City of Basketball Love

Andrew Robinson (@ADRobinson3)
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DOWNINGTOWN -- It doesn’t take long to hear Kelsey Meenan on a basketball court.

The Downingtown West senior is a lot of things for the Whippets, but her most prominent role may be as their voice. A forward with a sweet outside shot, a tough rebounder, a captain and a communicator, Meenan helps keep it all together on the floor for a Downingtown West team playing at a new pace with plenty of success so far.

Saturday, Meenan’s voice was the loudest as the Whippets put away a young but talented Lower Merion team 51-39 in the final game of the CoBL Girls’ Winter Showcase, improving to 5-0 on the season.

“I’m a naturally loud person, I would say, I’m definitely pretty loud,” Meenan said. “Even though we can all see things that are happening, I feel like it’s in my role as a leader to help people out. Even if they know someone’s behind them, I’m still going to say it.

“Being vocal has helped me feel confident in myself but also has helped other people feel confident in me that I know what’s happening on the court.”

Meenan posted 12 points, four rebounds, three assists and a couple of blocks on Saturday as one of three Whippets in double figures. While the senior only made one three against the Aces, it’s a definite strength for the 5-foot-10 forward, who can also put the ball on the floor and play in the lane giving her the same kind of versatility she’s surrounded with from her teammates.

That ability to step out and shoot the ball, not only with regularity but with effectiveness, is what helped lead to Meenan’s breakout campaign last year. Her coaches wanted her to shoot more and she’d put the work in to build up her range, so Meenan gave them what they wanted and it opened up quite a bit for her and for her team as a result.

“Last year was my year to find out I didn’t just have to be a back-to-the-basket post player,” Meenan said. “I started coming outside more for shots and now this year, because I’m bringing defenders out so far, our coaches always tell us - especially because posts usually guard me - use that to take them to the basket, so I’m just trying to find what works for me, trying everything out and doing whatever’s best to help the team that day.”

Whippets coach Mike Young called Meenan a “steadying influence” while citing the senior’s impact as a rebounder to go with her shooting touch. 

“Her and Ellie (Dexter) are the voices you hear the most and that’s what you want from your seniors,” Young said. “The other girls take their lead from them. She can do a lot of things, she can play on the perimeter on the inside and she’s just a leader in every way.”

Her willingness to become a reliable three-point shooter came from a pretty good source of inspiration. Kelsey’s older sister Kaitlin Meenan, also a Downingtown West grad and currently a junior playing at Widener, is one of the best shooters she knows, so the Whippets captain always tried to keep up in their driveway battles at home.

“She’s a great shooter so I’d always try to be like her and if we’d play in the driveway, I’d try to beat her in a three-point competition or something like that,” Meenan said. “That’s definitely what boosted me to become more of a shooter because I wanted to shoot like that so I give that all to her.”

A Meenan shooting threes had been pretty successful for Downingtown West in the pass, so when the coaches saw Kelsey could hold her own on the perimeter but seemed a little hesitant, they pushed her to go for it.

“She’s got a great shot, so we gave her free reign, shoot them up if they’re there,” Young said.

Meenan has been a communicative leader for the Whippets this season (Photo: Josh Verlin/CoBL).

Meenan has been very impressed with her team’s pace and unselfishness so far this season. All seven players who saw time against Lower Merion scored at least one basket and it was Meenan and Kylee Domsohn at the forward spots who led the team with three assists each.

The senior said there’s a strong shared trust between players. If her teammates give her the ball, they want her to look to shoot or go to the basket if a look is there and she feels the same when she makes a pass herself.

With such a versatile lineup, it’s made for a fun brand of basketball even if Meenan joked she’s the one trying to keep up with everybody else running the floor.

“I would say I’m probably the slowest out there so I’m just trying my best to get up and down the court with them,” Meenan said with a smile. “The fact we can play so fast but still be under control is really good and I think we’re moving the ball around more so it’s less on one person. We’re finding open looks and that’s what we look for in practice too, to make those good passes.”

If last year was Meenan’s breakthrough in basketball, then this fall was the same for her other sport. Meenan shared time in goal for Downingtown West’s powerhouse soccer team this season, helping the Whippets reach the District 1 Class 4A title match and the second round of the state tournament after winning a state title in the 2024 fall season.

As a goalkeeper, her voice needed to be the loudest on the field and even with a strong lineup with several high-level Division I recruits in front of her, Meenan was the one giving orders.

“When I stepped in, my immediate thought was ‘all these people are so good,’” Meenan said. “They wanted me to be vocal because I had the best position on the field to see everything so they wanted me to make sure we could talk to each other and I feel like now, I can do that here.”

Meenan, who played for Philly Roots between seasons with Downingtown West, came out of the summer not sure if she’d be playing past this year. However, between having success on the soccer pitch and the energy she felt back in the basketball gym with her teammates, the senior found her passion re-ignited.

She’s talked with a few Division III programs including Gwynedd Mercy, Juniata and of course Widener, but is still going through the process of figuring out what the right fit for her looks like.

“I just felt happier when I was at sports, and with our graduations from last year, I felt like I had to take on a bigger role,” Meenan said. “That’s why I think that passion grew because I’m doing it for my teammates, so I had to be a leader and that’s my main focus when I go on the floor.

“I want to help everyone play the best they can, so I think that’s what helped me get my passion to keep playing into the future back this year.”