City of Basketball Love

By David Comer
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The Bryn Athyn College men’s basketball team set six principal goals heading into the season - win 18-plus games, capture the United East Conference regular-season title, win the UEC postseason championship, earn a berth in the NCAA tournament, collect a win over a top 25 team, and pick up a victory against a regionally ranked opponent.

“We are slowly but surely checking them off,” coach Sean Westerlund said.

Bryn Athyn started its men’s basketball program before the 2013-14 season. On Thursday, February 13, 2025 — more than a decade after playing its first game in school history — the Lions defeated Penn State-Harrisburg to clinch the program’s first-ever regular-season championship. Bryn Athyn was founded in 1877 and is a private, coeducational, liberal arts college located in Bryn Athyn, Montgomery County — about 14 miles north of center city Philadelphia. Bryn Athyn - with just over 300 students — is the smallest school in the NCAA.

“It was a very special moment,” Westerlund said. “Each season, we’ve gotten consistently better. For us to finish the job, it means everything.”

Westerlund was hired as head coach in April of 2020 when he was 29 years old. What would have been his first season as coach — the 2020-21 campaign — was cancelled due to COVID-19. 

The Lions went from 7 to 11 to 17 wins under Westerlund in his first three seasons on the court to set the stage for this year.

Bryn Athyn is 17-8 overall and 15-1 in the UEC. They have won 12 straight and have not lost since the calendar turned to 2025.

However, the season did not begin with much promise. The Lions started 1-4 and were 2-6 when the team decided it was time for a change.

“Our culture was crap,” Westerlund said. “We had a bunch of selfishness. We had to completely flip our program.”

He said that they made changes to the roster - even cutting players - and revamped their schedule. The team went to a weekly routine that includes two days of on-court practice, two days of off-the-court culture building, two days of games and one day of rest.

“I believe culture wins,” Westerlund said.

The Lions have proven him right. Since they went to the current schedule that focuses on team culture, they are 15-2.

The team’s roster of 13 includes 10 transfers who are from as close as Montgomery County Community College and Gwynedd Mercy University to as far as Western Connecticut State and Missouri State Southern University.

Six players average between 8.9 and 14.0 points per game.

“We’re tough to guard because all these guys have different strengths,” Westerlund said. “That’s the beautiful thing.”

One local player who has been a bright spot for the Lions has been Issac Marshall, a 6-foot-3 senior guard from Philadelphia and graduate of Academy of the New Church. He began his college career at Gwynedd Mercy before transferring to Bryn Athyn.

He is averaging 11.5 points and a team-best 6.4 rebounds per game.

“He’s been absolutely amazing,” Westerlund said. “He is one of the most competitive dudes you will ever meet. He just makes plays. That dude is a winner.”

The UEC tournament starts February 22 with the school’s first NCAA berth on the line - and a chance for Bryn Athyn to continue to check off goals that the team set for itself before the season.

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One more basket for Klieber

Neumann University senior Lauren Klieber was having one of those games that her coaches had become used to seeing from the 5-foot-9 guard. Late in the third quarter on December 28, 2024, against Trinity College, Klieber, a West Chester East graduate, had already scored 33 points.

“She was in a groove that day,” assistant coach Kacy Cellucci said.

But with about two minutes left in the third quarter, Klieber hurt her left knee in what would be a season-ending injury.

“Lauren is the heart and soul of our program,” Cellucci said. “It was devastating. We had to pick ourselves back up.”

The Knights figured out a way to get Klieber back on the court one last time. In Neumann’s game against Centenary University on February 12 on Senior Night, the coaching staffs of the respective schools agreed that each team would let the other score an uncontested layup. Centenary went first, and then it was Neumann’s turn. 

Klieber, with a brace on her injured left knee, caught the ball near the basket and banked in a right-handed layup before her teammates hugged her and she walked to the bench to applause from the crowd.

Lauren Klieber and her family pose on Senior Day. (Photo courtesy Neumann Athletics)

“We thought it was going to be emotional, and it was way more emotional than we thought,” Cellucci said. “She deserved that moment. She’s worked so hard for that moment. That was bigger than the game of basketball.”

Klieber has put together a phenomenal career for Neumann. For her career, she has averaged 16.7 points and 7.3 rebounds per game and made the Atlantic East Conference All-Conference first team as a sophomore and junior. This season, which includes a 43-point game against Widener, she is averaging 20.4 points and 7.9 rebounds per game. She will finish her career fourth in program history with 1,571 points. 

“She can play inside and out,” Cellucci said. “She can shoot over a big and post up a guard.”

Cellucci said that Klieber had surgery on February 14 to repair her ACL, MCL and meniscus.

“This is not how we thought it would go,” Cellucci added. “We thought she’d be breaking records. She’s one of the toughest kids you’ll ever meet.”

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F&M benefits from local talent

The Franklin & Marshall University men’s basketball program has a rich history. 

Donnie Marsh, one of the school’s all-time greats, was a third-round pick of the Atlanta Hawks in the 1979 NBA Draft and has been coaching at multiple levels of college basketball for the last 40-plus years. Chris Finch, who is the Minnesota Timberwolves’ head coach, was a star player for F&M and is a 1992 graduate. The Philadelphia 76ers held training camp at F&M’s campus in Lancaster from 1978 to 1994.

These days, the Diplomats are continuing to enjoy success on the basketball court - thanks in part to several players from the Philadelphia area.

F&M, which is 17-6 overall and 9-2 in the Centennial Conference, held Senior Day on Saturday prior to a win over Johns Hopkins University. Two of the players honored have local ties.

Senior John Seidman has enjoyed a terrific career. The 6-foot-3 guard from Haverford High, scored his 1,000th career point earlier this season and is one of only four players in program history with 1,000 points, 500 rebounds and 300 assists. He has started all 101 games he has played during his college career.

“We went to a ton of his games when we were recruiting him, but you never know once kids get here what you’re getting,” F&M coach Nick Nachay said. “He’s been a four-year starter. To me, he’s an underrated, underappreciated player for what he brings to the table. He’s a winner.”

The other senior honored on Saturday from the Philadelphia area was Sam Davison, a 6-foot guard from Lower Merion High. Davison, who Nachay said has battled injuries much of his career, has been healthy recently and getting the most minutes of his career off the bench. He is averaging 16 minutes per game over his last five appearances.

“He’s played really well recently,” Nachay said. “Sam’s just a tough kid. He’s had to navigate so much adversity. It’s credit to who he is.”

Davison made an incredible shot in a game against Swarthmore College earlier this season that needs to be seen to believe. Although the shot didn’t count - the referee ruled his foot was touching the sideline - it is worth Googling to find the clip of the shot jonline.

The third local player contributing to the Diplomats is junior Kevin Nowoswiat, a 6-foot-4 guard from Unionville High. 

“I think he really flew under the radar,” Nachay said of Nowoswiat’s recruitment. “You can never predict a guy is going to make the jump he has. Kevin is just a tremendous hard worker.”

He leads the team with 19.2 points and 7.1 rebounds per game. He has progressed from a bench player as a freshman to a starter as a sophomore to one of the top players in the Centennial Conference this season.

“I’m not sure there is a guy who’s had a better year in our league,” Nachay said. “He can defend multiple positions. Kevin has been tremendous.”

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Local players lead Catholic University women’s team

The Catholic University women’s basketball team is 20-3 overall and 13-3 in the Landmark Conference thanks in large part to several players from the Philadelphia area. The school of approximately 5,300 students in Washington, D.C. has five local players on its roster. 

Carly Mulvaney, a 5-foot-10 guard/forward from Jenkintown High, is having a terrific senior season to cap off an excellent career. The senior starter is averaging 10.1 points and a team-best 7.8 rebounds per game.

Amelia Kennedy, a 5-foot-9 junior guard from Pope John Paul II, is averaging 7.7 points and 4.2 points per game as a part-time starter. 

Ella Iacone, a 5-foot-9 sophomore guard and product of Villa Maria Academy, has played in 13 games as a reserve who scored a career-high 13 points against Goucher College.

Sam Blumenthal, a 5-foot-10 freshman forward who played at Bishop Shanahan, has seen  action in all 23 games off the bench.

Olivia Boccella, a 5-foot-5 freshman guard who graduated from Lansdale Catholic, has played in 11 games in a reserve role. 

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Division III playoffs on the horizon

Several local Division III teams will begin league playoffs next week as they try to secure bids to the NCAA tournament. 

The top six men’s teams in the regular-season standings compete in the Centennial Conference tournament with the first round on February 25, semifinals on February 28 and the championship game on March 2. The games will be streamed live on CentennialConference.TV. The Centennial Conference women’s tournament follows the same schedule as the men’s tournament, and the games can also be watched live at the same website.

The Atlantic East Conference men’s basketball playoffs start on February 24 with the semifinals on February 26 and the championship game on March 1. The top five teams during the regular season qualify. The AEC women’s playoffs follow the same schedule as the men’s playoffs.

The top four men’s and women’s teams in the MAC Freedom and MAC Commonwealth earn spots in the league playoffs, with the semifinals on February 26 and championship games on March 1.

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Layups

Here is the update on Chinwe Irondi’s journey to become Ursinus College’s all-time women’s leading scorer. Irondi, a senior forward who is second on the list, now has 1,766 career points and trails only Ellen Cosgrove and her 1,878 points. With two regular-season games and the postseason left, Irondi needs 113 points to become the program’s top scorer. … Antonio Redding, a junior for the Delaware Valley University men’s basketball team, is among the Division III leaders nationally in three-point shooting percentage. The 6-foot guard from Orlando, Fla., has made 47.97% (59-of-123) of his shots from long range this season to rank him second in the country. Redding is averaging 15.5 points per game this season with one game where he made 8-of-9 from deep and another where he made 8-of-10. … The Immaculata University women’s basketball team continues its fine season. The Mighty Macs are 19-3 overall and 9-0 in the AEC. They have won 12 straight prior to Tuesday night’s game against Marywood University. … The Gwynedd Mercy men’s basketball team started the season 13-0 and then lost three of five. Since a loss to Neumann on January 25, the Griffins have won five straight entering Tuesday night’s game against Centenary. Gwynedd Mercy stands at 20-3 overall and tied for first place at 8-2 in the AEC. This is the 10th time that veteran coach John Baron has led the Griffins to 20 wins in a season. … Ursinus’ men’s basketball team has won four of five - including an 89-79 victory at first-place Johns Hopkins - to improve to 15-8 overall and 8-3 in the Centennial Conference. Senior guard Trevor Wall - who is fourth on the Bears’ all-time scoring list - leads the league in scoring at 22.6 points per game. … Catholic University’s men’s basketball team is also having a successful season and receiving significant contributions from a couple local players. The Cardinals are 19-4 overall and 14-2 in the Landmark Conference, with sophomore Googie Seidman, a 6-foot guard and brother of John who starred at Haverford High, starting seven of his team’s last eight games. He is averaging 6.2 points per game and scored a season-high 21 against Moravian University on February 1. The team’s leading scorer is Unionville alum and senior wing Sean Neylon, who’s averaging 17.5 ppg and 4.0 rpg, the best numbers of his career.