2012-2013 Season Recap
Penn State Brandywine capped off a 17-10 season (14-5 PSUAC record) with their third consecutive playoff birth and 2nd consecutive trip to the PSUAC Final Four under head coach, Stuart Ross. Brandywine played a difficult non-conference schedule going against respected Division III opponents and obtaining quality wins against Rutgers-Camden, Penn State Abington, and Penn State Berks. Brandywine was dominant on their home floor never losing a game in conference play with an overall home record of 10-2. Head Coach Stuart Ross earned PSUAC Co-Coach of the Year for one of the most successful regular seasons in school history.
The 2012-2013 season was sparked by the leadership of Senior forward Learon Pray, a four-year starter for Coach Ross, and Senior guard Darryl White, who worked hard to rejoin the team after suffering a tragic off-court injury in 2010. Pray rounded out a successful career at PSU Brandywine while scoring his 1000th career point on 1/22/13 against Valley Forge Christian College after exploding for 34 points and 14 rebounds three days prior against Penn State New Kensington. The 2012-2013 season also saw the emergence of 6'7" Junior forward, Dan Robinson, who anchored the Brandywine front court with a combination of outside shooting and his low post presence. Robinson finished in the top four in the conference in scoring (18ppg), rebounding (9rpg), and 3-point shooting (44%). He earned PSUAC Newcomer of the Year honors in addition to being named to the PSUAC 1st Team All-Conference and USCAA 1st Team All-American. Joining Robinson on the PSUAC 1st Team All-Conference was Junior point guard, Rasheed Wilkins, who was named to the USCAA 2nd Team All-American. Wilkins has been named an All-American and All-Conference player each of his first three years at Brandywine. Wilkins, one of Brandywine's leading scorers (17ppg), also showed his versatility through passing (5apg) and rebounding (5rpg). Earning further PSUAC accolades was Freshman walk-on turned starter, forward Frank McCusker, who received a PSUAC Honorable Mention to the All-Conference Team for his ability to score, especially from beyond the three point arc. Brandywine also relied heavily on 3-point shooting all year long from Junior forward Brandon Jacquette, Freshman forward Pat McGee, Junior guard Kevin Bonnes, Freshman guard Brian Sarcinello, and Junior guard Vince Mostardi. Rounding out the backcourt rotation who assisted with ballhandling duties were Junior starter Kris Cassidy, Freshman Khalif Deane, Freshman DaQuan Timmons, and Sophomore Zack DeVito. Brandywine was led down low by a tandem of Freshman post players, Ed Allen and Mahamane "Abba" Toure, who served to complement Robinson and Pray throughout the season. Toure led Brandywine during the last game of the season with a season-high 17 points. Brandywine returns all five starters next year and hopes to replace its senior leadership through a quality recruiting class of local talent. The sky is the limit as Brandywine looks to earn their third straight trip to the PSUAC Final Four under the Stuart Ross regime while seeking the school's first ever PSUAC Championship and USCAA tournament birth.