Chambersburg boys basketball coach Sean Schreffler has seen many great athletes come through District 3.
He doesn't think he's ever seen anyone like junior JJ Kelly.
A potential 6-foot-6 NCAA Division I basketball player? Sure, they come. The same goes for state champion track and field athletes. But it's inspiring to see someone who can accomplish both of these feats.
And even more impressive if that someone is also the department I recruited in football…
Despite not actually playing the sport in the past calendar year.
But that's Kelly. The junior was named a second-team all-state basketball player by Penn State sportswriters last week. But now, as he prepares to enter his senior year and attend college, he has many decisions to make.
“I was talking to the Syracuse coach and he said, 'This is crazy,'” Schreffler said. “I see kids all the time who are Division I athletes in their sports. Or maybe they're Division I athletes in two sports. J.J. is a legit Division I athlete in three sports, but that kind of thing. That's impossible.”
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Kelly currently holds scholarship offers from UNLV, American University, and Mount St. Mary's University of Basketball. Even though he hasn't played since his sophomore year, he has offers from two power conference programs in football, Syracuse and Iowa State.
He was already a standout receiver at the time, rushing for 447 yards and five touchdowns as a 10th grader at prestigious Mid-Penn Commonwealth.
But the best sport of his high school career so far seems to be the one he's least interested in competing at the next level. Kelly has won gold medals in the triple jump at the PIAA Track and Field Championships the past two seasons. He won the title as a freshman with a final jump of 48 feet, 1 inch. He also posted a 47-7 record last spring. A week earlier, he set his own record of 49-2 at the District 3 championship.
He also won a state gold medal in the high jump (6 feet, 8 inches), ran on the Trojans' winning 400-meter relay team and won a bronze medal in the long jump (23-1.50 feet) last season. He helped Chambersburg win the team state title.
He didn't even start jumping until halfway through his freshman spring season. After watching his star student win his first state title, Chambersburg track and field coach Bob Walker compared Kelly to legendary Chambersburg girls track and field star Marshae Ryan. Marcei Ryan won five state titles in jumping and competed at Auburn.
But Kelly has no interest in a three-peat this spring. Current Chambersburg track and field coach Jim Boyer said Kelly recently told the Trojans he would not be competing in next month's track and field postseason. He will be competing in AAU basketball tournaments in Indianapolis and Kansas City over the weekend.
Kelly confirmed his decision last Thursday, saying afterward that he wanted to focus on basketball, where most colleges are scouting him. He said he has spoken to several college track coaches, but none have “officially announced anything.”
He said the decision was made easier because he already won a state title in track.
“I’m going to take my abilities in other sports and run with that,” Kelly said. “It wasn't as difficult a decision as I imagined. I wanted to focus on what I knew would be an opportunity at the next level.”
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grow as a basketball player
It's no wonder Kelly was named All-State in basketball this season.
He averaged 21.6 points, 7.1 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 1.7 steals. He led Chambersburg to a 20-7 record and an appearance in the District 3 Class 6A championship game. He scored 40 points in a win over Central Bucks East in the first round of the PIAA playoffs.
He was unstoppable in transition and often threw down two-handed dunks that wowed the crowd.
But that part of his game, his amazing quickness and jumping ability, was always there. That's what got him on the court as a freshman. That made him a “walking double” as a sophomore.
But he has “transformed” over the past year into a lead guard who can handle the ball, shoot from the outside and set up other teammates.
“What I always tell him is that when you play for us, we're going to put the ball in your hands and take advantage of the mismatches that are there,” Schreffler said. Told. “We gave him the opportunity to make a decision.”
But Schreffler said Kelly's biggest growth has been in leadership. Despite being a junior, he was the guy the Trojans counted on to “say the right things at the right time.”
return to football
Kelly did not play football this fall to avoid injury, but is pivoting for his senior year.
He plans to return to the field. Kelly said soccer was the first sport he played as a child and he wants to finish what he started with his lifelong teammates.
But he's also open to playing soccer at the next level. He said he is “leaning toward basketball,” but would consider playing football in college “if he looks good.”
Chambersburg's football team went 4-6 last season.
“I want to see how far football can go,” he said. “I think it's going to be a pretty smooth transition (even though I wasn't able to play last year). I want to finish my senior year on a good note.”
No matter what Kelly chooses to do, he has left a lasting mark on the school.
“He continues to grow as a player,” Schreffler said. “I love his passion for the game. He wants to get better. It's really great to watch him grow.”