The Cheltenham High School girls’ basketball team will now be led by Monique S. Boykins, a current biology/anatomy and physiology teacher at Cardinal O’Hara High School and a former coach at Penn State Abington, Penn Wood High School, and Lower Merion High School.
Known to her players as “Coach Mo,” Boykins takes over for 1997 Cheltenham graduate Bo Bowman, who led the Panthers to an 11-11 record 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. “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.”
At Penn Wood, Boykins’ alma mater, she 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 she continued her education and basketball career at Kutztown University, where she broke the school record for blocks and received the Coaches Award and all-conference honors.
In 2011, she created the “Jump‐Start” basketball league at the Darby Recreation Center and 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, Boykins graduated from Kutztown in 2007 with a B.S. in biology with a concentration in cell/micro/molecular.
For all the latest news, follow us on Facebook or sign up for Glenside Local’s “Daily Buzz” newsletter here.
Photos: PSU Abington, CSD