City of Basketball Love

Justin Procope (@1Procope)
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For many 15 year-olds, life can often feel like it is them vs. the world. 

This summer, for Westtown School’s rising sophomore sensation Jordyn Palmer, it actually was. 

The emerging star was one of twelve girls who celebrated a gold medal victory last Sunday over Canada, capping off a 7-0 run for Team USA in the FIBA U-17 Women’s Basketball World Cup. Palmer finished with nine points and twelve rebounds in 24 minutes of play in the championship win, held in Leon, Mexico.

“That feeling was insane,” Palmer said in a phone interview Wednesday afternoon. “I was proud of the team, it was definitely something that I never thought I would be doing, playing for a gold medal. But as soon as the buzzer went off, we all ran to each other.”

“It was just like, heartwarming,” Palmer said. 

As the confetti came down and the celebrations began, there was one face in the crowd that put everything into perspective for Palmer. 

“It was just a blessing, especially when I pointed to my dad,” Palmer said. “I was like ‘yeah we come from a small town, but we make big action.”

Palmer’s gold medal story was not only one of triumph, but one of personal redemption, after she wasn’t selected for the U-16 squad a year prior despite reaching the final cut as a 14-year-old. One year, a state championship, and a 2024 state Gatorade Player of the Year honor later, her name was called. 

“I was determined to make the team this year,” Palmer said. “Last year I was upset, but then I was like ‘I’ll be back next year.’”

“As soon as they called my name and said I was on the team, I was just blessed and thankful that I was on the team and all my hard work paid off.”

On a squad full of stars including Jerzy Robinson, the No. 1 ranked player in the 2026 class according to ESPN, Palmer quickly established herself as a key piece of the rotation. The athleticism and versatility that has made her one of the most highly touted prospects in the country regardless of class was on full display during her time in Mexico. 

The 6-foot-1 forward averaged 10.4 points, 6.3 rebounds, 2.9 assists with a couple of steals and blocks in 19.2 minutes per game, the fifth most on the team. Perhaps most impressively, she finished seventh among all players in the competition in efficiency rating, a metric which considers various offensive and defensive stats to generate a composite rating. 

Palmer’s best game came in a group phase matchup against Puerto Rico where she put up 20 points, five rebounds, four assists, and three steals in a 121-36 victory. 

Palmer was not the only one at the tournament representing the Philly area. Bobbi Morgan, the head coach and assistant athletic director at Ursinus College, returned for her third year as an assistant coach with the junior national team.

Unlike the programs of other countries, who Morgan says have more staff and train together year round, Team USA’s coaching staff only has about a month between the team selection and the first game. This, Morgan says, makes it difficult to implement any real sets or systems and instead forces them to rely on the natural talent and athleticism of their players. Nonetheless, the pressure to bring home gold when you play for Team USA basketball persists. 

“There’s a culture in USA Basketball, there’s a standard there,” Morgan said, “and the first time those kids attend any of the events that is shared with them like ‘this is who we are, this is what we do.’

“There’s really an expectation given to us that it’s gold or bust, which is kind of unfair, but that’s what USA Basketball does.”

Morgan, who first saw Palmer play at an AAU tournament when she was in 7th grade dominating against high school seniors, was thrilled but not surprised by the jump Palmer took in her game in the past year. 

“I’m really proud of her because she grew, if I was going to say any player on that team that grew the most during this process, it might be Jordyn Palmer,” Morgan said in a phone interview Thursday afternoon. 

“She just does things that other people can't,” she added. “She can jump out of the building, she can rebound, she can score inside and out. Just as a person she matured.

“She still has a ton of room for growth and I think she knows that but now that she knows she can compete at this level, I think sky’s the limit for her.”

While Palmer is getting used to the attention that comes with being one of the best players in the country, she is aware there is an added layer of pressure that comes with being a gold medalist. 

It might seem strange to describe a player who’s won two straight state championships as someone who has room to grow or in need of confidence, but Palmer is the first to admit she has a long way to go if she wants to reach all of her goals. For her it starts with continuing to be more vocal and a leader on and off the court. 

She will also be keeping a close eye on the Olympic Team and A’ja Wilson, the WNBA All-Star who happens to wear the same No. 9 for Team USA. Any Olympic dreams she has are years away, but Palmer says representing her country on the biggest stage is definitely a “huge goal” of hers. 

Winning gold will be a memory that she says she will “keep forever,” but for now using the experience she gained in Mexico to take Westtown as far as they can in her sophomore season is her sole focus.

“Win states, win playoffs, hopefully go to nationals this year,” Palmer said when asked about her goals for the upcoming year. “And to be a leader to the many young girls on the team and throughout my community.”