Jamelle Hagins, Kelvin McNeil, Devon Saddler Named 2011-12 University of Delaware Men’s Basketball Captains
September 16, 2011
photos courtesy of Mark Campbell
NEWARK, Del. -- University of Delaware sixth-year men’s basketball head coach Monté Ross has announced that juniors Jamelle Hagins and Kelvin McNeil, along with sophomore Devon Saddler, have been named Blue Hen captains for the upcoming 2011-12 season.
Hagins (above right) enjoyed a breakout season as a sophomore in 2010-11, earning a spot on the Colonial Athletic Association All-Defensive Team and the Collegeinsider.com Mid-Major Defensive All-America Team. Hagins, who missed the final two games of the regular season with a toe injury but started the other 29, led the CAA and ranked 12th in Division I with 3.0 blocked shots per game, while his 87 blocks are fourth most in a UD single season.
Hagins was also an excellent rebounder, leading the Blue Hens and placing ninth in the conference with 7.3 boards per contest. He also was third on the Blue Hens by pouring in 8.4 points per outing, and recorded three double-doubles on the season. Hagins blocked a career-high eight shots, one shy of the school record, against Northeastern and slammed home the game-winning dunk with 21 seconds remaining to give UD a 54-52 home victory over the Huskies.
McNeil (left) is expected to challenge for a starting position on the wing for the Blue Hens after appearing in all 31 games last season while making 10 starts. An athletic swing player, McNeil contributed 5.0 points and 5.0 rebounds per game a year ago, reaching double figures four times during the campaign. He tied his career-high by scoring 13 points at Old Dominion, and posted his only double-double of the season with 11 points and a career-best 15 rebounds during the victory at Northeastern.
McNeil narrowly missed two other double-doubles on the year, recording 10 points and nine rebounds during road wins at Georgia State and Towson.
Saddler is coming off an outstanding freshman campaign in which he was named the CAA Rookie of the Year and selected to the Collegeinsider.com Mid-Major Freshman All-America Team. Saddler, who shared team MVP honors with Jawan Carter, earned five league Rookie of the Week accolades while starting all 31 games and playing over 33 minutes per contest. He set UD freshman single season records with 411 points, 13.3 points per game, and 149 field goals, while he tied the school freshman single game scoring mark with a 27-point effort at Rider.
Saddler (bottom right) also led the Blue Hens with 88 assists while ranking second in scoring and steals, and was Delaware’s leading scorer during 12 games on the year. He reached double figures in 17 of the final 19 contests of the season, including four games in which he eclipsed the 20-point mark.
Delaware, coming off a 14-17 season in which the Blue Hens finished seventh in the CAA with an 8-10 league record, opens its 2011-12 campaign on Friday, November 11 with a 7 p.m. game at Radford.
“These three young men exemplify what we want in our basketball program, on and off the court,” Ross said. “They will be very good for our freshmen because they lead by example and are vocal leaders, and that’s what you need when you have such a young team.”
