Who is Delaware's all-time best boys basketball player? VOTE now

It’s hard to make the NBA, and nobody with Delaware roots did until the mid-1980s.

But the First State has long relished the sight of its best high school players in action and then valued their collegiate successes and, for a precious few, their pro accomplishments. Two Delaware players are actually NBA teammates now.

With the United States nearing its 250th anniversary of gaining independence, USA TODAY Sports will celebrate the 250 greatest American sports figures of all time.

NEW HENS: Transfer portal brings these 6 basketball players to Delaware

At the root of that are the high school athletes who became familiar names in their schools, communities and the state of Delaware while making headlines with their athletic exploits. The USA TODAY Network hopes to first spotlight those individuals.

Here in Delaware, we’re compiling lists of the best players in several sports. We recently published a collection of top Delaware football and field hockey players.

Now it’s basketball’s turn, and these are our choices for Delaware’s 10 best boys hoops players, listed alphabetically:

Dexter Boney

Dexter Boney

The 6-foot-4 Brandywine guard became Delaware’s first sophomore to be first-team All-State in 1986 and the first to score 2,000 career points in 1988. The three-time first-team All-Stater finished with a then-state-record 2,318 career points. Boney spent two years at Hagerstown (Md.) Community College, where he set school scoring records while averaging 31.6 points per game as a sophomore, before landing at Nevada-Las Vegas. Boney was a two-year starter at UNLV, averaging 15.1 points per game and making first-team All-Big West. He appeared in eight games for the NBA’s Phoenix Suns in 1996-97, was Continental Basketball Association 1997 MVP and played overseas.

Jawan Carter

Carter was a two-time first-team All-State choice at Tatnall and state player of the year in 2006 while sparking the Hornets to the state title. He became Delaware’s all-time leading boys basketball scorer with 2,464 points. The 5-11 guard then started as a freshman at St. Joseph’s before transferring to Delaware, where he was a two-time All-CAA pick and scored 1,542 points, the most by someone who played just three years with the Blue Hens. He had 1,784 career points including his year at St. Joe’s. Carter then spent several years playing in European professional leagues.

Trevor Cooney celebrates after making a 3-point shot against North Carolina at the Carrier Dome.

Trevor Cooney

Cooney was a five-year starter at guard for Sanford, earning state Player of the Year as a junior in 2010 and repeating as first-team All-State as a senior. Sanford won state titles both years. The 6-4 guard then scored 1,427 career points at Syracuse from 2012-16, starting every game his last three years and making the Final Four in 2013 and 2016. Cooney was second in the ACC in steals as a senior. He then played professionally in Germany, Spain and the NBA G League.

Delaware's Jyare Davis (center) celebrates with Jameer Nelson Jr. as the Hens build a lead in the first half of a CAA tournament semifinal against Towson at the Entertainment & Sports Arena in Washington, D.C., Monday, March 7, 2022. Delaware's Ebby Asamoah (right) joins them.

Jyare Davis

The 6-foot-7 forward was a four-time first-team All-State selection while starring at Sanford. He spent his freshman college season in 2020-21 at Providence but didn’t play after suffering an early-season concussion. He transferred to Delaware and was a late-season spark, winning CAA Rookie of the Year and CAA Tournament MVP as Delaware beat three higher seeded teams to win the league title and make the NCAA Tournament. Davis was then third-team All-CAA as a sophomore and a second-team choice as a junior with a career-best 17.1 points and 7.5 rebounds per game and league-best 66.1 field-goal percentage in CAA games. He played his final college season at Syracuse, starting 22 of his 33 games while averaging 9.4 points and 4.9 rebounds. He then played professionally in Montenegro.

INGLEWOOD, CA - 1988: Walter Davis #6 of the Phoenix Suns dribbles against the Los Angeles Lakers during the game at the Great Western Forum in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Mike Powell/Getty Images)

Walter Davis

Davis starred at the University of North Carolina and was a six-time NBA all-star after the North Carolina resident spent a post-graduate year at Sanford School in 1972-73. Davis was a first-team All-State selection after sparking Sanford to the Independent Conference title and a 19-0 season. The 6-6 Davis, who played 15 NBA seasons, was inducted to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2024.

Minnesota Timberwolves guard Donte DiVincenzo (0) goes to the basket against the Denver Nuggets in the first quarter at Target Center on April 23, 2026.

Donte DiVincenzo

DiVincenzo sparked Salesianum to its first two state boys basketball titles in 2014 and 2015 and was state boys basketball Player of the Year as a senior in 2015. In his third and final season at Villanova, the 6-4 guard started 10 of 40 games while averaging 9.8 points. But he was MVP of the 2018 NCAA Tournament Final Four after sparking Villanova to a title-game win over Michigan with a career-high 31 points. He was chosen 17th by the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round of the 2018 draft. DiVincenzo has played for the Bucks, Kings, Warriors, Knicks and now the Timberwolves while averaging 11.0 points in 498 NBA games, the most by a native Delawarean.

A.J. English

A.J. English

English sparked Howard to the 1985 state boys basketball title and was 1986 state Player of the Year after earning his second first-team All-State notice. He was 1990 NCAA Division II Player of the Year after averaging 33.4 points per game at Virginia Union, where he is now head coach. Chosen 37th overall by the Washington Bullets in the 1990 NBA Draft, English appeared in 151 NBA games over two seasons with the Bullets and averaged 9.9 points per game.

OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA - MARCH 15: Bones Hyland #8 of the Minnesota Timberwolves attempts to drive past Jared McCain #3 of the Oklahoma City Thunder during the first half at Paycom Center on March 15, 2026 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

Nahshon 'Bones' Hyland

Hyland scored a school record 1,857 career points at St. Georges and was Delaware Player of the Year as a senior in 2019, when he was first-team All-State for the second time. He then starred collegiately at VCU, where he was Atlantic 10 Conference Player of the Year as a sophomore in 2020-21 after leading the league with 19.5 points per game. Hyland became just the third Delaware native taken in the first round of the NBA Draft when the Nuggets chose him 26th overall in 2021. The 6-2 guard has played for the Nuggets, Clippers and now the Timberwolves in five NBA seasons. He has averaged 9.2 points in 257 games.

Laron Profit #9 of the Los Angeles Lakers puts a shot up against the Charlotte Bobcats on October 21, 2005 at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California.

Laron Profit

Profit was a two-time first-team All-State pick and sparked Caesar Rodney to the 1994 state title game. He received All-ACC recognition three times at Maryland while scoring 1,566 points and was the 38th pick of the 1999 NBA Draft by Orlando. Dealt soon after to Washington, Profit averaged 3.3 points in 153 NBA games with Washington and the Lakers and also played overseas.

Terence Stansbury

The Newark guard was 1980 state boys basketball Player of the Year. Stansbury then became an All-American at Temple, scoring a school record 1,811 points. He was the 15th player chosen in the 1984 NBA Draft by the Dallas Mavericks but was later dealt to Indiana. Stansbury averaged 6.3 points in 192 NBA games before having a long and lucrative career playing in Europe and landing in France’s basketball hall of fame.

Contact Kevin Tresolini at ktresolini@delawareonline.com and follow on Twitter @kevintresolini. Support local journalism by subscribing to delawareonline.com and our DE Game Day newsletter.

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Who is Delaware's all-time best boys basketball player? VOTE now