City of Basketball Love

By David Comer (@dhcomer-cobl)
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The first thing you notice is the name. Lynam. It’s a name synonymous with basketball royalty in Philadelphia. 

But as soon as you see Jamison Lynam play, you realize he is much more than a name. The Arcadia University freshman can play. And at a high level.

The point guard - a grandson of legendary player and coach Jim Lynam - had the best game of his young collegiate career on Wednesday night in a 87-63 non-conference loss to York College at Alumni Gymnasium on the Arcadia campus. Lynam, a product of South County High School in Lorton, Va., who spent a post-graduate year at Massanutten Military Academy, scored a team-high 23 points. 

He was an efficient 9-of-12 from the field, including 2-of-3 from three-point range, and went 3-of-4 from the foul line. The fearless 5-foot-10, 160-pound Lynam made an array of acrobatic driving layups, finishing with both his left and right hands against a York team with a frontcourt built like linebackers. He also made multiple reverse layups in traffic.

“I thought he was outstanding,” said Arcadia coach Adam Van Zelst, now in his sixth season as head coach of the Knights. “Being a freshman point guard is difficult. I’m very proud of him to have the impact he did. The sky’s the limit for him.”

Lynam has started all five games this season, averaging 10 points per game and shooting an impressive 55.6% from the field. Lynam said that the speed and physicality of the college game have surprised him; he felt the physicality last night when he had to sit out a few minutes in the first half with a bloody nose and returned with cotton stuffed in a nostril.

“The speed took me by surprise,” Lynam said. “So did the level of play. There are no pushovers. It is much more physical. The refs let some stuff go.”

Lynam said that having a former point guard as his coach - Van Zelst played at Albright College, where he ranks in the top 10 on the school’s all-time assist list - is a plus.

“He has helped me a lot,” Lynam said. “He’s given me tips and tricks. He’s helped me adjust a lot faster. I still have a lot to improve.”

Arcadia fell to 1-4 on the season against a veteran York team with several local players. The Spartans, who improved to 2-2, are an unselfish and physical group that built a 41-23 halftime lead and led for all but 52 seconds of the game.

For York, junior guard Jayden Rowe, a Downingtown East product, had an excellent game with 16 points on 6-of-7 shooting to go along with five rebounds and five assists. Junior Aleks Smith (Souderton) added two points, and freshman Colin Treude (Springfield-Delco) played but didn’t score for the Spartans. Freshman Simon Dlugi (Pennsbury) is also on the York roster.

“Matt Hunter does a great job at York College,” Van Zelst said of his opponent’s long-time coach.

Despite falling behind by 20-plus points early in the second half, Arcadia cut the lead to 70-55 before York figured out the Knights’ full-court press. Arcadia is short-handed, playing without its top two returning scorers from last season’s team that finished 17-9; first-team all-conference player Nas Johnson, a Father Judge product who averaged 15.7 points per game last season, and Darius Isaac, a Springside Chestnut Hill Academy graduate, who scored 7.9 per game, are both out with injuries.

“I’m not going to make excuses,” Van Zelst said. “We will figure it out. It is what it is. We have to focus on the group we have. I give our guys credit. They kept fighting. I’m really proud of our guys.”

Van Zelst stayed positive with his players, encouraging them and complimenting them throughout.

“With a younger group, there is no reason to be negative,” he said. “We are going to try to improve. We’ve had a lot of success in the past.”

Van Zelst, who is 68-54 at Arcadia, led the Knights to a Middle Atlantic Conference Freedom championship and NCAA Division III bid in 2023. His goal remains to win a league championship this season.

On Wednesday night, there were some bright spots. Lynam was excellent. Corey Attivo, a 6-foot-10 junior, finished with 13 points and showed a nice touch around the basket. Sophomore Amyr Walker, a West Catholic grad, scored all 11 of his points in the second half.

“I see a bright future ahead,” Van Zelst said of Walker, who at 6-foot-1, was effective in the post.

Lynam also has a bright future. He knew he wanted to attend college in the Philadelphia area, where much of his family lives, and said he knew he wanted to go to Arcadia the first time he stepped on campus. Lynam’s father James, who goes by H, is one of his legendary grandfather’s sons. His legendary grandfather, Jim, is basketball royalty - as a player at St. Joe’s, he was the Big 5 MVP in 1963, and as the team’s coach he led the Hawks to the 1981 NCAA Elite Eight; he also had a long tenure as an NBA coach, including five seasons as the 76ers head coach. Jim is now an analyst on NBC Sports Philadelphia’s Sixers Postgame Live. 

The younger Lynam said he speaks often with his grandfather and sees him frequently.

“I talk to him all the time,” Jamison said. “He’ll come to anything he can. He’s very supportive.”