Haddonfield Memorial High School basketball head coach Paul Wiedeman who was scheduled to be inducted into the South Jersey Basketball Hall of Fame on Sunday, Feb. 11.
Basketball is more than just a sport, it is a passion and a family legacy, at least it is for Haddonfield Memorial High School basketball head coach Paul Wiedeman who was scheduled to be inducted into the South Jersey Basketball Hall of Fame on Sunday, Feb. 11.
Those being inducted into the South Jersey Basketball Hall of Fame have made influential and positive impacts in the basketball community in South Jersey. Wiedeman’s father, Dave Wiedeman, a HMHS coach for nearly two decades and Hall of Fame inductee, is Wiedeman’s role model. As a senior in high school, Wiedeman, under the coaching of his dad, won a state championship in 1989, which he fondly recalls to this day. According Wiedeman, his father inspired him to follow a career in teaching and coaching basketball.
“He’s a great inspiration,” Wiedeman said. “I remember staying up and drawing up lineups for teams with him.”
Having graduated from Rowan University in 1993 with a marketing degree in business, Wiedeman went on to fulfill his father’s legacy. Shortly after, Wiedeman soon began interning with the Philadelphia 76ers in the spring of 1994, where he learned how to market and increase ticket sales. Although he gained off-court experience about behind-the-scenes activities of sporting events, Wiedeman’s true passion was on the court. In 1995, Wiedeman went back to Rowan to fulfill his passion for teaching, graduating with a degree in health and exercise science in 1997.
From 1990 to 1993, Wiedeman played basketball at Rowan University, and his team made it to the Division III Final Four, ending the season with the overall best record in the school’s history, according to Wiedeman.
In 1999, Wiedeman followed in his father’s footsteps with HMHS by becoming a head varsity coach and a physical education teacher. During his time there, he won three state championships and five South Jersey championships, and made it to 12 Colonial Conference championships. His current record is 431 wins with 108 loses.
‘’Year in and year out, he produces successful teams,’’ HMHS Athletic Director Lefteris Banos said.
One of Wiedeman’s proudest moments was when he led his team to three state championships in a row from 2004 to 2006, which had not been achieved in the state in a public school in about 62 years, according to Wiedeman.
“It put a stamp on the fact we were a good program,’’ Wiedeman said. “They (the players) are very competitive on the classroom and on the court.”
Wiedeman expressed his joy for having had the opportunity to work with such great teams over the years and looks forward to many more.
‘’It’s been a very rewarding experience to give back to something that was good to me,’’ Wiedeman said.
