Freeport's DeBonis, LWA's Weiss reach state basketball Hall of Fame
Coach Jeff Weiss of Lawrence Woodmere Academy will be inducted on March 27 at Glens Falls Civic Center. (March 23, 2006) Credit: NEWSDAY/MICHAEL E. ACH
Freeport's Bob DeBonis and Jeff Weiss from Lawrence Woodmere Academy have each coached the same sport at the same level in nearby areas for the last 20-plus seasons. So they were likely to have had teams play against each other at some point.
DeBonis remembers his boys public school basketball team from Freeport matching up against the private independent school team from Woodmere in the late 1990s. Weiss recalls the teams had a home-and-home series for a stretch of years.
Details of the games are hazy, but both active coaches call the other "a great guy," based on reputation. They are not close friends socially, but each is well-respected in local basketball circles and will be among eight coaches inducted into the New York State Basketball Hall of Fame next month.
The induction ceremony is March 27 at Glens Falls Civic Center during the Federation tournament. The state basketball coaches association operates the Hall of Fame.
"It's a pretty awesome feeling," said Weiss, who has coached LWA since 1988 and has a career record of 396-130 and a 19-1 mark this season. Weiss has led Lawrence Woodmere to two Class C Federation titles, in 1999 and 2002, and LWA also made three straight Federation finals from 2004-06.
"I feel honored and privileged and really fortunate to have been at a nice school all these years, with nice kids and do something I love," Weiss said. "Winning is extra."
DeBonis, in his 17th season at Freeport, shared similar thoughts. He has coached for 30 seasons overall, including an eight-year stint at NYIT. "It's a tribute to the guys I've had play for me in college and high school and it really makes you feel good," he said. "You may not win all the games you've played but hopefully, you've affected people's lives."
For DeBonis, this will be his third Hall of Fame induction. He's in one at East Meadow High School and at C.W. Post, where he played basketball and baseball. His family presented him with a cake that said "Hall of Fame #3" when they learned of the latest honors.
DeBonis has 361 overall wins and a 236-119 high school record for the Red Devils, who reached four Nassau finals during his tenure. "Unfortunately, we're like the Buffalo Bills and haven't won one," he said, referring to the Bills' four straight Super Bowl losses in the 1990s."
But as both coaches said, they don't think it's all about winning.