That's one: Blue Hens' first basketball transfer had big freshman year
Tyler Houser was not swamped with Division I offers while being a third-team All-State basketball player at Cedar Cliff High in Camp Hill, Pennsylvania.
He did earn a scholarship, landing at Virginia Military Institute after Navy also showed interest. But many of his suitors were Division II Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference schools.
One year at VMI changed that.
A couple of dozen Division I programs, including some from the Atlantic 10, expressed interest in having Houser join them in the days after he entered the transfer portal. The 6-foot-9, 235-pound Houser decided in less than a week that the University of Delaware would be his next stop.
Houser was a Southern Conference All-Rookie team pick in 2022-23 after averaging 10.8 points and 5.0 rebounds per game. He played in all 32 games with 26 starts for VMI, which went 7-25 overall and 2-16 in the SoCon.
"Out of high school, I was not heavily recruited whatsoever," Houser said. "VMI was really the only school that believed in me at the Division I level. It was a frustrating process for me.
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"I heard from more schools in one day in the portal than I did in three years of my recruiting."
Houser also visited UMBC and Loyola (Maryland) before coming to Delaware and feeling it was the perfect place for him.
Delaware is coming off a 17-16 season in which it was often undermanned in the post after Andrew Carr's transfer to Wake Forest. The Blue Hens have at least five scholarships available due to players completing their eligibility and guards Jameer Nelson Jr., Gianmarco Arletti and Ebby Asamoah entering the transfer portal. Delaware has not signed any incoming freshmen and is seeking additional transfers.
Houser was an offensive threat both in the post and on the perimeter, shooting 44.3% overall and 35.5% from 3-point range (43-for-121). He scored 26 points in the Keydets’ regular-season finale against Western Carolina and had a team-best 14 blocked shots on the season.
"It wasn't because of my school or my coaches," Houser said of his decision to transfer. "I appreciated the opportunity coach [Andrew] Wilson gave me even though he didn't really recruit me [becoming VMI coach in April of 2022]. I can't be more thankful for that.
"But, honestly, the reason was I really wasn't a good fit for what they ran. I just didn't think I fit the mold for the kind of player they wanted to use in the future. I wanted to look for an opportunity for a better fit."
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Houser described VMI's style as a guard-oriented, "dribble-heavy" offense in which he was used primarily to set screens and had to make plays "on my own."
"I had to work hard for my buckets," he said.
Houser quickly found that Delaware, on the contrary, runs a system geared toward getting its big men offensive opportunities. In Martin Ingelbsy's seven years as UD coach, Eric Carter, Dylan Painter and Jyare Davis are post players who've been All-CAA picks.
Discussions with Ingelsby and associate head coach Bill Phillips, who works with post players, and watching video clips with them during his visit confirmed Houser's comfort.
"I saw myself just fitting in perfectly with what they want to do," Houser said.
He'll come carrying plenty of motivation.
"The kind of person I am, I want to keep proving people wrong," Houser said. "Some of the people who didn't think I could be a Division I player, my goal is to every day prove them wrong. I want to win a championship. I want to be in the NCAA Tournament. I'm excited."Have an idea for a compelling local sports story or is there an issue that needs public scrutiny? Contact Kevin Tresolini at ktresolini@delawareonline.com and follow on Twitter @kevintresolini. Support local journalism by subscribing to delawareonline.com.
This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Delaware Blue Hens land basketball transfer Houser from VMI
