Men's Basketball | 3/20/2024 2:16:00 PM

NORFOLK, Va. – Deywilk Tavarez thought his hoops career ended before it got started.
Long before he blossomed into the 2023-24 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Rookie of the Year, Tavarez had to overcome temporary doubt after tearing both of his meniscus' during his junior year of high school. He channeled those doubts into his grueling rehabilitation, which he used as fuel to come back stronger than ever.
Through the trials and tribulations, Tavarez was comforted by the knowledge that Delaware State head coach Stan Waterman continuously encouraged him.
"Coach Stan changed my life," Tavarez said during last Friday's postgame press conference following Delaware State's 71-58 victory over North Carolina Central in the MEAC semifinals. "He's the only coach who believed in me and instilled that confidence in me that I could be a Division I player one day. Every call we had, he told me I could come in here and play my game and we'd win games. Even before I got here Coach Stan believed in me and told me to follow his lead and that's what I've been doing."
Tavarez has played all year like a seasoned pro. His performances have been so elite, especially during the MEAC Tournament that North Carolina Central coach Lavell Moten joked in admiration during his Friday press conference, that "somebody check his birth certificate because I don't believe he's a freshman." The entire room erupted in laughter.
Tavarez will get at least one more game as Delaware State accepted a bid to play in the RO College Basketball Invitational (CBI) in Daytona Beach. Delaware State received a number 14 seed and will face the number three seed Seattle University on Saturday, March 23 at 5:30 p.m.
Delaware State beat South Carolina State and North Carolina Central in the MEAC Tournament to advance to its first championship game since 2015. Tavarez shined in both games, scoring 23 of his 29 points in the second half against the Bulldogs. He tallied 14 of his 20 points after halftime in the win over the Eagles.
After watching Tavarez this season, it's hard to believe that he was playing behind somebody although it made sense. Have Tavarez as a freshman, come in and learn from a veteran. Then, things changed and the next thing Tavarez realized, he was learning on the fly.
"We lost our starting point guard, and I was thrown into the fire," Tavarez said. "It was a role that I embraced. Fortunately, my teammates and coaches never doubted me even throughout my early mistakes. They gave me the confidence I needed to go out and play my game. We've had those talks, but he lets me play through my mistakes because he knows what kind of player I am and what I bring to this team. Being able to do this day in and day out is a blessing."
Tavarez earned every bit of Rookie of the Year, collecting five Rookie of the Week's in the regular season. He was the Hornets' first MEAC Rookie of the Year honoree since the 2015-16 season when Devin Morgan claimed the honor. The freshman from Pennsauken, NJ, recorded 21 double-digit performances with seven 20-point games and eight 30-point outings.
Tavarez posted a career-high 31 points and 10 assists in the Hornets' win over the Spartans of Norfolk State on March 4. He sits 11 overall in the MEAC in points per game (14.0), 10th in free throw percentage (76.5), sixth in three-pointers per game (1.7), third in assists per game (3.6) and second in steals per game (2.0).
He also led the Hornets in assists with 113. He is part of a three-headed scoring monster along with Martaz Robinson, who is third in the MEAC in scoring at 16.4 points per game Jevin Muniz, who is fourth in the conference, averaging 15.5 points per game. 
"I came here to win championships," Tavarez said. "It feels good because Coach and I talked about that since I was offered here. Since I committed to Delaware State, we want to build with each other and keep pushing forward. I am glad he believed in me in the beginning and everything he's said has been true."