Athletics Hall of Fame | March 18, 2015

JERSEY CITY, N.J. (NJCUGothicKnights.com) | New Jersey City University is mourning the sudden passing of all-time great men's basketball coach Paul S. Weinstein `70, a 1987 inductee into the NJCU Athletics Hall of Fame. Weinstein, who will be most remembered for guiding the 1978-79 and 1979-80 teams to back-to-back NCAA Division III Elite 8 Appearances, died on February 23 near his home in Matthews, N.C. He was 66 years old.
 
Weinstein, a key link in the chain of legendary coaches at the University, served as head coach for six seasons from 1976-82, taking over from mentor Larry Schiner before handing the reins of the program to Charlie Brown. In between, he coached some of the greatest players to ever suit up for then-Jersey City State College and posted a remarkable record of 115-48 for a .706 winning percentage.
 
His teams produced a 52-18 record in the conference (.743), including a 10-0 mark in 1980 and 9-1 ledger in 1979. From 1977-81, his clubs were 38-6 (.864) in the NJAC. Additionally, the program won 28 of 29 conference games from 1979 through 1981, including a record 16 straight league wins.
 
Weinstein was honored as the 1978-79 Coach of the Year by both the New Jersey College Basketball Coaches Association (NJCBCA) and the Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association (MBWA).
 
He led JCSC to four post-season tournaments, including three consecutive NCAA fields in 1978, 1979 and 1980, and five NJAC (then the New Jersey State Athletic Conference) tournaments.
 
The 1977-78 team went 20-7 (.741), won the NJSAC Northern Division and finished third in the Division III Regionals. The Gothics opened the year 0-2 before unleashing a program-record 17-game winning streak.
 
It was the audition for two great years to follow. The Gothics set a single-season record with a astonishing 24-5 record (.828), captured the 1978-79 NJSAC Tournament championship and won the NCAA Division III South Atlantic Regional title before falling in the national quarterfinals to Franklin & Marshall. JCSC won 13 straight games in the middle of the season.
 
In the encore 1980 campaign, the program again broke the single-season wins mark, going 25-4 (.862)—a standard that stood until the 1992 Final Four team won 27. Weinstein's club went out to California and returned with another crown, this time the NCAA Division III West Regional title, before falling to a juggernaut in three-time NCAA champion North Park in another national quarterfinal. JCSC won 19 of 20 games during a stretch from December to February, including a run of 12 in a row.
 

Weinstein coached and recruited five members of the 1,000-point club, including three of the top seven. All-time leading scorer Brett Wyatt produced 2,292 points from 1975-79 while Eric Moore and Andy Kemp registered 1,587 and 1,513 points, respectively, from 1976-80. Stan Chapman (1,009 points) and Dave Martin (1,004 points) also reached the milestone while playing from 1977-81.
 
During the 1978 and 1979 seasons, Weinstein had five players on his roster that would score a combined 7,405 points with Wyatt, Moore and Kemp amassing an incredible 5,392 points as a trio. Wyatt was selected First-Team All-America in 1979 with Moore claiming Third-Team All-America status the following year. Wyatt was one of two players drafted by the National Basketball Association.
 
Even after the conclusion of Wyatt, and later Kemp and Moore's careers, he coached two more seasons. His 1980-81 club went 18-10 and captured the ECAC Division III Metro Tournament title and the 1981-82 team won 15 times. Both teams qualified for the NJSAC Tournament.
 
His teams scored 100 points or more 18 times in six years including a program-record 136 points on February 11, 1979 against Mercy. The 1977-78 squad netted 100 six times.
 
Weinstein retired as the third winningest coach in program history and with 115 wins had been equaled on the all-time list by current head coach Marc Brown just two days prior to his death. If he had coached enough years to reach the NCAA minimum to qualify, his .706 winning percentage would rank 22nd in Division III history.
 
A three-year varsity player for the Gothics in an era before freshmen could play, the guard was an excellent defensive player for JCSC from 1967-70 and was picked as co-captain of the 1969-70 club. Before being appointed head coach he served as an assistant coach for six years from 1970-76 under Schiner.
 
Weinstein was born June 22, 1948 in Jersey City before he relocated to North Carolina and remained a loyal fan and friend of the program. He is survived by his wife, Pam Deaver Weinstein, and daughter, Mary Weinstein, who will swim collegiately next fall at Bucknell University. In lieu of flowers, a donation can be made to a scholarship fund that has been established in Mary's name: http://www.gofundme.com/n8bvdc
 
TRIBUTES to and REMEMBRANCES of PAUL WEINSTEIN:
 

Retired athletic director Larry Schiner (1977-2007):
 
"I was shocked to hear of Paul's passing. He was a great friend and we shared many fun times as well as exciting times. I was fortunate to have him as a player my first three years as JCSC and as a very good assistant coach and recruiter, and an even better head coach. I will certainly miss his friendship."
 
"What made him stand out as a head coach, number one, was he continued to be a very good recruiter and was excellent at preparing his team for opponents. I think he was a very good game coach—making adjustments and substitutions and changing things around. He was a good floor coach, had good assistant coaches and was a good disciplinarian."
 
Retired head coach Charlie Brown, `65 (M.S. `85), who succeeded Weinstein:
 
"He did a great job and had some outstanding teams. [When Larry Schiner stepped down from coaching] I applied for the job and he got it over me the first time. I was pleased and thankful that when he decided to leave [coaching in 1982], I was the first one he called to ask if I was interested in taking the job."
 
"He was an excellent recruiter. It was one of the best things Paul did. He took good players he recruited and developed them. He developed outstanding individual ball players and put them together to form great teams. He had excellent individual players that played together and that was a strength."
 
Andy Kemp, 2-time All-NJAC Point Guard, 1976-80:
 
"He was a great recruiter; the guys he got together from all walks of life who had played against each other in high school and came to play for Jersey City State. For him to get a bunch of grown men, 22 years old, to play together? He made a big impact on us. He was one of the nicest guys in the world. He was one funny dude and a pleasure to play for. We had one of the best relationships you could imagine. He looked for me [as the point guard] to help keep the team calm and under control."
 
Arnie Leshin, sports information director (1967-73 and 1985-86) and long-time Hudson County sportswriter:
 
"Paul was not all about words. Not only was he a stellar coach—a player's coach—but he was as strict as he had to be to make a point. I remember when George Peterson, our 6-foot-9 inside weapon who transferred from Upsala, was on the bus as we prepared for our game at Stony Brook in Long Island, but Paul ordered him off. He told him he's not making this trip, that he missed [or was late to] practice. And off big George went. We lost that game, but when we played Stony Brook in a rematch at home, Paul told George that now he can make up for missing the trip, and he scored 23 points with 18 rebounds and 8 blocks.
 
He coached that 1980 team to the NCAA Division III Regional final in California, won and came home to play host to No. 1 and defending national champion North Park, at St. Peter's College. But Paul notified me before the game that starting forward Stan Chapman and starting guard Eric Moore would NOT be starting after both showed up late for the final practice. Yes, this national quarterfinal was a huge test, but Paul cared more about keeping the ship steady. No practice, late for practice, he let them know about it."
 
"Paul was about winning and having his team do things the right way. He was against taunting, he was against poor sportsmanship. It was he who actually recruited blue chip Steve Wilder out of Linden, NJ. This being his last season, he left Wilder in new head coach Charles Brown hands.
 
I remember when Paul called me one night at the [Hudson] Dispatch and told me he was resigning and only his wife, Pam, and family, knew. Paul knew what was best for the program and bringing in Brown, then the Lincoln High School coach, was no doubt a splendid move."
 
Hall of Famer Bob Delaney, `85, the NBA Vice President of Referee Operations, who played with and was coached by Weinstein:

"While Paul Weinstein was a major part of NJCU [JCSC] basketball [history] and taught me a great deal about the game, he taught me a great deal about life as well. He was a kind, generous man. Hearing of his passing caused me to reflect on great memories shared with him and all my Gothic teammates."

Hall of Famer Nick Sardone, `67, Athletics Historian:
 
"I am very sorry to hear about the sudden tragic passing of Paul. We first met in 1966 at Jersey City State College. After a year on the JV team, Paul became a three-varsity player for Larry Schiner , an assistant  coach in the seventies for some excellent teams and later head coach in the late seventies early eighties era. Paul had some of the best teams in the history of Jersey City State College especially the 78-79 and 79-80 teams. They played a fast-paced style and were not afraid to shoot the ball. I remember Paul telling me, "If we can double the other team's shots, we should win."

Paul was an outstanding  recruiter and brought a lot of talent to our Division III school. He was always filling in spots with junior and senior transfers and quality freshmen. He was able to play scholarship teams tough including St. Peters College every year. His teams often defeated Division II schools. He led three straight NCAA tournament teams and won the school's first NCAA regional title. In 1980, Paul's team won two of the greatest road victories ever when they defeated Beloit and Humboldt State on their home court in the NCAA West Regional. It was an exciting time. My thoughts and prayers are with Paul's family during this difficult time. Rest in peace, my friend."