City of Basketball Love

Ari Rosenfeld (@realA_rosenfeld)
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After a disappointing season in which Penn Charter finished with a record of just 4-21 (1-9 Inter-Ac), Quakers head coach Lynard Stewart resigned from his position today, according to the school.

Since taking over before the 2011-12 season, Stewart accumulated a 43-54 mark in his four seasons, going 16-24 in league play.

In an email sent from Penn Charter athletic director John Thiel to the Penn Charter players, Thiel stated that Stewart is resigning in order to pursue his Master’s degree.

The standout season of Stewart's tenure was the 2012-13 campaign, his second year at the helm. Led by current Colgate freshman guard Sean O’Brien and current Notre Dame football lineman Mike McGlinchey, the Quakers finished with a 16-9 record, tied for second place in the Inter-Ac, and made a run to the semifinals of the PAISAA state tournament, falling to a star-studded Kiski Prep team at the buzzer.

Penn Charter hovered around .500 the following season, but after losing O’Brien and Chestnut Hill College guard Demetrius Isaac, along with six other seniors, to graduation, experienced one of the losingest seasons in school history this past year.

Before getting into coaching, the 38-year old Stewart had an illustrious playing career both in Philadelphia and around the globe.

He was a key member of the 1992-93 Simon Gratz team that, led by future North Carolina and NBA star Rasheed Wallace, was considered the top high school team in the nation. The following year, both he and teammate Shawn “Reds” Smith, his future assistant at Penn Charter, were named first team All-City, with Stewart being named the Daily News’ Player of the Year.

Following his time at Gratz, Stewart, a 6-foot-8 forward, went on to star at Temple under John Chaney, before a 12-year professional career that included stints in China, Spain, the Czech Republic, Israel, England, and Belgium.

According to Thiel’s email, he hopes to stay involved with the game by establishing his own basketball academy on Saturday mornings, a pursuit with which Penn Charter plans to assist him.