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Monique Boykins Named Girls Basketball Head Coach at Cheltenham

Monique Boykins Named Girls Basketball Head Coach at Cheltenham
  • 2024-2025 Spotlights
  • Athletics

After nearly 15 successful years as coach with Penn Wood and Lower Merion high schools and Penn State Abington, Monique S. Boykins, known to her players as “Coach Mo,” has been named head coach of the Girls Basketball program at Cheltenham High School. Boykins takes over a squad that went 11-11 in 2023-24. 

“It is an honor to join a community that values dedication, teamwork, and the pursuit of excellence, on and off the court,” said Boykins, who teaches biology/ anatomy and physiology at Cardinal O’Hara High School. “As I step into this role, I want to express my commitment to fostering a positive and inclusive environment for all our student-athletes. My goal is to develop our players’ skills and competitive spirit and instill values of sportsmanship, hard work, resilience and life. I believe that basketball is not just a game; it’s an opportunity to grow as individuals, as a team and to become a better person in today's society.”

With Coach Mo at the helm of her alma mater, Penn Wood won three Delaware Valley Conference titles and qualified for the PIAA State tournament in 2016. Boyklins has also been the head coach for the AAU travel teams Mid‐Atlantic Heat 16u and PA Running Rebels 15u. Most recently, Boykins has served as a traveling basketball coach for USA Youth Basketball, CP3 Middle School Combine, and Steph Curry Underrated Tour.

A two-time all Del-Val Conference player at Penn Wood, Boykins totaled 986 points and is the school rebounding record holder with 1,064 rebounds. After graduating from Penn Wood High School Monique continued her education and basketball career at Kutztown University of Pennsylvania, where she played for Janet Malouf and became known as a strong aggressive forward, breaking the school record for blocks. She was recognized for her hard work and leadership qualities in 2007 with the Coaches Award and all-conference honors.

Boykins believes strongly in giving back to her community. In 2011, she created the “Jump‐Start” basketball league at the Darby Recreation Center, providing a fun and competitive basketball league for children and young adults. Under this umbrella, Boykins developed and ran the basketball league for boys and men 8‐25 years of age. Boykins has also developed “Team S.U.C.C.E.S.S. Elite,” an AAU organization focused on educating and empowering youth through athletics, fitness and social networking. "SUCCESS" stands for Sustaining Unbelievable Character through Challenge, Empowerment, Sacrifice, and Support. 

“I recognize today’s youth are maturing very fast,” she said, “and that by providing and sharing with young women the tools I learned during my diverse basketball career, I enable youth to build a positive character within a team atmosphere.”

The president of the school board at the William Penn School District and resident of Colwyn, Pa., Boykins graduated from Kutztown in 2007 with a B.S. in biology with a concentration in cell/micro/molecular.
 

  • Cheltenham High School
  • Cheltenham School District