Fort Lee Basketball Coach Hits Milestone

On Thursday evening, the Fort Lee Bridgemen basketball team took sole possession of first place after a 58-51 overtime thriller of a victory against Dumont.

Not only was it an important win, but also a monumental one, as head coach John Ziemba earned his 300th career win as a basketball coach.

Ziemba, a former player at Garfield High School and Montclair State University, started coaching the Bridgemen in 1991, where he has earned 268 of his 301 wins. He has a special place in his heart for Fort Lee and is a man who teaches loyalty along with the game of basketball.

Under Ziemba’s watch, the team has made it to the final four of the Bergen County Jamboree twice, along with winning two league championships and making it to sectional finals for the Group 3 Championship. When Ziemba first arrived at the school, the team was struggling but he quickly turned things around, something that continues to today, with the team now in first place.

“Coach Z” is a teacher of the game, and loves every second of it.

“I really work hard for the kids to be successful when they’re done,” Ziemba said. “I try to be honest with them and tell them what they have to do academically and basketball-wise.”

Assistant coach James Puliatte knows that it is hard work to be an assistant under coach Ziemba, but he has learned a lot along the way and now has incredible confidence in scouting.

“He is teaching his players to be students of the game; they watch film before almost every practice,” said Puliatte. "'There's a reason the pros do it and college teams do it,'" he told his players the other day. Now we have players who will go on their days off to watch our opponents play. It's a great sign  of maturity."

Puliatte also said that once players enter the program, they are Coach Z's kids even long after they graduate. 

"You would be hard pressed to find a former player of his that would have anything bad to say about him," Puliatte said. "He would go through a wall for any of his players, and I know most of them would do the same. They might not realize it while they are playing for him, but once they move on, they realize all that he has done for them. That's what makes him 'Coach Z.'"

After the big win Thursday, things started to settle in for Ziemba, his family and his coaching staff, as people stayed in their seats after the game and showed their appreciation for a man who stops at nothing to achieve success and truly appreciates his players and coaches. The congratulations meant a lot to Ziemba, even from people he has battled against in the past.

“When players and guys you coached against reach out to you, that really means a lot,” Ziemba said.

Now that he's reached the milestone, the goal is to get the most out of his team as they defend their first place spot.

Fort Lee High School Sports Recap

Boys Basketball

Scores from Last Week:

Fort Lee-71 Ramapo-66

Fort Lee 58 Dumont-51 (OT)

Fort Lee-54 Ramsey-39.

Team Record: 6-3.

Next Week: Jan. 10 at Westwood; Jan. 12 vs. Rutherford; Jan. 14 vs. American History

Girls Basketball

Scores from Last Week:

Fort Lee-37 Hasbrouck Heights-31

Fort Lee- 28 Dumont-53

Fort Lee-33  Ramsey-38

Team Record: 4-5

Next Week: Ja. 10 vs. Westwood; Jan. 13 at Saddle Brook

Wrestling

Scores from Last Week:

Fort Lee-19 Cliffside Park-54

Fort Lee-30 Dumont-46

Fort Lee also lost against Paramus Catholic

Team Record: 0-4

The Bridgemen and Lady Bridgemen bowling teams were not in action this week, and results for the Bridgemen and Lady Bridgemen track teams were not available.

Athlete of the Week

Anthe Nikolaidis, Girls Basketball

The senior had a huge week breaking her own career high in scoring totals twice. Nikolaidis first broke her career high against Hasbrouck Heights, scoring 15 points and also pulling down eight rebounds. At the end of the week, she again broke set a new career high when she scored 17 points against Ramsey, to go along with 15 rebounds. She has been a force both offensively and defensively for the Lady Bridgemen and has had a blast so far this season, she said.

“Honestly, I feel so fortunate and grateful to be a part of such an amazing team with an amazing coach in which I get full support from,” said Nikolaidis. “Without them I would have never been able to accomplish this goal of mine. Breaking my career high twice in one week gives me the confidence and motivation to play every single game to the best of my ability.”