Bryn Athyn Men's Basketball announces an eight man recruiting class, including five transfers and three first-year recruits for 2022. "Our program is thrilled to welcome eight newcomers to the hunt," said Head Coach Sean Westerlund. "Coming off another growth year, we continue to solidify our culture and the men that thrive in it. We feel strongly these individuals will make our campus, our community, and our program better. This past season we were extremely young and a bit undersized. Our staff made it a priority to get older, add size, and continue to add shooting and guys with the ability to guard their yard. I speak for the entire staff when I say we are excited about the potential of this group and the impact they will have on those around them."
6'4 forward Koye Whitman was the first commitment of the 2022 class. Whitman played his high school basketball at Nazareth Area High School in Nazareth, Pa. The blue collar forward played AAU with Lehigh Valley Force. Whitman averaged 9 points, 10 rebounds, and 4 assists.
The Lions tapped into the New Jersey prep school pipeline for the other high school commit, picking up a commitment from 5'10 guard Aaron Jones from the Peddie School. The sharpshooting Jones played AAU for New Jersey Shoreshots. Jones, who was Trentonian All-Colonial Honorable Mention averaged 12 points and 4 assists while knocking down 50 three pointers in his senior season.
Bryn Athyn Men's basketball hit Jersey again for their last high school pledge for the class of 2022 in 6'1 guard Isaiah Glenn. Glenn played his high school basketball at Egg Harbor Township where he averaged 10 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 assists. Glenn was named Defensive Player of the Year by his team.
"Zay is an elite athlete that pairs his athleticism with great skill. He checks a lot of boxes for us for our style of play and I truly believe he will thrive in our program. I am looking forward to watching him grow and impact those around him," Coach West said.
The men's basketball program went to a comfortable well, grabbing a transfer guard from Maryland in James Dyson. Dyson, a 6'3 guard, is from Frederick, Md. Dyson attended Virginia Academy for high school where he averaged 11 points, four rebounds, two assists, and two steals per game. He was the Team MVP and also named Virginia Academy's Athlete of the Year. After high school, Dyson spent two seasons at Hood College before committing to transfer to Bryn Athyn College.
Coach Westerlund on James, "We say in our program that connection is the greatest gift we've ever been given. I recruited James to Hood College in my last season there as an assistant. It is funny how life comes full circle. He is coming from a highly successful program at Hood College where he was well coached by Chad Dickman. He has a tremendous understanding of our system. He will be an absolute rockstar in our program and his impact will be felt on and off the court over three years."
The Lions continued their recruiting swing in Maryland garnering a pledge from 6'5 sharpshooting wing AJ Norris who played his JUCO basketball at Allegheny College of Maryland. Prior to his juco days, Norris played his high school ball at Williamsport High School where he helped the team to multiple regional finals. As a senior, Norris averaged 10 points, 6 rebounds and 1 assist.
"AJ is a perfect fit for what we are building. He checks the boxes of maturity, size, and shooting. I truly believe his best basketball is ahead of him and he is walking into a situation that will empower him to really play to his strengths. We are really excited to add AJ to the fold," Coach West on AJ.
The next transfer to make the commitment to the hunt was 6'3 sniper Mike Mallon. Mallon who hails from Media, Pa is a transfer from Delaware County Community College where he was second team All-EPAC after averaging 19 points 5 rebounds and shooting 38% from three. Mallon played his high school basketball at Penncrest.
Bryn Athyn did not have to look far from home for their next transfer commitment. Jalen Cary played his high school basketball at Conwell-Egan and did his first year at Montgomery County Community College. The 6'2 lead guard was a significant contributor for MCCC who ranked as high as #4 in the country this year. Cary ranked top three in the nation in three point shooting after netting nearly 50% of his attempts. He averaged 6 points, 3 rebounds and 1 assist.
"We have been on Jalen since the summer before his senior year. We maintained the connection throughout. Simply put Jalen is a dude. He is walking into a program that is tailor made for his skill set. I see him as a guy who is going to be really impactful for our program and community. We love keeping the local talent home. We could not be more excited to have Jalen on the hunt with us," Coach West remarked.
The Lions hit Baltimore, Md. for the third year in a row with the addition of Division II Millersville University transfer Will Little. Little, who redshirted at Millersville, played his high school basketball at MIAA and BCL contender Our Lady of Mount Carmel. Little, a 6'6 wing, averaged 15 points and 8 rebounds as a junior. In his prep year at Kiski Prep the Baltimore product put up 18 points and 7 rebounds.
"Our program has had great success with Baltimore guys. I remember watching Will as a junior at Mount Carmel and he showed a very versatile and diverse game. He presents matchup problems across the floor with his ability to handle, shoot, and play make. We are excited to add a player of his caliber to the family," Coach West said.
"I believe in these eight young men as people and as student-athletes," Westerlund continued. "They all add different and new dimensions to our team. Our staff has done an amazing job building meaningful relationships with all eight commits. We are looking forward to loving on them and coaching them up when they arrive on campus. They will undoubtedly impact our community and program."
The Lions are adding the eight newcomers to the eleven returners in what will be the second official season under Westerlund. The Lions will open their 2022-23 season on November 16 at Asplundh Field House as they take on Penn State Berks.