For Pennsbury senior Danny Cohen, creativity extends beyond playing basketball

Danny Cohen is a creator.

A senior wing, Cohen creates shots for himself and his Pennsbury boys basketball teammates while he "makes everyone else better when he is on the floor," according to Falcons head coach Wes Emme.

As one of 10-plus sports interns, Cohen also gets to create media graphics and social media posts for the Pennsbury teams online and with the student TV station, which he really enjoys.

"In both cases, I have the freedom to essentially control the output," Cohen said. "For example, when creating the posts, I can control what graphic to use, the word font, etc. It's similar to creating on the basketball court — when I have the ball, I can decide what play to run, what shots to take and make my own decisions based on the defense."

And the 6-foot Cohen seems to be making plenty of right calls during games.

Cohen went from sixth man as a junior on Pennsbury's Suburban One League Patriot Division championship squad to an expanded role as a starter on this year's 7-6 team.

Instead of primarily a catch-and-shoot offensive player like he was in 2022-23, Cohen gets to initiate the offense as a secondary ball-handler.

"I'm more of a play starter," Cohen said. "I think I create a lot of open shots. I get into the lane pretty easy, (then) find shooters or dump it into the big man (6-7 senior Simon Dlugi)."

12 returning boys players to watch: Heading into the 2023-24 boys basketball season

Cohen scored a career-high 18 points in a 58-45 victory over Pennridge on Jan. 5. He also earned all-tournament honors at the Hatboro-Horsham Tip-Off Tournament, which the Falcons won with senior Connor Taddei picking up tourney MVP.

A strong summer, which included a 30-point game at the Moody Park Summer League in Ewing, N.J., boosted Cohen's confidence coming into this season.

While he's also taken on additional leadership responsibilities, Cohen's biggest contribution typically occurs at the defensive end, where he guards the opposing team's best perimeter player on a nightly basis.

The coaching staff helps Cohen with scouting reports detailing the rival offensive players' tendencies and what to try to take away, with Cohen doing the rest.

"Dan Cohen gives us so much energy on the defensive side," said Taddei, a guard. "His ability to translate his defense into offense truly helps with our team's success."

Cohen is second on the Falcons in scoring and first in rebounding, steals and assists, which explains why Emme refers to him as a Swiss Army knife.

"(He's) an exceptional rebounder, passer and playmaker," Emme said. "When we look for a player, we try to find those who create conditions and environments for others to thrive (and that's Cohen). … Mostly, though, we win with him on the floor."

Cohen is right behind team leader Taddei in plus-minus totals, with Pennsbury averaging 7-plus more points per game with either or both of those two on the court.

Bensalem boys basketball on a roll: Owls rely on balanced scoring, defense to gain SOL top spot

Cohen, who has a 4.65 GPA, is leaning toward majoring in pre-law or political science in college, where he plans on playing basketball. Based on his time at Pennsbury, in which he has also participated in the unified track program with Special Olympics classmates in the spring, it's a safe bet that he'll be involved in other aspects of student life at the collegiate level.

"I think Danny is completely immersed in what it is to be a PHS student," Emme said. "Danny is a massive part of the day-to-day that makes Pennsbury special. He’s a selfless kid that wants to be a part of something 'bigger.'"

Tom Moore: tmoore@couriertimes.com; @TomMoorePhilly

This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Cohen creates on, off boys basketball court at Pennsbury