West Chester’s Jordan Kellier receives senior day gift of a lifetime as he’s reunited with family
Kellier's parents never saw their son play basketball in the United States — until his senior day. The West Chester University program surprised him by flying his family in from Jamaica.
Jordan Kellier caught a glimpse in the corner of his eye, unsure what he was seeing. He blinked, and blinked again. It was as if Charmaine Kellier, his mother whom he had not seen in person in over a year, rose from an imaginary mist out of the Hollinger Field House stands.
Jordan thought, “How was this possible?” His parents were supposed to be back home in his native Kingston, Jamaica, watching West Chester University’s senior day on a live stream.
As Charmaine and her husband, Lynden, walked toward center court on Saturday to greet their son, the powerfully built, 6-foot-5, 220-pound guard melted into a cartoon puddle, his jaw dropping as he folded into his parents’ arms in a mound of tears.
What had been treated as a great secret within the West Chester basketball program for some time was finally revealed. Jordan topped the night off with his 17th double-double of the season, scoring 13 points and grabbing 12 rebounds in the Rams’ 84-63 PSAC win over Bloomsburg.
But that was merely a byproduct of what was a viscerally heartfelt moment shared by everyone who witnessed it.
The idea was hatched after a conversation between Charmaine and Rams coach Damien Blair in the fall. It was coordinated by West Chester assistant coach Ben Kay, and may not have been possible without athletic director Terry Beattie signing off on it, as well as assistant athletic director of compliance Deirdre Bertotti’s steadfast commitment to get the NCAA to allow West Chester to finance the trip.
To understand why it was so significant, one would have to know Jordan’s journey.
At age 16, Jordan came to the United States from Kingston to attend Redemption Christian Academy in Troy, N.Y. He was recruited to play at the University of Utah after playing a year of junior college at Williston State in North Dakota. He then transferred to Siena, where Jordan received his undergraduate degree in business.
He had one more year of eligibility and found West Chester.
“This was a leap of faith, going from Division I to Division II, and I thought it was going to be easy,” Kellier said. “I thought this was going to be a cakewalk and it was not. I had to earn this. I had to go back to my character and where I get it, and who I am as a person. I get that from them, my parents. I learned from my mother how to treat people good, no matter who they are, or what they do. I learned about hard work from my father.”
Since leaving Jamaica, Jordan spoke to his parents through Zoom calls and on WhatsApp.
The missing piece was that Charmaine and Lynden never saw their son play basketball in the United States.
That is, until Saturday.
Charmaine had been to the U.S. numerous times, while Lynden, a truck driver, never traveled outside of Jamaica and had never been on a plane before boarding the flight to Philadelphia.
Jordan wanted his parents to watch him for a while. It almost did not happen.
There were calls, and emails, and myriad hushed conversations in trying to keep details of the plan away from Jordan. Bertotti had to wait on the NCAA’s waiver approval to allow West Chester to pay for the trip. Kay and the Rams’ coaching staff did not get that approval until late last week, which led to a scramble.
“Jordan is just a great kid, and truthfully, this is what college basketball and college sports is all about,” Kay said. “The wins and losses are great, but moments like this live forever. We really wanted to make this happen. Coach Blair and myself were willing to do anything.
“It is a moment everyone will remember.”
Especially the Kelliers.
“I had no idea my parents were going to be here,” said Kellier, who is pursuing a master’s degree in public administration. “My team was going to walk with me in place of my parents for senior day. That was the plan. Then I saw Coach Blair’s wife come out and she was going to walk with me. I was in the back of the players’ line. I didn’t know anything, until I saw my mom first.”
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Blair met with Kellier’s parents the night before the game. He said it struck him that they had never seen their son play before in person.
“Imagine doing anything for 10 years, grinding, and grinding, and never being able to share that with your family,” Blair said. “That’s what got me choked up. It’s an appreciation for Jordan to persevere through some tough times without his family. We couldn’t take Jordan home to Jamaica, but we thought we could take his parents here.
“Not many people could make it as long as Jordan did on his own without the foundation of his parents. People don’t understand the struggles people sometimes have.”
During the game, Charmaine and Lynden’s eyes never left their son. Charmaine could not sit, cheering every score and every play, while Lynden sat happily stoic, arms folded with a pleased grin.
“I watched Jordan with various teams [on streaming links], but this team here is a family and I could feel the love and how genuine they are,” Charmaine said. “Coach Blair is a real genuine man. I am happy my son plays for him. There is something here, the presence of God in this place. What a gift.”
Lynden seemed relieved. He did not know what to expect, as each step was like entering a new world.
“And it wound up being a dream coming true,” he said. “I got a little emotional. The West Chester team, the whole community, really took us in. It was amazing. It’s something we’ll never forget.”
Charmaine and Lynden got to spend the weekend with their son.
They returned home with more than what they came with — Jordan’s framed No. 24 West Chester jersey and a mountain of memories.
This story was produced as part of a partnership between The Inquirer and City of Basketball Love, a nonprofit news organization that covers high school and college basketball in the Philadelphia area while also helping mentor the next generation of sportswriters. This collaboration will help boost coverage of the city’s vibrant amateur basketball scene, from the high school ranks up through the Big 5 and beyond.