the Year honors as a sophomore before making the All-CAA Third Team as a junior and Second Team as a senior. Mark Campbell | University of Delaware

It was a full-circle moment, as Davis instantly remembered when he was 12 years old and the Blue Hens made the NCAA Tournament in 2014. He was experiencing the same excitement he felt at a younger age. However, the 2014 team’s season fell short in the NCAA Tournament First Round, and Davis’s squad suffered the same fate.

Delaware ran into a buzz saw in the first round, taking on eventual South Region champion Villanova. The Wildcats pulled away near the end of the first half, never looking back. Davis, though, made his mark, totaling a team-high 17 points and building some self-assurance.

“It propelled my confidence for the next two seasons,” Davis said. “After that game, I was extremely confident I could play against anybody.”

As most of the Blue Hens’ core graduated, Davis became a focal point. The forward grew into a three-level scorer, continuously building on his frame to be a bully inside. He officially became the go-to guy on nearly every possession, according to co-captain Christian Ray.

A 17.1-point-per-game senior season propelled Davis’ interest from the outside. And while he didn’t think about it during the year, schools came calling. Arkansas, Xavier and Syracuse showed their interest before the Orange won the prize.

Davis’ versatility and rebounding stood out to SU head coach Adrian Autry the most. He’s used both attributes to round out Syracuse’s lineup, producing again at the Power Five level like he always knew he could.

Even with recent success, Delaware is still home. Ingelsby now uses Davis’ story in recruiting pitches in hopes of landing the next hometown star. McCrae saw Davis as a “big fish in a small pond.” While he didn’t initially choose to stay home, it’s where he ended up making his mark in college basketball, just as McCrae and Ingelsby set out from the beginning.

“We sold him on the success and the opportunity to come in and really be the face of our program as an in-state kid. This place will be forever indebted to a kid like that as one of their own,” Ingelsby said.

Published on January 23, 2025 at 12:38 am

Contact Aiden at: amstepan@syr.edu | @AidenStepansky