Lower Merion graduate, former Wynnewood resident and recently “minted” Duke Alum, Mitchell Gladstone tells the readers of Dallasnews.com “I was born in Charlotte, N.C., but spent the majority of my childhood in Wynnewood, Pa., just outside of Philadelphia. My high school, Lower Merion, isn’t quite known for its football — although it can lay claim to the longest continuous public high school rivalry in the country — yet we do boast a soon-to-be Basketball Hall of Famer. Kobe Bryant (you might have seen a maroon No. 33 jersey somewhere around) played for Lower Merion from 1992-96, leading the team to the fourth of its six state titles. Gregg Downer (who was Kobe’s head coach) still leads the Aces and they’ve added two more titles in the post-Kobe years, including one when I was a sophomore in 2013. “