When Delaware State University signed Jahsha Bluntt to a basketball scholarship in 2003, little did the Hornets know that they were getting a five-star diamond in the rough.
 
Bluntt, who is from Los Angeles, Calif., had a stellar career at Fairfax High School and received overtures from such West Coast schools like University of Oregon and Cal Berkeley, as well as East Coast schools like UMass and Drexel. Yet somehow, interest was not solid, so with the clock ticking, Bluntt was left with two options: either attend a junior college or Delaware State.
 
"My cousin, Rasheed Oliver, was a player at Delaware State,” Bluntt said, "He told the coaching staff about me. So, when I decided to visit, I knew very little about the East Coast and even less about HBCUs. But once I visited, I knew it was the place for me. The way they embraced me and the atmosphere there made me feel at home. Everything from the fraternities and sororities to the college professors helped make my decision easy. It was the ideal place for me to accomplish my goals of being an athlete and also pursuing my education."
 
Blunt redshirted as a freshman and followed up with a productive first season.
 
"I watched the team and began to get comfortable with my role and how I fit in," Bluntt, a 2023 MEAC Hall of Fame inductee, said.
 
Little did Bluntt know that he would help become a part of something very special for the Hornets basketball program. A two-time MEAC Player of the Year (2006 and 2007), Bluntt was also the MEAC Basketball Tournament’s Outstanding Performer in 2005. During his career with the Hornets, Delaware State won the program’s lone MEAC tournament title – and corresponding NCAA Tournament berth – in 2005, while also making two NIT appearances.
 
Bluntt would go on to lead Delaware State to MEAC regular-season titles in three straight seasons: 2004-05, 2005-06 and 2006-07, and he was a two-time First Team All-MEAC honoree. One of the MEAC’s most prolific scorers, Bluntt currently ranks third in conference history in career made 3-pointers (303) and 20th all-time in scoring (1,721 career points).
 
With all those accomplishments, Bluntt cautions and offers the personal prospective on the process.
 
"After the first MEAC title and trip to the NCAAs, people were asking, ‘Can you do again?’," Bluntt said. "This was something unprecedented at Del State, so people were naturally skeptical as to whether it was a fluke. It helped us because it gave us the motivation to repeat the next season. Then after the second, there were still doubters and we challenged ourselves again and were able to repeat for a third time."
 
One of his most vivid memories was from that first season (2005), when the Hornets faced Duke in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
 
Delaware State, with Bluntt leading the way, had the heavily favored Blue Devils on the ropes and actually led by three during the first half. The stunned Blue Devils made some adjustments and ultimately went on to win by a respectable 11 points.
 
"I don't believe in moral victories," Bluntt said without hesitation. "We went into that game with the intention of not just being competitive, but we actually felt we were going to win."
 
He attributes a special bond that he and teammates had developed in their successful ride.
 
"It was like a brotherhood,” Bluntt said. "There was a brotherhood that we had. We did everything together, not just on the court but off as well."
 
Bluntt constantly speaks glowingly about the experience of attending an HBCU and how much it has contributed to his all-around development. So what advice would he offer to African Americans looking to further their education?
 
"It does not matter where you go, it's about what you do with the opportunity," Bluntt said. "If you go in with the right mindset, you can be a part of putting your school on the map and as well achieve your academic and career goals." 
 
Dennis Jones, the sports information director at Delaware State for almost three decades, got to see Bluntt's development and contributions to Delaware State and to the MEAC.
 
"Jahsha is arguably one of the greatest all-around athletes in the history of Delaware State Athletics," Jones said. "Whether it was in three-point shooting or the slam dunk, he had the ability to do both. The thing is that he probably could have had more numbers, but he was so unselfish. We at Del State are so very proud. He was unquestionably deserving of Hall of Fame honors."
 
Bluntt, who received his business management degree from Delaware State, has put his training to work as a product manager building websites and apps for a tech company in his home state. He is still involved in the game he loves so much.
 
"One of the things that people don't know is that I had the opportunity to train with the likes of former NBA players like Baron Davis and Paul Pierce when I was a sophomore in high school,” Bluntt said. “That training has helped me in training and coaching. It is a way of giving back and is very gratifying."
 
Being inducted into the MEAC Hall of Fame in March was something Bluntt admits caught him by surprise.
 
"When you think of the Hall of Fame, you think of individuals who are in their 50's and 60's," he said. "You never think of someone at 38 being in that position. It is certainly a great honor that the MEAC and Del State recognize me at this age. It means that they respect my body of work and for that, I am forever grateful."