HMHS Boys Basketball: Coach Wiedeman joins 600 Club

By Lauree Padgett / Special to Haddonfield[dot]Today

Photo courtesy of Leigh Anne Guveiyian

One of the happiest days in my life as a Haddonfield boys basketball fan (which accounts for about 57 of my 63 years) happened in late September 1999 when I read Inquirer sportswriter Sam Carchidi’s column, “The Coach’s Son Has Grown Up.” It was how I learned through amazed eyes that Paul Wiedeman, who I’d seen on the court as a player for Haddonfield back in the late 1980s, was taking on a new role: head coach at his alma mater. To say I was jumping up and down for joy (and no doubt greatly alarming my two cats) would not be an exaggeration.

On Tuesday night, February 4, 2025, at Gloucester City High School, as junior Dawg Chase Stadler swooshed in a 3 just ahead of the buzzer to give his team a last-second victory, I was jumping up and down and yelling again. Not only had Stadler’s shot saved the Dawgs’ from losing a back-and-forth contest that got especially tight during the last 8 minutes, he had, with his teammates, given Wiedeman his 600th win—and quite a memorable “won” at that—as Haddonfield’s head coach.

Now in his 26th year, Wiedeman has coached his teams to more than a few memorable wins: his 200th win, which came in the 2007 South Jersey championship game against Colonial Conference nemesis Collingswood; OT, come-from-(way)-behind victories over Camden in 2018 and 2019 during the South Jersey Group 2 playoffs; state titles in 2004, 2005, 2006, 2018, and 2019; a trouncing of St. Anthony’s in 2006 (which was, in truth, more satisfying than the state championship win that season because he outcoached the legendary Bob Hurley Sr.); a game at Paulsboro in 2014 when the Dawgs were down 16 at the half and 11 after 3 and came back to win; a game at Collingswood in 2007 when Greg Steinberger’s 3 and Spencer Reed’s 2 off an inbounds pass with 1.2 seconds left in regulation sent the game into OT, and of course we won. I could go on and on and on …

But what’s made Wiedeman legitimately, as Haddonfield AD Lefty Banos called him 2 nights later when presenting him with a plaque commemorating the milestone, “the best coach in South Jersey” is his ability to win season after season, sometimes with players that went on to play Division 1 college hoops, sometimes with players who were of average talent. In his first 25 seasons, there was only one, 2009–10, when the team did not win more games than it lost. And even then, the team missed hitting .500 by a single game. Unbelievingly, there have only been four times, in other words, four seasons, when a Wiedeman-coached team did not win at least 20 games. And during one of those seasons, which didn’t even start until 2021 due to COVID still raging, the team only played 15 games (and won 12 of them). Twice, in the 2005–06 and 2018–19 seasons, which were both capped by state Group 2 titles, the Dawgs went 31–2. For a list of Wiedeman’s won/loss record through 25 seasons, see my sidebar “Wiedeman Season by Season.” And for a great article written by NJ.com’s Kevin Minnick just ahead of win 600, click here (if you have a NJ.com subscription): tinyurl.com/mr3s62mn. Minnick provides some more stats as well as comments by some of Wiedeman’s fellow coaches.

I wrote a long piece back when Wiedeman got to win 200 that gave an in-depth analysis of his first 8 years as head coach, starting from his toddler days when he followed dad Dave everywhere and started picking up his basketball acumen almost by osmosis. Even with that knowledge and love of the game pumping through his veins, Wiedeman went off to college and majored in economics, graduating from (still then) Glassboro. It took him about 18 months to realize what many of us had known for a long time: Sitting behind a desk was not his destiny. Instead, it was to coach high school basketball. He first served as an assistant coach at West Deptford for 4 years before being offered the head coaching position at Haddonfield by Joe Serico. (In an alumni-related email exchanged a few weeks ago with Serico, who is also a basketball fan, I mentioned that Wiedeman was zeroing in on his 600th win. He told me hiring Wiedeman was one of the smartest moves he made during his tenure at the high school, and I heartily agreed with him.) For that 2007 article, I interviewed former players; his parents, Dave and Joan; and our scoreboard keeper Jeff Holman (oh yeah, who is also one of the premier boys and girls tennis coaches in the country).

This time, I’ve toned it down a bit, mostly because once I get started with the accolades about my favorite coach, it’s hard to stop, and I still have a few more basketball articles to work on this weekend! However, I did reach out to Pat Betley, who was a sophomore on the first team Wiedeman coached (which, I should mention, he took as far as the Group 2 state finals), as well as three of Wiedeman’s current players, to get some comments and appraisals.

When Betley, who would end his career at Haddonfield as the (then) top scorer, was the point guard for Wiedeman, the young Haddonfield coach wore a suit and tie as he called out plays from the sidelines. While his attire has changed quite a bit over the years, his work ethic has not. Notes Betley, “Coach Weideman was a master at game planning for an opponent. We faced many different types of teams and some great players, and we were always prepared” After he graduated from Lafayette, where he continued his basketball career, Betley joined the coaching ranks. Most recently, he was an assistant coach at Notre Dame High School in Nazareth, Pa., for 3 years, and now along with his wife Katie, who also played basketball at Lafayette, he coaches their daughters Kinsley and Vienna at Holy Family grade school and the Nazareth travel program.

Betley also highlighted something else his former coach does better than many others Betley has coached with: changing and adapting to both his team’s opponents and to his own personnel. “Most programs have a set way they teach defense, or run the same offensive system year after year. We sometimes would play six games over 2 weeks and have a different defensive scheme for each team we played.” Over the years, Betley has also seen Wiedeman change his offense to fit his players versus making his players play within his system. As Betley acknowledges, “It’s so important to trust that your coach will develop a strategy and game plan for each game.” His daughter’s middle school team has the lowest points allowed by far in the league. “Our girls are prepared and go into games knowing what is needed to defend each team we play against. That is something I’ve taken from Coach Weideman.” Betley believes Wiedeman’s “laser focus and attention to detail” are keys to him having won so many games and championships. “From his first year, Haddonfield basketball went from a pretty good program to a powerhouse. I was there for his first win. And I’m glad he’s still at the helm. Here’s to many more wins.”

I asked three current Dawgs—sophomore Ryan Guveiyian and juniors Chris Beane and Michael Douglas—three questions: What does it mean to be part of the team that gave Coach W. victory number 600? What do think makes him such a winning coach? Are there some aspects of your game that Coach Wiedeman has helped you with or made better?

All three are proud to now be linked to his 600th win. Guveiyian and Beane had older brothers (Matthew and Sean, respectively) who were on the squad when Wiedeman reached the 500-win milestone in 2020. Says Guveiyian, “My brother was a part of 500 wins, so it means a lot to be a part of 600.” Adds Beane, “Haddonfield has a long history of being a successful program. Coach has had so many successful teams and such a successful career, it’s nice to be a part of the team that will be remembered for winning his 600th.” Douglas agrees. “It is great to be coached by one of the best coaches in South Jersey. It was special playing in that game.”

Guveiyian cites one reason for Wideman’s longtime success as his passion for the game. “Wiedeman loves the game and all of his players who he coaches [feed off] his love for the game and his competitiveness.”

As Betley did, Douglas points to how well-prepared Wiedeman is. “He has a game plan for every game and holds us accountable.” This is echoed by Beane as well. “He is a winning coach because of how well he knows the game and his dedication to it.  He puts in a lot of time to develop a game plan for each opponent and always has his teams well-prepared.”

And how has Wiedeman helped each of them individually?

Beane says Wiedeman has helped him become more of a student of the game. “I have learned more about the language and strategy of the game.  He has also taught me the importance of patience throughout games.” Beane has benefitted as well from Wiedeman pointing out things that he might not have realized otherwise. “All of this,” Beane affirms, “has helped me improve as a player.”

Because he plays point guard just as his coach did, Douglas is helped by the directions Wiedeman gives him during each game. “He believes in me and gives me the opportunities to be successful.”

Guveiyian says his coach has helped him adjust to the different level of varsity play as well as a new position. He has grown as defensive player too. Most important, I think is this statement by Guveiyian: “He makes everyone around him a better person on and off the court.”

OK so it’s not surprising that his past and present players are singing Wiedeman’s praises or that Dawg fans were thrilled when he captured victory 600. But what about the reaction of someone from the Dark Side? You know, a Collingswood fan. I got a serendipitous story from one such individual this week that seems to be the perfect way to end my tribute to Wiedeman.

The tale unexpectedly fell into my lap a few days ago when Scott, my HVAC guy, whose last name has been redacted to for his own protection, was over to service my heat pump. When he was done, we were chatting in my home office, which is a shrine to my two favorite sports: baseball and basketball. After commenting on my Phillies/Jayson Werth wall, he then noticed my many pictures of Brian Zoubek as a Duke Blue Devil and mentioned that his son, as a Collingswood freshman, went up against Zoubek as a senior and was a bit intimidated by the big guy. When he saw all my Dawg photos, he asked if I was from Haddonfield. I told him yes and that I had been covering the team for decades. Of course, I couldn’t resist showing him, courtesy Leigh Anne Guveiyian’s Facebook feed, the end of the Gloucester City game, explaining—OK gloating—that it had given our coach his 600th career win.

I wasn’t expecting this reaction after Scott watched the clip: “Wiedeman?” Scott practically gushed. “He’s the smartest coach I’ve ever seen.” And then he gave me a perfect case in point. “A buddy and I were at a Collingswood home game against Haddonfield. At halftime, we were up by 14. My buddy turns to me and says, ‘Well, I guess this game is in the bag.’ I point to Wiedeman as he is walking off the court and I tell my buddy, ‘See that coach? He’s going to go into that locker room and come up with a whole new game plan for the second half.’” And Scott relayed, that’s exactly what Wiedeman did. “They held us to 8 points in the second half and we lost the game,” Scott said, shaking his head with a mixture of incredulousness and admiration.

So there you have it, straight from the mouth of a Collingswood fan. If that doesn’t convince you how incredibly lucky Haddonfield has been to claim Paul Wiedeman as its boys basketball head coach for more than 25 years, nothing will. Now we just have to sit back to see how long it will take Wiedeman to reach the 700-win pinnacle. My guess? It won’t take long at all.

Wiedeman Season by Season

1999–2000: 21–8

2000–2001: 24–4

2001–2002: 21–6

2002–2003: 22–3

2003–2004: 27–3 (wins 100th game)

2004–2005: 29–2

2005–2006: 31–2

2006–2007: 26–5 (wins 200th in South Jersey Group 2 final)

2007–2008: 18–9

2008–2009: 21–8

2009–2010: 13–14 (only losing season)

2010–2011: 23–6

2011–2012: 21–8

2012–2013: 25–4 (wins 300th game)

2013–14: 28–1 (surpasses his father Dave as Haddonfield’s all–time winningest coach when notching his 333rd victory)

2014–15: 22–7

2015–16: 18–10

2016–17: 24–6 (wins 400th game, which makes he and Dave the only father–son duo in South Jersey history to both do so)

2017–18: 29–4

2018–19: 31–2

2019–20: 25–5 (the Dawgs’ last victory of the season gives Wiedeman his 500th career win)

2021: 12–3 (COVID–shortened; the start of the season was delayed until February)

2021–22: 20–10

2022–23: 25–6

2023–2024: 27–3

Record as of 2/8/25: 601–145 (81%)

* * * * *

Anthony Parenti Weighs In

Anthony Parenti has been the JV coach and Wiedeman’s assistant coach for the past 9 nine years. However, before that, he was a member of the Dawgs as a player, graduating in 2011. His senior year, Haddonfield amassed a 23–6 record.

I thought Parenti would be the perfect person to ask about his former coach and now “boss” to get a unique perspective on what makes Wiedeman so hard to beat. Here is what he had to say.

“Obviously, Paul is one of the best to ever be on the sidelines. Learning from him the past nine seasons has been nothing short of incredible. I have learned so much about being a coach just by seeing the way that he does things on a day to day basis.”

He continued, “Being a player for Haddonfield you get to see and hear from Paul every day, you know how intense he is and how much it means to him. Playing for him was great; he challenges you to be your best, always pushing you to do a little bit better., mostly, because he knows that you can. He wants each player to get every ounce of their potential and bring it to the court. His intensity and extreme focus are remarkable, and you feel it as a player.”

This assessment mimics the comments of Wiedeman’s current players, who talked about how his encouragement, along with his passion and intensity, have made them perform better on the court.

Becoming Wiedeman’s assistant made Parenti privy to some of what the Dawgs’ head coach does off the court to help make Haddonfield and his players the best they can be. “What players do not always see is the preparation. It was not until I became his assistant coach that I fully understood the amount of time and effort that he puts into every single day. The thing that sets Paul apart from other coaches I have been around is the attention to detail. He understands that every single detail of the game matters—all of it plays a part in winning at a high level. Whether we are playing a state final or having a summer workout, Paul brings the exact same mentality to the day. All in.”

Parenti knows he’s been “extremely fortunate” to be part of Wiedeman’s staff, acknowledging, “It has been nothing short of a blast to learn under Paul, I am thrilled to have been here at HMHS these 9 seasons and cherish every bit of it, and I do not take it for granted!”