City of Basketball Love

Luke Brown (@LukeBrownSports)
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When Olivia Jones was in eighth grade, she — like many other eighth graders with a passion for basketball — was playing on the grassroots circuit. That’s when she stood out to Fran Burbidge, who had just taken over to Westtown’s girls basketball program a year earlier after a career full of coaching high-level talent, including WNBA superstars Elena Delle Donne and Breanna Stewart. 

“There was never a time that you did not see that kid compete,” Burbidge said.

Flashing forward two years, Jones was at Cedar Cliff High School in Camp Hill (Pa.), leading her group of Colts to a 30-1 record, undefeated to the state championship, a six-point loss to Archbishop Carroll. The team captured the hearts of Central Pennsylvania and pieced together such a dominant season, truly getting Jones’ name out to the masses, proving the legitimacy of Jones’ play to the state, something that Cedar Cliff and its surrounding area already knew.

After the magical run that Cedar Cliff went on, Jones made a difficult decision to transfer over to Westtown School, packing up her Mid-Penn Conference gold medal, District III gold medal and PIAA silver medal and traveling off to West Chester, upping the competition level and exposure.

On August 16, Jones cashed in on that exposure, committing to play next level basketball at Harvard University out of a group of four Ivy League finalists including Princeton, Penn and Columbia to go along with the Crimson.

“First off, the atmosphere, the coaches, they really do a good job,” said Jones. “Honestly, it really feels like a family. They treat all the girls like their own kids, almost.”

A 5-foot-10 wing guard, Jones is a standout rebounder and post scorer, a tenacious rebounder who tends to play something of an undersized ‘4’ role for her teams, plugging away on the glass and around the rim. She played that role with both Westtown and the Philly Rise on the Nike EYBL circuit, playing this past summer alongside Westtown teammates Atlee Vanesko, Jessie Moses, Kennedy Henry and Jordyn Palmer among other Division I targets. 

The offers outside of Jones’ final four were vast, ranging from Northwestern, Providence and the 37-minute drive (from Westtown) to Saint Joseph’s, among many others.

Obviously, the names Harvard, Princeton, Penn and Columbia are all attached to the high academic standards and intense curriculum that will go along with Jones’ basketball commitments, but the Westtown senior is prepared for what’s coming ahead outside of the court.

“The level of rigor at Westtown is already a high standard, and our schedule is basically like a college schedule,” Jones said of her academic experience at the college-preparatory school. “I talked to a lot of the girls, they said the hardest part is getting in. I already got that taken care of.”

Another key sector of Jones’ commitment had much to do with the on-the-court success of the programs that found themselves in her final four. While Harvard has had success in the Ivy League, winning the conference 11 times (seven outright), it’s a work in progress that Jones is excited to be a part of with head coach Carrie Moore.

Last season, Harvard’s women went 16-12 overall, with a 9-5 mark in Ivy play, matching their league record from the year before, finishing third in the Ancient Eight both times. The program last made the NCAA Tournament in 2007. Princeton has won each of the last five Ivy League postseason championships, dating back to 2018, with COVID canceling both the 2020 and 2021 championships; Columbia made March Madness as an at-large in 2024.

“I just wanted to be part of helping a program, not just join a program that’s already been winning,” Jones said. “I just wanted to help coach Moore.” 

Part of that loyalty to Harvard comes with the loyalty they showed her, as Moore reached out to Jones the same day of seeing her compete at a tournament on May 1, 2023, the fifth offer that Jones received. 

Jones’ success in Central Pennsylvania and the Philadelphia area has won her a number of fans with her competitive play. After announcing her commitment to a prestigious university like Harvard, Jones said she was hearing from folks from all over.

“It felt really good,” Jones said of that outpouring of support. “My recruiting process has been going on since going into freshman year, so being done with it and feeling the support of all the people around me was huge for me.”

Jones’ final season of high school basketball begins November 9 at home against Western Reserve Academy, as the Moose are favorites to win their fourth consecutive PAISAA championship, with a chance to get invited to the Chipotle Nationals event in March.