City of Basketball Love

By David Comer
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After traveling the world for nearly a decade while playing for the Harlem Globetrotters, Philadelphia native Darnell “Speedy” Artis will return to his alma mater, Gwynedd Mercy University, to become the head coach of the men’s basketball team.

GMU announced last Wednesday that Artis, a 2016 graduate who was a four-year starter and four-year captain for the Griffins, will become the sixth head coach since GMU became a full-time member of the NCAA in 1992-93.

Artis will replace the highly successful John Baron, who built GMU into one of the premier Division III programs in the region and compiled a 409-198 (.674) record in his 23 years there; Baron left GMU in April to become the head men’s basketball coach at Division II Holy Family University.

“It wasn’t an easy decision,” said the 31-year-old Artis, who also has played professionally in Brazil. “Next year would have been my 10th year with the Globetrotters and the 100th year for the Globetrotters, but this is a place I love. I love the people. I love the school. It felt like perfect timing.”

Artis, who is GMU’s career assist leader and the only player in Griffins history with at least 400 career assists and 1,300 career points, said that Baron, who was his coach at GMU, “put the idea in my head that I should apply.”

So, he did - but not without some trepidation. Artis has been an assistant at West Catholic for the last four seasons and before that served as one of Baron’s assistants at GMU when he wasn’t on tour with the Globetrotters, but he had no head coaching experience. He said he applied for the head coaching jobs at LaSalle College High, from where he graduated in 2012, and Souderton. He wasn’t picked for either position, but he said the process of applying and interviewing for those jobs was beneficial.

“I definitely think they were helpful,” he said.

He said this time he prepared a PowerPoint presentation, finetuned his resume, and had a plan for his interview to discuss his philosophy, his deep basketball network and his knowledge of X’s and O’s.

“On paper, he didn’t look like the best, best candidate,” Baron said, noting that GMU received 160 resumes from all over the country for the job. “Our jobs are few and far between. … Sometimes somebody has to give you a chance.”

GMU decided to give one its own - someone who is in the school’s Athletic Hall of Fame and arguably the most successful basketball player in GMU history - that chance.

“Darnell has always been more than just a great player. He is an inspiring leader, a role model in his community, and a proud GMercyU alum,” athletic director Keith Mondillo said in a prepared statement. “We are thrilled to welcome him back in this new capacity and are confident he will bring energy, talent, and heart to our program.”

Baron said that Artis - who he called “one of my favorite players of all-time” - has a personality that will allow him to develop relationships and connect with alumni, other coaches, players and recruits.

“Chrisma is what he has,” Baron said. “Not everyone has it. You feel good when you leave a conversation with him.”

Joe Dempsey, who coached Artis at LaSalle High and has since built Spring-Ford into a District 1 powerhouse, called Artis “one of the most special people I’ve ever coached.”

“People want to be associated with him,” Dempsey said. “You just feel better when you’re with him. It’s just something some people have, and he has it.”

Both Baron and Dempsey attended Artis’ introductory news conference and have nothing but positive words for their former player.

“He’s just a natural leader,” Dempsey added. “Guys follow him. He knows what to say and how to lead people.”

Said Baron: “Nobody I felt exemplified love for the school more than me than Darnell. I’m just really proud of him and happy for the school. … I have a special relationship with a couple of guys I coached. When I recruit a player, I tell them it’s not a four-year commitment, it’s a 40-year commitment. My relationship with Darnel is really more than as a player. He became like a big brother to my two kids after their mom died. I cherish my relationship with him off the court more than on the court.”

Perhaps Artis always knew that one day he would be the GMU coach. Artis recently found and sent Baron a photograph of Artis from his playing days at GMU with Artis, phone in hand, sitting in Baron’s office behind Baron’s desk with Post-it notes covering Baron’s name that were handwritten with “Darnell R. Artis.”

Now, Artis will call that office home.

“The night before I got the job I just got these feelings,” Artis said. “I felt God working through me.”

Artis said that he is building his coaching staff and roster. Bernie Fitzgerald, an assistant at GMU when Artis played there, will be the associate head coach. D.J. Johnson (Norristown), Justin Savage (Cheltenham) and Jalen Snead (Archbishop Ryan) are expected to return for the 2025-26 season after they were key contributors on last season’s team that started 13-0 and finished 21-5.

“We will have a team that executes at a high level and plays harder than anybody,” Artis said. “We will have five guys on the floor who play harder than anybody and are laser focused on execution.”

Don’t expect to see GMU use the bucket of water gag that the Globetrotters made famous, but Artis said there is much that he learned with the Globetrotters that will carry over to his first head coaching job.

“First and foremost, I am a leader of men, a manager of men, a manager of personalities,” Artis said. “I was in a professional locker room everyday over the last nine years, and I really grew as a leader. I learned how to deal with different concerns. I learned how to communicate. I was one of the leading people who represented an organization as big as the Globetrotters. Now, I will be representing the University.”

Artis - who was listed at 5-foot-9 when he played for GMU and 5-foot-7 when he played for the Globetrotters - said, among other roles, he was a showman, a dribbler and a shooter for the Globetrotters. As his name implies, he is incredibly quick. And he has a remarkable handle. A search on YouTube yields several videos of Artis with the Globetrotters doing amazing things with a basketball. 

And his favorite trick?

“Spinning the ball on my finger,” he said. “It’s the most iconic trick. I couldn’t do it before I became a Globetrotter. I couldn’t do any of the tricks. Now, I will always be able to do cool tricks.”

Artis, who grew up in East Germantown, said he always wanted to give back to his community.  And he has. He and childhood friends started the UnderDawgs summer basketball league at the Lonnie Young Recreation Center. 

“I’ve always been self-aware and forward-thinking,” he said. “I wanted to have a deep impact on my community, and I knew being a Harlem Globetrotter would help.”

Artis also wanted to have a deep impact on GMU. That is why he applied for the job in the first place.

“I have the opportunity to build and continue a culture there,” he said. “There’s already been a winning culture here for the last 25 years, and I can now carry on that culture.