Cork basketball star Rachel Lynch is off to the States to progress her career and education

BASKETBALL star Rachel Lynch will be departing Cork in September to play for Prep School Putnam Science Academy, which is based in Putnam Connecticut just outside Boston.

For the Brunell and underage Irish international star this is a dream come through for Rachel, as it was always an ambition of her to get to go test herself in the States.

Lynch has played U16 and U18 with Ireland in the European Championships for the last number of years and has been part of the Brunell Super League for the last three seasons. 

Rachel can play in the centre and forward positions on the floor, however, standing at 6ft 2 inches tall, her biggest asset to her game is her incredible footwork and great passing ability.

“I am really excited about playing for Putnam Science Academy Prep School next season as it was always a dream of mine to to get to play in America,” Rachel said.

“I will be living Putnam Connecticut for the year and playing in their conference games, but I will also get to play in numerous tournaments where some of the bigger college coaches attend to recruit players for their teams.

“This opportunity came about when I reached out to one of Brunell’s former professional players, Aryn McClure. 

“She is also former star player with the Quinnipiac University that also played with my teammate Edel Thornton in college. 

“She has lots of connections with her network called Globally Known, which helped me reach out to different colleges and prep schools. 

“However, I did receive other others form different colleges with the help of Kieran Quinn, but I decided to go the Prep School route as I must navigate my first time away from home in a different country first and if everything works out, then I can make the decision to commit or not to commit to four more years of college life Stateside.

“I have not visited the school personally, however, they made up videos of the current team, basketball facilities, gym, dorms and classrooms etc to show me. 

“I also done my research on the area and will start school on September 10th, but will be travelling with my mother Paula and my sister Tara on September 5th, and they will spend some time with me to help me to settle in.”

Rachel started her basketball journey with Glanmire as a six year-old and was also a very good swimmer, so she wanted to continue with both sports before she had to make a decision to concentrate on the sport that suited her when she got older.

“I started playing basketball at age six with Glanmire but I was also swimming and dancing with CADA. 

“As I got older my love of basketball grew stronger, so I moved to Brunell (the club my mother played with ) in 2018.

“Next season in Putnam I’m looking forward to the whole change, a new lifestyle and new challenges, as I think for a person to really find out who they are, they need a change.

“If not, you just just won’t know any difference to what you been doing your whole life. 

“I can’t wait to meet new people, try new things and push myself to my limits in the classroom, gym, court and in life.

“My biggest challenges will definitely be fitting in from the start as I know it will take time, however, I am confident I will get used to everything and it will then it will become a normality for me.

“I’m obviously going to miss my family, teammates and friends, but I had to accept this chance, as it’s once in a lifetime opportunity which many people never get a chance to experience. 

“Things will change dramatically for me as I will be training every day while at home I was used to train three nights a week. 

“We played one game at the weekend with Brunell in the Super League, but at Putnam, we could play two or three times a week, so I need to prepare mentally and properly for those challenges. 

“I do think I’m definitely going to improve my strength, speed, getting from rim to rim, getting into better positions, to rebounding and finishing inside the paint.

“I have seen over the years all the other young women and men that went to America and had an very successful career, so I’m so excited to follow in their footsteps.

“Finally, all this couldn’t have been possible without the help from my parents, Paula, Felan and my sister Tara, as they have always encouraged and supported me in every way, and I am incredibly thankful to them. 

“I also want to thank my all my coaches and teammates in Brunell, Glanmire and the Irish programs,” Rachel added.