City of Basketball Love

Anthony Dabbundo (@AnthonyDabbundo)

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When Christian Kelly broke onto the scene at Phoenixville at the start of the 2014-2015 season, the Phantoms program was middling in mediocrity in the Pioneer Athletic Conference.

The Phantoms, who were 15-24 in PAC-10 play from 2011-2014, had just found a generational talent that would transcend the Phoenixville basketball community.

Kelly, a 6-foot-4 180 pound wing, who spent his first two years developing his game within the Phantoms program, led Phoenixville to a 23-3 conference record in his final two seasons, winning the PAC-10 Player of the Year in 2014-2015 and leading the league with 24.8 points per game this season.

Now that Kelly has officially committed to play Division II basketball at Kutztown, a decision he made on Saturday, he leaves behind a void in the community that will be difficult to replace.

“I can’t say enough good things about Christian,” Phoenixville head coach Eric Burnett said. “He’s a player that everyone loves and respects, not just because of basketball, but because of the kind of kid that he is.”

Kelly finished his Phantoms career as the second all-time leading scorer in Phoenixville history, scoring 1,310 points, just 65 behind all-time leader Mike Gary.

“I’ve been very involved with the community, and I really appreciate how much they have embraced me, especially this year,” Kelly said.

The talented scorer brings a great all-around offensive game to the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC), with the ability to both shoot from 3 and beat defenders off of the dribble. The standout senior reached the free throw line 191 times this season, which was 55 more times than any other player in the PAC-10.

He’s also a proven and capable rebounder and defender, using his long frame to bother opposing ball handlers.

“I think that I can do a little bit of everything that they want me to,” Kelly said. “Control the tempo, push the ball, score, assist.”

The reigning PAC-10 player of the year began hearing from Golden Bears head coach Bernie Driscoll last summer, and the school immediately caught his eye thanks to his connections to the campus life.

“I really like the campus and the feel for it, it’s a big campus,” Kelly added. “My big brother goes there, along with some of my other classmates, so I’ll be able to stay connected with them.”

Once Kelly arrives on the scene at Kutztown, he’ll be working hard to earn his spot within the talented Kutztown team, returning many of its top scorers from this year’s campaign.

Kelly joins recently-committed Pennridge forward Max Wagner, along with a returning trio of top scorers. With Josh Johnson, Ryan Connolly and Anthony Lee all returning after averaging over 10 points per game, Kelly will have to work hard to find his way into the lineup.

But if there is anything Kelly has proven over the past few years in Phoenixville, it’s that he is dedicated to work toward his goals.

“I really just want to get better as a basketball player and become a better person on the college campus, and to win a PSAC championship,” Kelly said.

Burnett continued: “Everyone in this community has watched improve greatly over the past two years because of his work ethic and love of the game of basketball.”

Kelly will be joining a Kutztown team still currently in the midst of a great season, as the Golden Bears have a record of 23-6 and have advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament with two wins in the Mid-Atlantic regional this past weekend. With a win Tuesday night vs West Liberty, they will qualify for the NCAA’s Elite 8 in Frisco

As Kelly moves on to the next chapter of his basketball career, playing at the collegiate level, he’ll always remember his great years at Phoenixville. And without a doubt, the community will remember the two great years of basketball he and his teammates brought, packing their 800 seat gym each and every night.

“I’m going to miss Phoenixville a lot,” Kelly said. “The community has been phenomenal in their support, everyone was talking about us, coming to our games, and it made this season a lot of fun.

Burnett hopes that Kelly can serve as a role model to the younger kids within the Phoenixville program that just watched the Phantoms go 13-0 in league play and earn a top-10 seed in District 1.

“We have younger players saying that they want to be like Christian Kelly, that shows just how much he has meant to our basketball program,” the second-year head coach said.

Even though the Phantoms fell just one game short of qualifying for the state playoffs, and were upset in the league semifinals against Perkiomen Valley, Kelly will have nothing but fond memories about this historic season.

“No matter what the outcome was the fans were always there for us,” Kelly said. “My four years here have been the best four years of my life, without a doubt.”