Westtown’s Seth Berger wanted to make a difference. He built a basketball powerhouse.

Seth Berger was once a junior varsity basketball player at Penn, then a legislative director, then founder of AND1 footwear, creating quite an accomplished resumé. But in the last 17 years as Westtown School’s head basketball coach, he has achieved a greater feat.

He built Westtown into an elite basketball program — one that has secured nine Friends Schools League and four Pennsylvania Independent Schools Athletic Association titles. But it’s not about the championships or NBA players who have come through their gym, Berger said, it’s about impacting a teenager’s life through basketball.

“I really had no intentions of building a program that has attracted the players we have,” Berger told The Inquirer. “For me, I knew I didn’t want to go into politics after being in politics for years, and coaching basketball for me is the most fun way of making a difference.”

A number of standouts across the nation have come to the boarding school in Chester County, looking for more exposure and a chance to reach the college or professional level.

After playing a year at Duke, Dereck Lively is Westtown’s most recent graduate to be selected in the first round of the NBA draft (Dallas Mavericks). Before Lively, though, there was a group Berger referred to as “the most talented team I will ever coach.”

That 2016-17 starting five — featuring Mo Bamba (76ers), Cam Reddish (L.A. Lakers), Brandon Randolph (San Antonio Spurs G-League), Anthony Ochefu (former Delaware forward), and Jake Forrester (professional in Germany) — was considered one of the best in high school basketball history.

Westtown finished 32-2, went undefeated in the Friends Schools League, and was ranked No. 7 in the country. Bamba and Reddish, who were named McDonald’s All-Americans in their respective classes, received national recognition, and each member of the starting five extended his careers at the college level.

Amazon made a documentary called We Town, which followed the team through that season. While Westtown’s stars had undeniable talent, there also was structure in place that allowed them to flourish in other ways.

» READ MORE: Duke’s Dereck Lively II, a Westtown graduate, has risen into national stardom. His mother steered that path.

“There are two things that coaches learn when they come to our staff that are very different from other programs,” Berger said. “First, we always put the kids’ development ahead of winning. Second, in business and basketball, I really believe success is in the details.

“We ask our coaches to get educated about what is really more detailed and more specific than they’re used to. It’s always constant education for us to improve as coaches, so we can continue to be better coaches for our players.”

Berger got a call one day from Terrance “Munch” Williams, who founded ProScholars Athletics, a sports-based college preparatory program. He told Berger about a kid who was academically bright, grew up in Harlem, and had the chance of being an Ivy or Patriot League big man.

That kid was Bamba.

“I only saw one clip of him catching a lob,” Berger said. “He’s a ninth grader and if he has the coordination to catch a lob at 6-foot-8, he’s going to be really good.”

Bamba came to Westtown from Cardigan Mountain School, a boys’ boarding school in Canaan, N.H. During his first practice, Berger showed Bamba how to block shots with his weaker hand, a difficult task that could take a few months to drill and retain.

Fifteen minutes later, Bamba was blocking shots with his left hand. Berger was taken aback. He realized Bamba’s ability to process information was faster, he said, than any player he ever coached.

“I called Munch and said, ‘Hey, we’re wrong. I don’t know how much taller he’s going to get, but this kid is not an Ivy League [or] Patriot, he’s a high Division I player,’” Berger recalled. “But then the next day after practice, I said, ‘Nope, we’re wrong again. He’s a one-and-done lottery pick.’”

Bamba had the talent, but it was up to Berger and his staff to keep the center on track. He faced some hardships along the way. Bamba’s half brother, Sidiki Johnson, a former college player, went to prison for robbery in 2015, and after Bamba graduated from Westtown, his other half brother, Ibrahim Johnson, was fatally shot in October 2020.

“What I tell Mo is no different than any kid I tell at Westtown,” Berger said. “When they’re a part of our program — whether they’re going to the NBA or they’re going to college — if they are a part of our program, they are a part of our family.

“Whatever I can ever do to support you, let me know. If that means a phone call or a meal or something more than that, I’m here for you.”

As a junior, Bamba averaged 14 points, 11 rebounds, and 6 blocks per game. He started to gather some traction from college coaches and was rated as a five-star recruit, eventually deciding to play for Texas.

There were high expectations for Westtown during Bamba’s senior year. While the group needed less coaching because of its abundance of talent, there were still moments when Berger needed to keep the team in check — these were teenagers after all.

The group’s second loss of the season against Putnam Science Academy in Connecticut, Berger recalled, stemmed from Ochefu, who’s the younger brother of Villanova graduate Daniel Ochefu, and Bamba getting suspended before the tournament. The two, who were the best of friends, got into a fistfight over a Wawa sandwich.

“Both kids were feeling a ton of pressure,” Berger said. “Mo didn’t pick a school yet and everybody all the time kept asking him, ‘Where are you going to school,’ and Anthony hadn’t yet picked a school, so they kind of unloaded on each other because of that.”

» READ MORE: Center Mo Bamba is glad to join the Sixers and his mentor, Joel Embiid

It turns out that the production crew for We Town didn’t start filming until after the tournament.

Each member of the starting five had skills that set him apart. Bamba was a quick learner. Reddish, who attended Duke and was selected by the Atlanta Hawks in the first round of the 2019 draft, was a precise decision maker. Randolph was the voice of motivation. Ochefu was the team player. And Forrester was dependable on the floor.

If there was a moment that described the dynamic of the group, Berger said, it would have to be the state championship game against Episcopal Academy.

Westtown closed the gap to two points before Episcopal called a timeout. Bamba said in the huddle, “Fellas, we just need to get three stops in a row. Three stops in a row and we win a state title.”

“We went out, we got three stops in a row and won,” Berger said. “For me, that was like, ‘OK this group of incredibly talented kids were being led by a really smart young man.’ Then they had the talent, ability, and togetherness to go out and get three stops in a row to win back-to-back state titles.”

Randolph came to Westtown with one college scholarship offer from Manhattan. At the end of his senior year he held offers from top programs, including Arizona (where he signed), North Carolina, and Kansas.

Bamba, now a 7-foot center, was ranked No. 54 in the nation when he came to Westtown as a sophomore and graduated as the No. 4 prospect. The Orlando Magic later picked him No. 6 overall in the 2018 NBA draft.

Lively was unranked as freshman and left as the No. 1 prospect in his class.

The list of players goes on and on.

“Where we really live are the kids who have a ton of potential, but for whatever reason, maybe they got hurt or maybe they are in the wrong program,” Berger said. “Those are the kids we feel we can help reach their highest heights.”

As the coach watches those who have come out of his program go on to do bigger things, he knows the time, commitment, and process were worth it.

“My plan is to coach at Westtown usefully till I’m 70, then not as usefully till I’m 80,” Berger said, laughing. “Hopefully stop coaching before I die, then eventually die and be cremated in the lake at the Westtown School.

“That’s my plan, and that’s about as specific as it’s going get.”