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» Athletics › Men's Basketball › Head Coach
Last season, the Griffins were supposed to be in
a transition year after losing six seniors, but the team rebounded
through grit and determination to not only clinch a playoff spot,
but reach the semifinals of the PAC Tournament, falling to eventual
champion Alvernia. In 2004-05, he guided the Griffins to a 23-5 and
15-1 league mark en route to its second-straight PAC Championship.
Gwynedd hosted an NCAA Tournament First-Round Game for the second-straight
year. During the 2003-04 season, Baron impacted the league
and the nation after his team went 26-3, winning the 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 coach of the year
by the Pennsylvania Athletic Conference (PAC) as well as the Philadelphia
Small College Coaches Association. In Baron's first full season as a college head coach,
he guided the Griffins to a 13-13 record and a playoff berth in
the PAC Tournament, while finishing in fifth place in the league. Baron guided and mentored one of the greatest players
in Gwynedd-Mercy College 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
in the spring of 2006 and was recently drafted by the National Basketball
Association Developmental League (NBDL) in October of 2006. His no-nonsense approach to the game and education-first
philosophy is right in line with the athletic philosophy at Gwynedd-Mercy. After graduating from York College in 1995, Baron
has been an assistant coach at Ursinus College and Gwynedd-Mercy
before being named the head coach of the Griffins in 2002. After
receiving his BA in Elementary Education from York College in 1995,
John attended Penn State for his Master's degree and has completed
his course work. Currently, John is a middle-school teacher in the Owen J. Roberts School District and resides in Limerick, PA with his wife Jane, daughter, Jaylen, and son J.P.
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