Jerome Westbrooks

Jerome Westbrooks has been one of the great ambassadors of Irish basketball.

Hall of Fame Induction

2026

---

Clubs associated with

Killester, St. Vincent's

---

Jerome Westbrooks has been one of the great ambassadors of Irish basketball for his remarkable longevity, integrity and service as a player, coach and leader with Killester and beyond.

A native of Chicago and graduate of Eureka College, Illinois, Jerome first arrived in Ireland in the early autumn of 1981 after becoming the first American pro ever signed by Killester, the club he would play most with over the ensuing decade. He also served as the team’s head coach for the 1986-87 season in which they won a memorable National Cup final over Neptune as Jerome skilfully optimised the talents of later NBA champion Mario Elie and BI Hall of Famer Kelvin Troy.

Jerome would enjoy further National Cup success as a player with St Vincent’s in 1994 after a long fight for his right to play as a naturalised player. That same season alongside Terry Strickland, he helped the Glasnevin-based club also secure the Superleague title and was a vital member of the historic Irish national team that won the Promotions Cup.

He duly moved on to serve as an assistant to national team head coach Enda Byrt but would continue to make an impact as a player at national league level; in 1995 he scored 20 points for St Vincent’s in their National Championships post-season final win over Notre Dame.

His greatest flurry of silverware though came in the 2000s upon returning to play with his beloved Killester. Due to a combination of his remarkable discipline, conditioning and passion for the game, he was still a contributor to the teams that won the 2001 Superleague and Cup double, the 2007 Superleague, and in his final season at 51 years young, the 2008 National Cup.

His record and impact as a coach has been even greater. A long-serving teacher of art and physical education at Portmarnock Community School, he coached there through the years as well at St Fintan’s Sutton and Holy Faith Clontarf whom he guided to countless All-Ireland schools titles. A devout Christian married to his high school sweetheart Lois, he has also been one of the country’s best camp coaches through the years.

Another feature of Jerome’s legacy is the contribution his own children have made to the game, with Michael, Aaron, Isaac, Leah and Eric all having won national honours as players.