Through his winding basketball journey, Roman Penn has brought a wealth of experience to the Drake Bulldogs despite his relative newness.

Penn played his high school basketball at Bishop Noll in Indiana. Following graduation, he attended Don Bosco Prep in Crown Point, Ind., for half of a season before enrolling at Siena College in New York.
Penn posted impressive numbers at Siena – 9.7 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per game – but the Saints struggled and posted a final record of 8-24. Following a coaching change at Siena, Penn decided to pursue the remainder of his college basketball career elsewhere.

He chose Drake, which had just hired coach Darian DeVries to overhaul its men's basketball program.

"Knowing there was a new coach and new team, I wanted to go into something new, not something that was already built," said Penn.

Even with all the newness, the sense of familiarity drew Penn. He grew up playing AAU basketball with Anthony Murphy, Tremell Murphy and D.J. Wilkins, all three of whom had already committed to Drake.
"Having that connection with them in AAU, that helped a lot," said Penn. "Visiting the school and seeing the campus, it was perfect. I liked the size of it, not too big and you're able to walk and get to places quickly, and I liked the Knapp Center."

Penn also grew up competing against Jonah Jackson, bringing the total number of childhood rivals turned Drake Bulldogs to five.

"We grew up playing against each other a lot, so the connection was already familiar," said Penn. "For all of us to be from the same area and be on the same team, a lot of people would dream of doing that. We're very fortunate to have that chance."

While Penn is living out his dream now, things weren't always so rosy. His year at Siena was cut short due to injury, and he had to sit out last season at Drake due to NCAA transfer rules. In total, Penn was out of basketball for more than a year.

"It was long, but I looked at it as positively as I could," said Penn. "I was able to work out a lot every day with the coaches, they helped me a lot, and I was able to lift weights for a whole year. I also learned the system from watching the guys last year like Nick Norton and Nick McGlynn. It wasn't fun sitting out, but having that year, I felt like I really used it to my advantage."

Penn's desire to play burned hotter as the Bulldogs won the Missouri Valley Conference regular-season title. Forced to watch from the sidelines, Penn leaned on the support of his family, teammates and coaches while gaining a new appreciation for the game.

"After sitting out a year, you're much more grateful that you're able to play," Penn said. "I was very fortunate to have a great supporting cast. That's how I was able to stay positive throughout the whole situation; I had a lot of help."

After Drake's 2018-19 season ended, Penn was able to ramp up his participation in practice and build chemistry with his new teammates. They took notice of his talents right away, as did coach DeVries.

After Penn posted season-highs with 18 points and nine assists in a win over Lehigh on Nov. 21, DeVries smiled in his postgame press conference and said, "We've raved about him for over a year now, so I'm glad he's making us out not to be liars."

From there, it didn't take long for Penn to fully earn DeVries' trust, best exemplified in Drake's last-second victory against Milwaukee on Dec. 3.

With the game tied in the waning seconds, DeVries decided against calling a timeout, instead of calling a play on the fly for Penn. It was an isolation designed to empower Penn to make a play, and he did just that.

Penn drove down the right side, drew two defenders and pitched it to Noah Thomas for the game-winning three-pointer just before time expired.

"I'm grateful for Coach having trust in me in that situation at the end of the game," said Penn. "It was something that we run a lot, and he's very confident in me making a play. Coach has had that confidence in me the whole season, even since last year, and he's worked with me a lot and it all led to that night where it all came into place."

After watching Penn deliver in the clutch, DeVries raved about the confidence he has in his point guard.

"Roman is one of those guys we trust with everything we do offensively," he said. "He gets everyone where they need to be, he knows all the plays, he knows what we're looking for out of those sets, even when things break down. That's a credit to him on the very last play. He recognized that he didn't have it, so he made the right basketball play and kicked it to Noah for three in the corner."

Penn's rapid development inside Drake's program has been remarkable. He effectively transitioned from the new guy to the go-to guy in a matter of months. How did he do it?

"Practicing with the team every day helped out a lot, but it wasn't like I was new to the team," said Penn. "I practiced with them a whole year, and I played with the twins, D.J. and Jonah before, so I knew most of the players' games anyway. That made the transition much easier."

DeVries often describes Penn as "in control" and "poised." Those qualities trace back to Penn's days as a kid.

"When I was younger, a lot of people used to say I was a smart point guard because I was playing at my own pace. I was never the quickest at all. I was really slow when I was younger, like really slow," said Penn, smiling.

"So I think that's why my pace is how it is now because I'm a lot quicker, so I'm able to control the game a lot more. I'm confident in my ability, I work out and practice a lot and my coaches put a lot of confidence in me."