City of Basketball Love

Rich Flanagan (@richflanagan33)
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Antwuan Butler and John Brennan’s individual roads to Rowan University are intertwined. They have been integral parts of each other’s journey to Glassboro, and one doesn’t get there without the other.

When seeing Brennan have an individual conversation with Butler now, there’s a mutual respect and understanding that has percolated since Butler was in high school and Brennan was beginning to find his way in the coaching ranks. 

This is Butler’s final opportunity to play the game that has defined him for years during Brennan’s first season in a profession that profoundly defines him, and both are relishing their time together.

“With John, he watches your game and what you do best,” Butler said. “He strives for you to be better in your weaknesses. With him, we worked on shooting and playing off two feet for me because I’m a stronger guard. He made me better at what I already could do.”

Brennan, 38, joined his brother, Eric’s staff when Rowan named the younger Brennan interim head coach in April. Eric, 34, immediately knew he wanted his younger sibling on the sideline next to him. Brennan wanted to hit the ground running on the recruiting trail and the first player he thought of that could, first, help in culture establishment and, second, play at a high level while mentoring younger players was Butler.

“I love the kid and knowing he had one more year to play with circumstances surrounding the medical injury at NJIT, I wanted to make sure he got his degree because that’s most important,” Brennan said. “At the end of the spring semester, he’ll graduate, and I think he was hungry and wanted to end his basketball career on a high note.”

The friendship between Butler and Brennan goes back several years and to see how it has transcended through the years makes their paths to the Profs program so much more meaningful. Jason Harrigan was Butler’s head coach at Del-Val Charter, and Butler was part of the greatest and final two-year run in program history alongside Mahki Morris (Abilene Christian), Wade Lowman (University of Montevallo) and Waheem Lowman (Neumann University), Dion Harris II (Shippensburg), Semaj Motley and Rashae Nixon. 

Butler averaged 11.6 ppg as a sophomore as the Warriors finished 26-5 overall and secured their first-ever Philadelphia Public League title with an 84-74 win over Constitution then added more hardware by defeating Quade Green, Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree, and Neumann-Goretti in the District 12-3A title game to claim the first city title in program history. Del-Val Charter rode a 19-game winning streak and advanced to the PIAA 3A Tournament quarterfinals before falling to Imhotep Charter.

He made significant strides as a player his junior season, averaging 14.3 ppg on his way to 2016-17 All-Public League Independence Division First Team and Pa. All-State Class 3A Second Team. That All-Public League team included MVP Fatts Russell (Imhotep), Malik Archer (MCS), Tamir Green (Constitution), David Beatty (Imhotep), Will McNair (Martin Luther King). The Warriors lost to Neumann-Goretti in the city title with Butler scoring 16 points then the two met once again in the PIAA 3A semifinals – the first and only for Del-Val Charter – with the Saints getting the better of the Warriors. He was a 1,000-point scorer in search of a new destination with one year remaining.

Harrigan, now the head coach at St. Joe’s Prep, introduced Brennan to Butler at the end of his junior season and the bond was formed from there. Del-Val Charter unexpectedly closed its doors in June 2017 and Harrigan took the head coaching job at Cardinal O’Hara. He asked Brennan to join the staff at Cardinal O’Hara and Butler followed his head coach and future instructor and assistant coach to Springfield.

Brennan immediately began working with Butler and saw the potential in his game.

“He’s a big guard and has a wide frame, so I always worked on dribble-posting the ball,” Brennan said. “Dribble to a spot then get a smaller guard on your hip and basically go to work in the post. Some other things are catching and shooting and seeing the floor.”

Butler blossomed in his lone season at Cardinal O’Hara, taking a team that had finished 0-13 in the Philadelphia Catholic League the year prior and elevating it to a 11-12 (5-8 PCL) record and a berth in the league playoffs. He averaged 18.5 ppg and was named First Team All-Catholic, the first time Cardinal O’Hara had a first team selection since Gene Willard, who went on to play at the University of the Sciences, in 2001. 

The Lions defeated Archbishop Ryan in the opening round of the playoffs with Butler scoring 24 points before falling to Isaiah Wong (Indiana Pacers) and Bonner-Prendergast in the quarterfinals. His teammates at O’Hara included Ant Purnell (West Chester), Tre Dinkins (Canisius) and Jordan Hall, who starred at St. Joe’s and is currently playing with the Long Island Nets in the NBA G-League.

After Butler graduated and went off to Austin Peay then NJIT, Brennan kept in touch on a regular basis, checking in on his progress and inviting Butler to come back to Neumann-Goretti to practice with the team when he was away from campus. 

“We always stayed in touch, even when I was at school,” Butler said. “He guided me to be a better man. When I came home, he made sure I was in the gym and getting better,” as Butler notes.

Butler and Brennan’s time and commitment to each other paid dividends as it strengthened the former’s overall game in anticipation of a Division I playing career and latter’s pursuit of a career in coaching and basketball. Butler started 68 out of 100 games he appeared in between Austin Peay and NJIT. He helped Austin Peay win 43 games in his two seasons there with averages of 5.9 ppg, 2.7 rpg and 2.8 apg. While at NJIT, he averaged 7.0 ppg, 3.5 rpg and 2.4 apg and even led the team in assists in 2021-22.

With another year of eligibility as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, Butler was going to exercise that option. Unfortunately, he had to have his appendix removed and was medically withdrawn from NJIT, putting him out of school and off the court for a year.

“When I did the medical withdrawal, my credits were messed up and I couldn’t go back to play D1,” Butler said. “I was off for a year then I got in contact with my guy, John and he told me he had a spot over here with him.”

It took several months for Butler’s body to fully recover post-op, but Brennan was the first one to reach out in an effort to get him reacclimated with the game. Brennan was an assistant coach under Carl Arrigale at Neumann-Goretti at this time and brought the 6-foot, 200-pound senior guard in to work out and run with Sultan Adewale (Iona College), St. Joe's commit Khaafiq Myers, Robert Wright III – the Baylor commit playing his final prep season at Montverde Academy (Fla.) – and the rest of the Saints who were coming off a Philadelphia Catholic League and PIAA Class 4A title. According to Butler, “he got me back on the court and in the swing of things with basketball. He pushed me to be the best that I can be.”

Now, they’re together again and the relationship has reached a new point as Brennan is realizing a dream of coaching from a college sideline and Butler is getting one last chance to play at the collegiate level. Even more importantly, they get to experience this season learning and savoring the memories side by side. Butler is averaging 6.1 ppg, 2.4 rpg and 2.9 apg in 16 games (13 starts).

His role now isn’t a go-to scorer as he was in high school but similar to the one he played at his previous two stops as a calming and reassuring presence for an inexperienced but talented Rowan team that currently sits at 13-5 overall and 7-4 in the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC). Furthermore, he is using his time in the Division I rank to put high-scoring teammates Ja’Zere Noel (22.4 ppg), Abraham Lincoln product Khalif Meares (19.9) and Marcellus Ross (18.8, 62 three-pointers made) in position to be successful.

“I can’t take full credit for his development, but I certainly tried to do my best whenever he was with me,” Brennan said. “We have a great relationship, and it stems back far. He becomes a set-up guy for us. We have Ja’Zere, Khalif and Marcellus. Having that steady veteran presence that Antwuan provides has been great and guys know his résumé. He has a lot of Division I starts, and they really respect him.”

The duo is making the most of this season, joking before tipoff and embracing postgame after each win. It’s more than a player-coach relationship; it’s a brotherhood that will last long after both men have left the game. Basketball is what brought them together and for now, it’s the focus as they look to help Rowan win its second consecutive conference championship. 

They both want the other to succeed and that bodes well for the rest of the team.

“I want the best for me, and he wants the best for me,” Butler said. “We want the best for each other and it’s all about winning. I don’t care how it happens and with this staff, everyone cares about us and does what's best for us no matter what.”