John Baron took the reins of the Gwynedd Mercy University men's basketball program prior to the start of the 2002-2003 season. Since that time, he has overseen the development of 44 all-conference performers, seven all-region selections (Badou Gaye ‘05, Chris DelBrocco, ‘07, Dave Smith ‘09, and Dan DelConte ‘12, Darnell Artis ‘15 and ‘16, Julian Hyden ‘16, Rich Dunham ‘20, Shawn Summers '25), one two-time National All-American (Gaye ‘05), and 20 National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Honors Court players which recognizes student-athletes with a cumulative GPA of 3.2 or higher. His no-nonsense approach to the game and education-first mindset is right in line with the athletic philosophy at Gwynedd Mercy University.
Over the last 22 seasons, Coach Baron has accumulated a 409-198 (.674) overall record and he has guided his teams to the conference playoffs in every season along the way with a 256-94 (.731) league record. During his career he has enjoyed 11 20-win seasons, six conference championships, 10 conference championship appearances, six National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Tournament appearances, four NCAA Tournament wins, an Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Championship, and numerous regional and national rankings over his time. He recorded his 400th career win with a 84-83 victory over Immaculata University on January 11, 2025, and earned his 300th win with an 86-77 victory over Penn State Harrisburg (Widener University Tournament) on November 16th, 2018.
Gwynedd Mercy University opened the 2024-2025 season with a historic 13-0 start that propelled the Griffins to a 21-5 finish. The Red and Gold, Marymount University, and Neumann University finished with identical 9-3 Atlantic East Conference (AEC) records; after several tie breakers were exhausted, point differential during the regular season separated the Knights as the top seed while opposing the Saints and Griffins in the #2/#3 semifinal, respectively. There, the Saints proved to be the better team despite a 26-point performance from All-AEC First Teamer,
Shawn Summers Jr. He was joined on the All-AEC roster by
Aquil Stewart '25 who garnered his third All-AEC Second Team selection (2021-2022, 2022-2023, 2024-2025). Summers also his 1,000 career point versus Penn State Brandywine (W, 92-47 on Nov. 23) and he became the seventh Griffin in program history to earn D3hoops.com All-Region honors as he was selected to the 2024-2025 Region 5 Second Team.
In 2023-2024, the Griffins posted a 17-9 record and earned a berth in Baron’s 10th AEC Men's Basketball Championship Tournament. During the campaign, the Griffins battled NCAA Division I members Delaware State University and Wagner College in competitive December contests. A determined trio of leaders - All-AEC First Team selection
Aziz Parker '24, All-AEC Second Team selection
Johann Vinson '24, as well as 2022-2023 All-AEC First Team selection Manny Clark - coupled with 2022-2023 AEC Rookie of the Year
D.J. Johnson,
Dom Thomas '24,
Jalen Snead and a pair of new additions -
Mike Marable '25 and
Stewart - cemented the Griffins as a true competitor for the league crown. Four Griffins -
Manny Clark '24, Stewart, Parker, and Marable each surpassed the 1,000-point milestone during the course of the season.
Parker averaged 14.4 PPG and shot at a swift 41.5% from the field with an identical 41.5% three-point shooting percentage that led the league from long range. He also led the AEC in three-pointers made (65) and hit 76% from the free throw line. Parker was also in the league’s Top-10 in almost every category, including rebounds (5.1/game). Vinson played an integral part of the early season turn around as he averaged 13.7 PPG while ranking in the AEC Top-10 in seven categories. Clark was dynamic in big spots throughout the year, making several significant plays in many close games. Baron is most proud that this senior class as they became the 73
rd, 74
th, and 75
th, graduates of his GMercyU coaching career.
In 2019-2020, the Griffins posted a 23-7 record and earned a berth in its second consecutive AEC Men’s Basketball Championship game and went on to host and win the Eastern College Athletic Conference Division III Men’s Basketball Championship, marking the program's fifth-straight 20-win season. After graduating three starters and losing two all-league players from the 2018-19 group, the team had numerous question marks in various areas entering the season. Along came a determined trio of leaders on and off the court in first team All-Atlantic East selection Rich Dunham, Donavan Spencer, and Somah Slewion. Couple this trio with freshman starter Nate Walker and strong group fellow contributors and many of the question marks began to dissolve.
Dunham averaged 20.8 pts a game and a swift 51% shooting clip with a threatening 43% three-point shooting percentage. Walker, Slewion and Spencer were dynamic in big spots throughout the year and were key go-to guys in many close games. This group of seniors leave as the winningest class going 84-29 with a conference championship, three conference championship game appearances, an NCAA tournament win, an ECAC postseason championship, and became the program’s second-ever group to win 20 games in four-straight years. Along with Dunham’s First-Team All Atlantic East accolade, he also was named ECAC Tournament MVP and earned a spot on the D3hoops.com All-Atlantic Region Team. His career is laden with team and individual successes which include top 5 rankings in the career statistical leaderboard in 15 of the 17 categories and is first in program history in steals and free throw percentage.
Dunham averaged 20.8 pts a game and a swift 51% shooting clip with a threatening 43% three-point shooting percentage. Walker, Slewion and Spencer were dynamic in big spots throughout the year and were key go-to guys in many close games. This group of seniors leave as the winningest class going 84-29 with a conference championship, three conference championship game appearances, an NCAA tournament win, an ECAC postseason championship, and became the program’s second-ever group to win 20 games in four-straight years. Along with Dunham’s First-Team All Atlantic East accolade, he also was named ECAC Tournament MVP and earned a spot on the D3hoops.com All-Atlantic Region Team. His career is laden with team and individual successes which include top 5 rankings in the career statistical leaderboard in 15 of the 17 categories and is first in program history in steals and free throw percentage.
The 2018-2019 season saw the Griffins go 20-9 and capture the inaugural Atlantic East Men's Basketball Championship. This marked the program's fourth-straight 20-win season and the program’s fifth NCAA tournament bid. The team rolled into the NCAA tournament and was shipped out to Willliamstown, Massachusetts where they upset #17 ranked team Plattsburgh State, 73-65, before bowing out to the 10th ranked and host team Williams College in the second round.
The 2015-2016 squad was another special group as they finished the CSAC regular season with 17-1 mark and continued into the conference tournament as the #1 seed. The Griffins were led by first-team All-CSAC and All-Atlantic Region Selections in Darnell Artis and Julian Hyden. Baron’s team played to a decisive 84-70 CSAC Championship game win and earned the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. With a trip to Marietta, Ohio to play the country’s #6 ranked team in front of an amazing crowd, Baron’s relentless team was able to pull out an exciting 86-85 victory over the hosts on a last second stop and then score to secure the win. The success of the team’s 22-7 overall record earned Baron his second CSAC Coach of the Year as well as Atlantic Region Coach of the Year by D3hoops.com, NABC Atlantic Coach of Year, ECAC South Coach of the Year, COBL Philadelphia Area Coach of the Year, and was a finalist of the Glenn Robinson/NABC National Coach of the Year.
The 2003-04 season started it all as Baron and his team impacted the league, Philadelphia Region, and the nation in just his second season while guiding his team to a 26-3 record, winning the then PAC Championship and advancing to its first ever "Sweet 16" appearance in the NCAA Tournament. The team also earned a final ranking of #15 by D3hoops.com. For his efforts, he was named the PAC coach of the year from the league as well as the Philadelphia Small College Coaches Association Coach of the Year.
Coach Baron guided and mentored one of the greatest players in Gwynedd Mercy history, two-time All American and PAC Player of the Year, Badou Gaye. The 6-9 center went on to become the first student-athlete at Gwynedd Mercy to be drafted professionally as the USBL's Westchester Wildfire selected him in the second round of its draft in April 2005. Gaye played professionally in Europe from 2006-2008 and was then drafted in the first round of the National Basketball Association Developmental League (NBDL) in by the Idaho Stampeders, an affiliate of the Utah Jazz. Numerous other former Griffins have had success and opportunities to play professionally abroad.
The Griffins took their first-ever foreign team tour in October 2011, visiting Costa Rica and revisited the country in 2014 and visited again this in October 2023. The squad played and practiced against Costa Rican Professional teams as a pre-season tune up tour. Baron has taken numerous summer All-Star teams of DII and DIII players to many countries such as Barbados, Germany, Austria, Italy, Costa Rica, Slovenia, and Canada over his time.
Off the court, Baron’s Griffin teams have also enjoyed tremendous success by staying highly involved with yearly community service projects and events. The Griffins run two weeks of summer basketball camp servicing over 300 local players from 2nd to 8th grades. The “Breathing room Foundation” is a special organization close to the Griffin program. Started by former Griffin assistant Coach Bernie Fitzgerald, the team participates in a 5k fundraiser and volunteers time at Thanksgiving and Christmas to deliver dinner and presents to families with a loved one facing cancer. The team’s time provides these families a little “breathing room” as the families face cancer in their household. Baron is also involved with the Philadelphia Branch of Coaches v. Cancer raising awareness and support for this cause.
Coach Baron has a consistent emphasis on education and studies. Baron’s teams mean GPA hovers around 3.0 mark each season. He has graduated 75 student athletes through his 22 year career at the university and extremely proud of his continuous connection to ALL of his alumni and their families!
Baron began his coaching career in 1996 at Owen J. Roberts High School in Pottstown, Pa. In 1999, He entered the college coaching circle and served as an assistant at Ursinus College. The following year in 2000, he became an assistant Gwynedd Mercy (then College) before being named the head coach of the Griffins in 2002.
Coach Baron received his BA in Elementary Education from York College in 1995. He earned his master's degree at Penn State University in Education, Curriculum, and Instruction in 2004 and serves at the athletic departments’ Director of Academic Coordination.
Coaching Record
| Year |
Overall W-L |
League W-L |
Notes |
| 2002-2003 |
13-13 |
8-8 |
PAC Tournament |
| 2003-2004 |
26-3 |
14-2 |
PAC Champions/NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 |
| 2004-2005 |
23-5 |
15-1 |
PAC Champions/NCAA Tournament |
| 2005-2006 |
12-15 |
9-9 |
PAC Tournament |
| 2006-2007 |
14-13 |
12-6 |
PAC Tournament/ECAC Tournament |
| 2007-2008 |
21-10 |
10-6 |
PAC Runner-Up/ECAC Tournament |
| 2008-2009 |
23-6 |
13-3 |
CSAC Champions/NCAA Tournament 2nd Round |
| 2009-2010 |
13-13 |
12-6 |
CSAC Tournament |
| 2010-2011 |
21-7 |
15-3 |
CSAC Runner-Up/NCAA Tournament |
| 2011-2012 |
17-10 |
12-6 |
CSAC Tournament/ECAC Tournament |
| 2012-2013 |
15-11 |
14-4 |
CSAC Tournament |
| 2013-2014 |
19-7 |
15-3 |
CSAC Tournament |
| 2014-2015 |
17-10 |
11-7 |
CSAC Tournament |
| 2015-2016 |
22-7 |
17-1 |
CSAC Champions/NCAA Tournament 2nd Round |
| 2016-2017 |
21-7 |
13-5 |
CSAC Runner-Up |
| 2017-2018 |
20-6 |
15-3 |
CSAC Tournament |
| 2018-2019 |
20-9 |
9-3 |
AEC Champions/NCAA Tournament 2nd Round |
| 2019-2020 |
23-7 |
10-2 |
AEC Runner-Up/ECAC Tournament Champions |
| 2020-2021 |
2-0 |
0-0 |
*Shortened season due to COVID-19 pandemic* |
| 2021-2022 |
15-11 |
7-5 |
AEC Tournament (#3)/ECAC Tournament (#8) |
| 2022-2023 |
14-13 |
7-5 |
AEC Semifinals (#3) |
| 2023-2024 |
17-10 |
9-3 |
AEC Runner-Up (#2) |
| 2024-2025 |
21-5 |
9-3 |
AEC Semifinals (#3) |
| Totals |
409-198 (.674) |
256-94 (.731) |
|
