Terrell Stokes enters his second season as the men's basketball head coach at Cheyney University for the 22-23 season. Stokes who was hired in October of 2021 as the program returned to action after not competing during the 2020-21 season due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The 22-23 season will be the first opportunity for Stokes to have players that he was able to recruit. Since Stokes was hired in October and the program had been dormant, he reached out to the entire student body and held tryouts to build a team for the 21-22 season. He says it was one his best coaching jobs in his career.
"We had many players who hadn't played college basketball before and it was a season where we did a lot of teaching." Coach Stakes has implemented a Cheyney tradition that was started by Coach John Cheney, the 6 AM practice.
One of the reasons Stokes chose not to play for coach Chaney at Temple, was because of the early practices, he has now realized the wisdom of the Hall of Fame coach.
"There are no distractions and no excuses for not coming to practice for missing classes."
The 22-23 team consists of players from Philadelphia to the South Sudan and includes players from New Jersey, Maryland and Ohio. Cheyney, still and independent school, will be very young this season and faces a very difficult schedule, with several games versus NCAA Division II opponents. Thw Wolves will be part of the inaugural HBCU GAMEDAY CLASSIC at Lincoln University on November 26 and 27. The tournament concludes with the Battle of the First vs the Lions.
Stokes came to Cheyney after spending the last 12 years as the assistant coach for the University of the District of Columbia (UDC) where during his tenure he helped lead the team to the NCAA Division II tournament for the first time in 30 years and earned the school its highest national ranking in history (#10). He started at UDC when the team was under a probation period with only one win that season, ultimately turning around the program with 12 wins the following year and subsequently gaining a berth in the NCAA Division II tournament in his third season. Prior to UDC, Stokes coached at Loyola College and Elizabeth City State University.
“Cheyney is a perfect fit to bring my coaching experience to a university that prides itself on history and culture, while looking to strengthen an athletic program that can support the academic growth it is currently experiencing,” said Stokes. “A critical part of building a team is defining and developing a representative set of core values such as hard work, dedication to the team, respect of the game, a competitive spirit and high character. Teams that possess these core values will establish a culture that will be the bedrock of a highly successful program for years to come.”
Similar to his coaching success, Stokes earned high rankings while playing for the University of Maryland where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science in family studies. During his four years with the Terrapins, the team made NCAA tournament appearances every year, which included two Sweet 16 appearances, and had the highest national ranking in the school’s history (#2). He holds the record for the most assists in a game and has the all-time assist-to-turnover ratio.
“We are absolutely thrilled that Coach Stokes chose Cheyney as the next step in his professional career and to lead our young men back onto the court this season,” said Cheyney President Aaron A. Walton. “He places a high value on players being students first and creates an environment where academic staff and instructors ensure student athletes are progressing toward their degree. We look forward to his continued success with us and providing academic guidance to our students on and off the court.”
Stokes is no stranger to the Philadelphia area. He grew up in the city and graduated from Simon Gratz High School where he was a three-time basketball All American. He was part of the 1993 National Championship team and was the highest-ranked point guard in the nation his senior year. He’s also Gratz’ all-time assist leader and holds the most triple doubles in school history.
“It is a great honor to return to my hometown and bring my coaching and playing experience to Cheyney,” said Stokes. “Since playing at Gratz, I’ve learned that players must take responsibility for their individual performance, work habits and commitment to the team and the institution. As a coach, I will provide the team with the leadership, training and education necessary to achieve these goals.”
