SCH seeking new varsity hoops coach

Posted 7/15/13

After two years of piloting the Springside Chestnut Hill Academy girls basketball team, Steve Purcell has resigned in order to accept a college coaching position. (Photo by Tom Utescher) by Tom …

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SCH seeking new varsity hoops coach

Posted

After two years of piloting the Springside Chestnut Hill Academy girls basketball team, Steve Purcell has resigned in order to accept a college coaching position. (Photo by Tom Utescher)

by Tom Utescher

Springside Chestnut Hill Academy is seeking a new head coach for its varsity girls basketball team this summer, due to the unexpected resignation of Steve Purcell.

The Blue Devils were 27-28 overall against challenging competition during Purcell’s two seasons with the team. SCH went 7-5 within the Girls’ Inter-Ac League each year, and last January Purcell became the first coach to lead the Devils to a victory against longtime league power Germantown Academy.

Just prior to coming to Springside, Purcell was an assistant coach for the successful Archbishop Ryan High School program under head coach Jackie Hartzell. On June 26, Hartzell was announced as the new head coach at the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia (USP), and she asked Purcell to rejoin her as she took the helm of the West Philadelphia franchise.

UPS is a member of the Division II Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference, along with Chestnut Hill College and Philadelphia University.

The SCH Blue Devils graduated only two players from their 2012-13 roster, and among the new additions will be a 6’1” freshman out of Norwood Fontbonne Academy, Chloe Burns.

Anyone interested in the coaching position should contact SCH’s director of girls athletics, Tina O’Malley, at 215-247-8015 or comalley@sch.org. O’Malley noted that there are also two coaching vacancies for the upcoming fall season; upper school JV field hockey coach and upper school volleyball assistant coach.

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