Kevin Lynch, who has built a reputation as one of the most successful and respected AAU coaches in the nation for nearly two decades, and the lead national talent evaluator for the Annual Blue Star Report since 2007, has been named assistant women’s basketball coach at Wagner College, Seahawk head coach Lisa Cermignano has announced.
Since 1995, Lynch has served in various coaching and administrative positions for the renowned Philadelphia Belles Women’s Basketball Program, which is in elite category as one of just 24 NIKE-sponsored AAU programs in the United States. From 1996-2000, Lynch served as an assistant coach for the Belles before being elevated to head coach in 2001.
As head coach, he guided the Belles to three national championship games, winning the title in 2003 before finishing as national runner-up in 2005 and 2006. He remained in his capacity as head coach until 2008 when he was tabbed Executive Coach.
During his effective and productive tenure with the Belles, Lynch contributed to the success of the program on a variety of levels while serving as a mentor to a host of basketball coaches at both the high school and collegiate level.
The dedication to his craft enabled Lynch to serve as a catalyst for more than 50 young women who went on to earn Division I basketball scholarships at colleges and universities across the country. Included among those are Nine McDonald’s All-Americans, seven Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) All-Americans and 12 Parade All-Americans.
“Kevin is a very loyal, hard-working and extremely talented coach, recruiter and evaluator of talent, and someone who I’ve known and trusted for more than 20 years,” said Cermignano. “He’s known throughout the country as being one the best in the game. His expertise, maturity and passion for the game make him a natural fit to complete our staff and aid us on our journey towards a Northeast Conference Championship."
Eight of his former players have become professional basketball players while seven are currently serving as women’s basketball coaches. Many of his former players are making an impact in the private sector, as doctors, healthcare and business professionals, lawyers, teachers, and community volunteers.
Since 2007, Lynch has been entrusted to rate the nation’s top high school girls’ players in his role as National Talent Evaluator for the Blue Star Report, a tool for Division I, II, III, NAIA and junior college coaches that concisely evaluates and ranks all prospective women’s basketball players in the country by graduating class.
He has also served as a coach and committee member for a myriad of organizations, including being a member of the coaching staff at the Nike All-American camp and Nike Skills Clinic and a member of the McDonald’s High School All-American committee.
From 1990-2000, the civic-minded Lynch mentored hundreds of local youth, both on and off the court, while volunteering his time to Fox-Rok Athletic Association. A non-profit, community-based, volunteer organization, Fox-Rok’s mission is to offer a fun experience in athletic activities to boys and girls of the Fox Chase and Rockledge neighborhoods in Philadelphia. In 1995, Lynch was recognized by the local community with the Eddie Polec Memorial Award for his service to the youth of Fox Chase.
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