PW's O'Brien Signs Letter of Intent to Play Basketball at Bucknell

Plymouth Whitemarsh High School (PWHS) senior Taylor O'Brien has signed a letter of intent to play basketball at Bucknell University.
O'Brien, a 5-foot-9 guard led PWHS to a 22-0 regular season record and the Suburban One League American Conference (SOLAC) title last season. The Colonials advanced to the District 1 Championship game and the quarterfinals of the PIAA Class 6A Championship. PWHS ended the year with a 27-3 record, tying the mark for most single-season wins in school history. O'Brien eclipsed the 1,000 career point mark during the season. She led the Suburban One Conference in scoring with 663 points and was the only junior named First Team All-State. (Photos provided courtesy of Plymouth Whitemarsh High School)

Taylor O’Brien – Bucknell University (Basketball)

Major:  Undecided

Final list of colleges:  Bucknell, St. Joseph’s, St. Bonaventure

Reasons for choosing Bucknell:  “I just knew that Bucknell was the school I wanted to go to from the very beginning. It was just the right distance away, and it was just the right choice because all of the coaches were super nice to me and were supportive of the whole process. It just made it so much easier, and I loved the school, the program and all of the teammates and the coaches – they were just awesome.”

What was the progression that led you to competing basketball at the collegiate level?  “I was just always on the fence about being a dual-sport athlete. It came down to the end where I realized I had to pick one. It’s a big commitment to play one D-I sport, and playing two D-I sports at the same time is just a lot for someone to handle. I knew that I loved basketball and I excelled at basketball. It just made me realize I wanted to go forward with it. Once my sophomore/junior years hit, I started focusing on basketball more and started realizing that’s what I wanted to do for the rest of high school and college. I’ll finish out the track season and I finished up volleyball, so this is my last year doing those sports. I might even be able to do high jump in college. We’re still working on that. I’m not sure what will happen with that, but I’m excited to play basketball in college. It’s my favorite sport.”

Coach Dan Dougherty says:  “Taylor is a lifelong PW kid. She came to our camps as a little kid and continued all the way through middle school. She was a super special player, and we couldn’t wait for her to get up to the high school and become part of the team. She’s been a starter since she stepped on the floor her first day as a freshman. Her athleticism is just unparalleled. Obviously, she’s a tremendous basketball player, but she’s certainly in the conversation for one of the greatest athletes ever, if she’s not the greatest. For sheer athleticism, she’s definitely a once-in-a-lifetime athlete, and she’s such a great kid too. She’s so much fun to coach, be around and have as part of the program. The family is that way too – they’re so much fun to have as part of the program. She’s about 200 points away from becoming the all-time leading scorer for boys and girls at PW. Obviously, we had a special year last year, but if we were somehow able to duplicate it, she has an outside chance of reaching 2,000 points for her career. We’re really looking forward to her senior year.”

About Taylor:
Favorite food:  Spaghetti/Pasta
Favorite movie:  The Lion King
Favorite music:  Hip Hop (Beyonce/Rihanna)

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