University of Delaware Athletics
Justyn Mutts And Nate Darling Are Ready To Make An Impact
10/31/2019 11:19:00 AM | Men's Basketball
A year away from competing in the sport you love is challenging. Nate Darling and Justyn Mutts of Delaware men's basketball, who transferred to Delaware from UAB and High Point, respectively, had to spend the 2018-19 season watching the Blue Hens from the sideline due to NCAA transfer rules.
While very much still a part of the team, and key contributors in practices, the duo was not eligible to play in games. And while the team was on the road for games, Darling and Mutts were taking advantage of the situation to improve both as basketball players and as teammates.
"Both those guys are extremely driven student-athletes. They're hard workers, they're focused," head coach Martin Ingelsby said. "They made practice really competitive last year, and I think they used that year to really grow individually and really help our team get better. They worked really hard in the weight room, they worked extra hours on the basketball court, and really used that year off to grow in a lot of areas."
Their late night gym sessions often featured one-on-one battles between Darling, a dynamic scoring wing from Halifax, Nova Scotia, and Mutts, a hyper-athletic forward from Millville, New Jersey. While the two were already high-level contributors at their previous schools, the extra work pushed their game even further.
"I'm not going to lie, he would beat me a lot of the times," Mutts laughed. "But I feel like I was able to really work on my defense, really took me to the next level. And he was able to work on his offense. Iron sharpens iron, that's what it is."
Without specific game prep, the pair was also able to dive deeper on sharpening different skillsets.
"I got to completely focus on getting better," Darling said. "[The team] would leave for five days and I would just be in the gym working on my handle, my shooting. Working on stuff I'm good at, working on stuff that maybe I wouldn't have time to completely work on if we're playing every night. And also in the weight room, I gained 10-15 pounds. I feel stronger and just more complete and more confident with my game."
In addition to growing together on the court, the two quickly forged a friendship away from the gym that Ingelsby describes as "Batman and Robin-esque." That bond between teammates, who are also roommates, translates seamlessly to basketball.
"I think they developed a really strong friendship last year because they were sitting out together," Ingelsby said. "Two guys that came here not knowing each other and it's amazing to see the connection they have, joking around, laughing off the court. They're in the gym, obviously getting extra shots up and working out. I think they make each other better."
"I think off-the-court-wise, personally, we always go to each other now to talk about the game and talk about what we can do to be better," Darling said. "Now we're both leaders on the team, guys look to us."
"That's my dude right there," Mutts said definitively.
With the season less than a week away, (the Blue Hens host Bridgewater at The Bob Tuesday night at 7 p.m. to open the season) the coaching staff is excited to finally integrate Mutts and Darling into a starting lineup with Ryan Allen and Kevin Anderson, both Preseason All-Colonial Athletic Association honorees.
"We saw it last year in practice every day, how competitive they were and how good of basketball players they were," Ingelsby said. "Nate is a guy that's going to play on the perimeter, can really score the basketball, can get downhill, can play on and off the ball, not just a spot-up three-point shooter. And Justyn gives us an unbelievable dynamic with his athleticism, his intensity as a forward, versatility that he can play all over the floor."
The two transfers have already made an impact in Delaware's preseason tune-ups. Darling led the Blue Hens with 25 points at Penn State in an exhibition last Sunday, while Mutts caused constant havoc on the defensive end, forcing Loyola (Md.) into several turnovers the previous week in a closed-door scrimmage.
"I'm excited to try to get that core group of guys together and for them to develop that synergy and that chemistry on both ends of the floor," Ingelsby said. "We're learning a lot from them. I think it's a two-way street, we always really value their input and what they see. They have high basketball IQs, they understand the game. We're excited to see how this season turns out for them."
With so many weapons in the starting lineup, the 2019-20 iteration of the Blue Hens are poised to play a really enjoyable brand of basketball. Justyn Mutts certainly agrees:
"This is the most fun I've had playing basketball."
While very much still a part of the team, and key contributors in practices, the duo was not eligible to play in games. And while the team was on the road for games, Darling and Mutts were taking advantage of the situation to improve both as basketball players and as teammates.
"Both those guys are extremely driven student-athletes. They're hard workers, they're focused," head coach Martin Ingelsby said. "They made practice really competitive last year, and I think they used that year to really grow individually and really help our team get better. They worked really hard in the weight room, they worked extra hours on the basketball court, and really used that year off to grow in a lot of areas."
Their late night gym sessions often featured one-on-one battles between Darling, a dynamic scoring wing from Halifax, Nova Scotia, and Mutts, a hyper-athletic forward from Millville, New Jersey. While the two were already high-level contributors at their previous schools, the extra work pushed their game even further.
"I'm not going to lie, he would beat me a lot of the times," Mutts laughed. "But I feel like I was able to really work on my defense, really took me to the next level. And he was able to work on his offense. Iron sharpens iron, that's what it is."
Without specific game prep, the pair was also able to dive deeper on sharpening different skillsets.
"I got to completely focus on getting better," Darling said. "[The team] would leave for five days and I would just be in the gym working on my handle, my shooting. Working on stuff I'm good at, working on stuff that maybe I wouldn't have time to completely work on if we're playing every night. And also in the weight room, I gained 10-15 pounds. I feel stronger and just more complete and more confident with my game."
In addition to growing together on the court, the two quickly forged a friendship away from the gym that Ingelsby describes as "Batman and Robin-esque." That bond between teammates, who are also roommates, translates seamlessly to basketball.
"I think they developed a really strong friendship last year because they were sitting out together," Ingelsby said. "Two guys that came here not knowing each other and it's amazing to see the connection they have, joking around, laughing off the court. They're in the gym, obviously getting extra shots up and working out. I think they make each other better."
"I think off-the-court-wise, personally, we always go to each other now to talk about the game and talk about what we can do to be better," Darling said. "Now we're both leaders on the team, guys look to us."
"That's my dude right there," Mutts said definitively.
With the season less than a week away, (the Blue Hens host Bridgewater at The Bob Tuesday night at 7 p.m. to open the season) the coaching staff is excited to finally integrate Mutts and Darling into a starting lineup with Ryan Allen and Kevin Anderson, both Preseason All-Colonial Athletic Association honorees.
"We saw it last year in practice every day, how competitive they were and how good of basketball players they were," Ingelsby said. "Nate is a guy that's going to play on the perimeter, can really score the basketball, can get downhill, can play on and off the ball, not just a spot-up three-point shooter. And Justyn gives us an unbelievable dynamic with his athleticism, his intensity as a forward, versatility that he can play all over the floor."
The two transfers have already made an impact in Delaware's preseason tune-ups. Darling led the Blue Hens with 25 points at Penn State in an exhibition last Sunday, while Mutts caused constant havoc on the defensive end, forcing Loyola (Md.) into several turnovers the previous week in a closed-door scrimmage.
"I'm excited to try to get that core group of guys together and for them to develop that synergy and that chemistry on both ends of the floor," Ingelsby said. "We're learning a lot from them. I think it's a two-way street, we always really value their input and what they see. They have high basketball IQs, they understand the game. We're excited to see how this season turns out for them."
With so many weapons in the starting lineup, the 2019-20 iteration of the Blue Hens are poised to play a really enjoyable brand of basketball. Justyn Mutts certainly agrees:
"This is the most fun I've had playing basketball."
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