The Delaware Blue Coats went into their game on Friday, April 1, with one of the most stacked lineups to date as they picked up a dominant 144-110 victory over the Wisconsin Herd.

Of the 12 guys who played for the “Purple Coats”– the team’s name for the night in honor of mental health awareness– six of them had seen time on a NBA roster at some point this season. That number doesn’t even include the three-time NBA Champion on Delaware’s roster.

One of the players who returned to Delaware on Friday night was Paul Reed, who has spent a majority of the last few months up with the Philadelphia 76ers.

“It feels good [to be back],” Reed said. “It’s good to see guys that I’ve grown relationships with over the past years and we’re always going to have that chemistry.”

The Blue Coats’ chemistry was clear throughout their whole matchup against the Herd, as they started off hot and never cooled down.

By the end of the first quarter, the Blue Coats led 39-29 as one of Delaware’s stars Myles Powell already recorded ten points and Reed had grabbed eight boards. 

This type of fast-paced game played to the strengths of most of the guys on the court for the Blue Coats.

“I’m a fast-paced type of dude,” Reed said. “Running in transition and getting easy buckets, I like that type of pace.”

By the end of the night, Delaware had six players end up in double-digits for scoring and had three guys, including Reed, pick up double-doubles. 

“Everyone is back now. We have the whole team back. Everyone enjoys that,” Blue Coats’ guard Barra Njie said. “We’re just out there hooping and having fun.”

While a victory like this one is a great momentum booster, especially after their Tuesday loss to the Motor City Cruise, Delaware doesn’t have too much time to celebrate as they are set to face the Herd again on Saturday, April 2, in their final regular-season game. With playoffs on the horizon, it’s important to keep this momentum going and pick up a final win.

“I mean we’re all pros, the teams we play are pros,” Njie said. “Everyone can get going, so we just got to come in everyday and respect the other team and just play hard.”

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