When Delaware Hayes and West Liberty graduate Will Yoakum entered the transfer portal after last season, he couldn’t have known where it would land on his personal list of all-time great decisions.

Turns out, after leading top-seeded Nova Southeastern to a thrilling 111-101 win over second-seeded West Liberty in last month’s Division II national championship game, it was one of his best.

It wasn’t by accident, either.

“It was definitely a great decision on my part, but the fact they (Nova Southeastern) played the same style — up-tempo on both sides of the ball — it was a no-brainer,” Yoakum said. “I knew what to expect basketball wise.”

Nova Southeastern coach Jim Crutchfield, who recruited Yoakum to West Liberty before taking the Nova job, knew what to expect, too … and boy did Yoakum and company deliver.

“It’s been a storybook season and perfect ending,” Crutchfield said after the win. “To play in the national championship against West Liberty — where I got my start — is special. This game had a lot of intensity and a lot of emotions, but I’m proud of our team and thrilled to bring a national title back to Nova Southeastern.”

Yoakum poured in a game-high 31 points in the title game against his old team, including scoring seven of nine to balloon the Sharks’ lead to 77-65 midway through the second half.

He was dominant in the first half, too, hitting a deep three-pointer to lead Nova into the break up 55-48.

His performance was solid no matter how you look at it. Put in the proper context, though, it was even better.

The Sharks, who broke the D-II national championship record for points in the first half (55) and game (111), finished as just the sixth team in Division II history to close out the year as undefeated national champs.

“This year has been an incredible ride,” Yoakum said, “and to go 36-0 is a feeling I can’t even describe. It was a matchup a lot of my former teamsters and I talked about before, so when we both made it to the Elite Eight and eventually the Final Four, I knew it was going to come down to us versus them.

“I wanted to treat it like any other game. I had some nerves leading up to the game, but once it started I felt comfortable as long as I knew I went out and gave it my all.”

Yoakum broke the single-season record for points, scoring 727 in his lone season as a Shark. His 31 in the title game earned him Co-Most Outstanding Player honors with RJ Sunahara, who had 28 in the win.

Sunahara and Dallas Graziani, who finished top-10 in the nation in assists, played huge parts in the Sharks’ success this season, too.

“When you play with great players, it rubs off,” Yoakum said. “Our guards are the best in the country and they do a great job of putting me in scoring positions.”

Next up, Yoakum said he plans to continue to play ball at the professional level while finishing up his master’s degree in business marketing.

While at Hayes, Yoakum nabbed multiple all-district and all-conference honors while being named the Delaware County Player of the Year his senior season, averaging 19.4 points and 7.2 rebounds per game.