A New Season With Lots Of New Faces

William Penn Men’s Basketball Head Coach John Henry gives some last minute instruction during the teams second scrimmage of the year.

October 29, 2022

Oskaloosa, Iowa – The sound of squeaking tennis shoes on the basketball court while coaches instruct the latest plays welcomes the incoming basketball season at William Penn University.

Men’s Head Coach John Henry said the team was blessed to have had the same core of players over the past three years.

That team went 86-7 while winning the league and tournament titles and being ranked in the top five nationally the entire time. Gonzaga and Northwest Missouri State were the only teams in college basketball to win more games.

The team lost nine seniors and five assistant coaches from last year. “So we’ve got some new faces, but you know, we’re gonna keep on keeping on, and hopefully, we keep the tradition going. “I’m comfortable with where we are going, and I’m happy about it,” added Henry.

Some notable returners include Chanze Crusoe, a returning Eddie Daley, Malik Edwards, and Muneer Newton, whom fans will recognize.

Those notable returners are bolstered by a new crop of players learning the plays and style while working on gelling as a team.

Henry said he’s not expecting the same results as the past three years, “But we will be okay. I mean, we’re not gonna be losers, but it’s going to be a work in progress for a while, and we’ll build it back up.”

That winning program is something that helps them recruit top talent, Henry says. “We have a motto here that a year without a banner is a year that doesn’t exist. That may be arrogant, but that’s what we’ve built here, and that’s what we’re going with.”

William Penn Men’s Basketball played its season opener in Chicago this weekend, winning its first two games with a 107-80 win over Great Lakes Christian. They then followed that up with a 90-81 win over Governors State.