Competitive and economic opportunity now abounds at college basketball’s highest level and Jyáre Davis has, not surprisingly, decided to seize it.

After starring three years for his hometown Blue Hens, Davis has entered the transfer portal and will play his final season somewhere else, the University of Delaware announced Tuesday.

Davis follows the lead of recent Blue Hen standouts such as Justyn Mutts (Virginia Tech), Andrew Carr (Wake Forest) and Jameer Nelson Jr. (TCU) in leaving for a place where six-figure Name/Image/Likeness financial deals are common and the games are tougher and played before bigger audiences.

“The University of Delaware has been an incredibly special place not only in my heart, but in my family’s heart,” Davis, a Sanford School grad from Newark, said in the UD announcement.

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“I’ve grown up attending Delaware football and basketball games, calling the 302 home. It has been an absolute honor to represent the Blue Hens in the NCAA Tournament after winning a CAA championship [in 2022]. I have nothing but gratitude, respect, and love for UD, the athletic department, Coach [Martin] Ingelsby, the entire staff, and my teammates.”

Davis expects to graduate from Delaware this summer, giving him the chance, he said, “to challenge myself at the highest level possible.”

The 6-foot-7 forward spent his freshman 2020-21 season at Providence but didn’t play after suffering an early-season concussion. He transferred to Delaware and became a late-season spark in 2021-22, winning CAA Rookie of the Year and CAA Tournament MVP as Delaware beat three higher-seeded teams to win the league title and make the NCAA Tournament.

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He was a third-team All-CAA pick last year and second team choice this year on Delaware teams that went 17-16 and 19-14 and lost in the CAA quarterfinals. Davis averaged career bests 17.1 points and 7.5 rebounds per game this year.

“Jyáre has been a tremendous ambassador for our program for the past three years,” Ingelsby said in the UD statement. “He’s given everything he has to the University of Delaware, and we are grateful to have been a part of his journey. Jyáre played an instrumental role in our 2022 CAA Championship run and will continue to represent the University of Delaware as an alumnus. We wish him nothing but the best moving forward.”

Delaware's Wes Peterson, a reserve guard, has also entered the transfer portal.

Contact Kevin Tresolini at ktresolini@delawareonline.com and follow on Twitter @kevintresolini. Support local journalism by subscribing to delawareonline.com and our DE Game Day newsletter.

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Delaware Blue Hens' Jyáre Davis entering transfer portal