Lower Merion's Downer Voted Top PA Basketball Coach in USA Today Contest

Lower Merion High School Boys Basketball Coach Gregg Downer has been voted “Pennsylvania’s Best High School Basketball Coach” in a USA Today High School Sports public poll.

Downer was the Keystone State’s top vote getter with 6,674 votes, beating out St. Joseph Prep’s legendary William "Speedy" Morris (5,609 votes) as well as Tony Chapman of Holy Ghost Prep (Bensalem, PA), Ron Insinger of Loyalsock Township (Williamsport, PA), Larry Kostelac of Trinity (Camp Hill, PA) and Andre Noble of Imhotep Charter (Philadelphia, PA).

Downer now finds himself advancing to a regional round where he will be pitted against coaches from New Jersey, D.C., Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland and Delaware. Voting for the regional contest ends on Jan. 30.

Be sure to visit http://contest.usatodayhss.com/vote/bball-coach-2014/round-2/r2 and cast your vote for Coach Downer and he could move on from Region 2 to the final round.

In his 23 seasons at the helm of Lower Merion Boys Basketball, Coach Downer has amassed a career record of 465-195, three PIAA Class AAAA state titles (1996, 2006 and 2013), three nods as Pennsylvania’s AAAA Coach of the Year and a 2012 induction into the Montgomery County Coaches Hall of Fame.

See the USA Today High School Sports recap of round 1 of the best Basketball Coach here: http://contest.usatodayhss.com/