Claymont boys basketball off to fast start in 2025-26 season

It hasn’t taken much of the 2025-26 season for Claymont’s boys basketball team to show the 2024-25 campaign is entirely in the rearview mirror. Nearly a quarter of the way through the season, the Mustangs were within a game of matching their win total of a year ago.

With 1-3 Ridgewood next up – a few hours after deadline for this holiday edition – Claymont seemed a good bet to hit that mark in the minimum amount of time.

Heading into that Dec. 19 trip to Ridgewood, the Mustangs were 5-0 overall, 4-0 and atop the Inter-Valley Conference standings. 

Claymont coach Gary Watkins said the year could be successful “if we see improvement throughout the season and coachability with the players.”

So far, so good. Watkins would probably be among the first to acknowledge the Mustangs have benefited a bit from the early schedule. The Mustangs have spent the first month or so of the season playing teams in the bottom half of the IVC standings.

Including Ridgewood, Claymont’s first six games were against teams with a combined 6-25 record. The Mustangs’ three victories heading into the game at Ridgewood came by a total of seven points, one a one-point win over Tusky Valley and another a two-point win over Garaway.

Still, in the 6-17 year that was the 24-25 season, the Mustangs were 1-4 at the same point, had losses by 1, 2, 4 and 7 points, and went on to go 3-6 in games decided by seven points or fewer. They definitely are learning how to win. 

The Mustangs’ biggest tests likely will come against the likes of Hiland and Indian Valley, both which Claymont plays twice. Those games, though, are setting up as pretty interesting at this point.

One key to the Mustangs’ early success is they are a veteran team. Among their six returning letter-winners are three seniors and three juniors. They have seven twelfth-graders overall.

Back are 5-foot-9 senior guard Chole Murray, who averaged 8.6 points last year, tops among returning players. His 5-11 backcourt-mate and classmate Myles Wolf was right behind him at 8.3 points per outing. Caron Golec, a 5-11 senior guard, chipped in 5 points per night.

Jackson Jinks, a 6-3 junior forward, checked in at 6.3 points per game. His classmates, 6-0 forward Jamar Lyles (4 points, 3 rebounds) and Brady Fox, a 5-10 point guard, round out the veterans.

New this year are seniors Dom Jolliff (5-10 guard), Zak Cox (5-11 posts), Aaron Grandison (5-11 guard) and Mason Houston (5-11 guard); juniors Brayson Gray (6-2 guard/forward), Parker Haney (6-2 post) and Owen Lindsey (5-8 point guard); and sophomores Dorian Harris (6-3 forward) and Jagger Crenshaw (6-3 guard). 

“We have a large junior and senior class which makes it competitive to secure playing time,” Watkins said. “The junior and senior classes have played together for a long time, which helps with camaraderie and knowing what’s expected in the program.”