CBA announces former star Brian Lynch as its new basketball coach

The long-rumored move is official: Christian Brothers Academy has tapped former star Brian Lynch to lead the next era of Colts basketball.

Lynch has stepped down from St. Rose, which he led to multiple Shore Conference and state titles the past two seasons, to become the new basketball coach at CBA, the school announced on Monday.

Lynch succeeds his former CBA teammate, Geoff Billet, whose 18-year tenure as the Colts’ head coach came to an end in April. Billet had a record of 325-127 and led CBA to 10 Shore Conference division championships, two Shore Conference Tournament championships, and SCT final appearances in 2014 through 2016 and again this past February.

Lynch is just the fourth head coach in the history of CBA’s program, which began in the 1962-63 season. Billet followed the legendary Ed Wicelinski, who coached Billet and Lynch and won a Shore Conference boys basketball-record 625 games, including three overall state titles. Prior to Wicelinski, Vinnie Cox won 350 games and five overall state championships with the Colts.

Billet’s departure made Lynch an obvious candidate after he rapidly built St. Rose into a state power once he was hired in 2021.

Under Lynch, St. Rose finished No. 1 in the state at the end of the 2023-24 season for the first time in school history, becoming the rare Shore Conference boys basketball team to achieve the feat. The Purple Roses won the NJSIAA Non-Public B title in addition to winning their first SCT title.

St. Rose repeated as SCT champions this past winter and also won its second straight Non-Public South B championship before losing a heartbreaker in the Non-Public B final. In all three of its SCT runs under Lynch, St. Rose beat CBA, including knocking off the Colts in this year’s championship game.

A crucial part of their success was the presence of the Hodge brothers, Matt and Jayden, who moved from Belgium to play for the Purple Roses due to the close friendship between their father, Odell, and Lynch. The elder Hodge and Lynch played professionally together in Belgium after Lynch concluded his career at Villanova.

Matt Hodge was the Shore Conference Player of the Year for the 2023-2024 season before moving on to play at Villanova. Jayden followed in his footsteps by earning the same honor after the 2024-25 season.

The 6-foot-6 junior small forward was the Shore Sports Insider Player of the Year after averaging 19.6 points, 9.6 rebounds, 4 assists and 1.75 steals per game in blossoming into one of New Jersey’s top all-around players.

However, Jayden Hodge announced earlier in May that he has transferred to national powerhouse Montverde Academy in Florida, the program that produced expected 2025 No. 1 overall NBA draft pick Cooper Flagg of Duke.

His departure left a major hole in the St. Rose lineup, and now the question remains of what will become of the remainder of the Purple Roses’ roster. Lynch’s nephew, Avery Lynch, was a promising sophomore forward and starter for St. Rose this past winter, and the Purple Roses also have a host of young talent in the backcourt.

CBA also has plenty of talent set to return in 2025-26. Rising seniors Connor Andree and Charlie Marcoullier will be in their fourth season as varsity contributors, with Andree serving in a starting role since his freshman season. Six-foot-8 rising junior David Buley is also a major piece that could potentially return, with guards Gavin Marlin and Charlie Messano both heading toward their senior season after playing major minutes as juniors.

This past season, that group, plus SSI All-Shore selections Justin Fuerbacher and Kevin Pikiell led the Colts to a 21-5 record and an appearance in the Shore Conference Tournament final for the first time since 2016. Fuerbacher will play at Division III Middlesbury College, while Pikiell recently committed to Sacred Heart University.

Scott Stump is a freelance reporter, newsletter writer and editor who first started covering Shore Conference football in 1999 and has covered basketball, wrestling, baseball and seemingly every other Shore Conference sport at some point. 

You can contact him at [email protected]