City of Basketball Love

Rich Flanagan (@richflanagan33)

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WEST CHESTER, PA – Jada Lynch entered the game two minutes into the second quarter.

She immediately corralled a rebound then proceeded to make her presence felt by scoring four of Westtown School’s next six points including a nifty spin off a right-handed dribble into a left-handed finish.

It’s a stark contrast from her first three years of high school basketball where she was the primary option offensive and had to take on the burden of making things happen at both ends consistently. Now, Lynch is a cog in an almost nearly unstoppable force, both locally and nationally, and the latest example of a highly regard and recruited star turned role player in hopes of developing themselves for the next level.

Lynch has accepted and relished every aspect of the change.

“It’s great to part of something bigger than yourself,” Lynch said. “This team really allows me to play with great players against great players.”

Lynch has been an integral part of Westtown’s School’s 11-1 start, which included a 63-54 victory over Fort Erie (Canada) – an international basketball academy out of Ontario that has developed a track record like Westtown for developing high quality talent – on Saturday. The 6-foot junior guard had 14 points, including two three-pointers, in the win as she came in off the bench and showcased a skill set that few programs boast in a player who doesn’t regularly start. Watching how quickly Lynch can light it up or control the tempo with the ball in her hand as a complementary option is the perfect encapsulation of what has made Westtown nearly unstoppable in recent years, which has translated to five consecutive Friends Schools League (FSL), four straight PAISAA titles and multiple invites to Chipotle Nationals.

Having Lynch as an option on a roster that starts with Jordyn Palmer, one of the premier players in the class of 2027 who posted 27 points, 10 rebounds, four assists, three steals and three blocks in what is traditional stat line, and Ohio State commit Atlee Vanesko, a lead guard who averaged 10.1 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 5.6 apg, and 3.0 spg a season ago, gives Westtown an element that has allowed it to flourish perhaps better than any girls program in Pa. Lynch, Palmer and Vanesko were teammates on the Philly Rise 16U that won the 2023 Nike Nationals championship and now they’ve reunited on Westtown Road.

Palmer is pleased to be playing alongside her former teammate at a point in their careers where the other’s play could very well dictate the future for both.

“She helps in the backcourt, bringing up the ball and setting up plays,” Palmer said. “Her shot is terrific. She’s a knockdown shooter. She has an attitude and a will to win. We’ve built a community here that prides itself on winning and her attitude coming onto the team has been helpful.”

Lynch was a star at St. Rose (N.J.) for three seasons where she accrued 1,343 points, 536 rebounds and 198 assists and knocked down 134 three-pointers in the process. She avg. 19.6 ppg and 6.6 rpg and even scored a career-high 40 points in a win over Red Bank Catholic (N.J.). Her individual success spurred St. Rose to the 2024 NJSIAA Tournament Non-Public B title game then the Shore Conference Tournament final last season.

She brought the same pedigree that allowed her to become an elite prospect at St. Rose to a program that has become synonymous with crafting elite prospects every year.

“At St. Rose, a lot was on me, and I learned to play that role of putting a team on my back and being a leader,” Lynch said. “Now it’s about whether I can keep a leadership role on a team that’s bigger than myself and play with Jordyn, Atlee and Ashley. We’re doing great things this year and I think we’re going to continue to do great things.”

Seeing Lynch’s rise isn’t a surprise to many judging from her parents’ athletic success and that may be an understatement. Her father, Brian Lynch starred at Villanova alongside Alvin Williams, Tim Thomas, and Malik Allen and helped the Wildcats make two NCAA Tournament appearances. After scoring 990 points at Villanova, Brian played professionally in Poland, Israel, Portugal, Greece, Germany, Italy, France and Belgium, where he met his wife and Jada’s mother, former pro tennis star Kim Clijsters. Clijsters is the former No. 1 ranked women’s tennis player in the world who won almost 80% of her career singles matches and secured four major singles titles, the last of which came in the 2011 Australian Open.

Brian coached at St. Rose for four seasons and immediately turned them into a powerhouse, winning three straight Non-Public B sectional titles, two Shore Conference championships, and the 2024 Non-Public B State Championship. Brian is now coaching at his alma mater, Christian Brothers Academy (N.J.) where Jada’s brother, Avery Lynch is one of the team’s leading scorers. Brian did at St. Rose what Fran Burbidge has done at Westtown, and the longtime head coach sees much of the same competitiveness and fire that Brian and Kim displayed as standout athletes in Jada.

“We knew her coming in and wanting to be part of this program was terrific,” Burbidge said. “We were all excited to not only get a caliber of talent but the type of competitor she is. We’re excited where she can end up.”

Lynch was a welcomed addition as Jessie Moses, a nationally ranked recruit who been with the program since her eighth-grade year, decided to transfer to IMG Academy (Fla.), taking her 19.0 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 3.0 apg and 3.0 spg with her and making way for someone to play quality minutes right away. Furthermore, Lynch is following in the footsteps of fellow stars who chose to transfer to Westtown to better prepare themselves for the next level such as Kennedy Henry (Villanova), Savannah Curry (Temple), Aidan Langley (Towson), and Grace Sundback (Delaware) to name a few. Henry, another Jersey standout, scored 1,127 points at Blair Academy (N.J.) before making the jump to Westtown, and Lynch’s current teammate, Ashley Kreiger joined Westtown this season after tallying 673 points and 366 rebounds in two years at Ranney (N.J.).

Burbidge has shown he has a knack for getting star players to buy into a bigger goal and seen go to great lengths to achieve what his recent teams have. Lynch is the latest in a long line of stars to continue this cycle and that has kept Westtown as one of the nation’s best high school programs.

“We always take the approach that we are what we are, and everyone has to do what’s best for them,” Burbidge said. “We accept that, but the cupboard won’t be empty. Having Jada and Ashley make overtures to become part of this is really important and it says a lot about the kids that are here.”

Lynch has adopted the mantra that stalwarts Palmer and Vanesko profess but also the same one that newcomers like her in Kreiger follow as gospel. Everything they achieve individually cannot trump the team’s success. Contributing to winning is paramount and has ultimately led to players of Lynch’s caliber not only receiving Division I scholarships but also thriving at the next level. Bringing star players in and getting them to play in a system that encourages a team-first mentality has paid dividends to so many Westtown players during Burbidge’s tenure.

Lynch is hoping it benefits her in the same way over the next two years.

“I’m trying to do whatever I need to do because Westtown is about Westtown; it’s not about me,” Lynch said. “I go game by game and whatever that specific game calls for, I’ll do it whether it’s scoring, passing, rebounding or shooting. I’m not counting up my points or assists; I’m here to do what I can to win. I bring a lot of shooting to this team and bring my passing ability into the equation. That’s the thing about Westtown basketball is everyone passes the ball and plays together.”