Jericho's New JV Basketball Coach Reflects On Coaching Journey, POB Departure

JERICHO, NY — For Brad Weiss, coaching basketball is about watching players grow, overcome challenges, and develop both on and off the court.

Weiss recently began his new role as the head junior varsity basketball coach at Jericho High School after spending more than five years in the Plainview-Old Bethpage School District.

The 28-year-old Plainview native began his coaching journey in 2012 as a camp counselor, where he learned the importance of leadership and teamwork.

"Watching a player grow from where they were when you first started working with them to where they ultimately become is an incredible feeling," Weiss said. "Knowing that you played even a small part in their development and helped build their confidence is extremely rewarding."

Weiss said he has had many strong coach role models throughout the years of his playing experience – including his own father.

"Coaching became a passion of mine first through my father, who coached me growing up, and through the many great coaches I was fortunate enough to have throughout my playing career," he said.

These coaches taught him what it means to lead, motivate, teach, and bring a group of people together toward a common goal.

"When I played, I always took pride in being a good teammate and being part of something bigger than myself," he said, adding he enjoyed being around a group of players who were motivated to achieve success together.

For the Plainview native, although pursuing being a coach was an easy decision, leaving Plainview-Old Bethpage JFK High School's team was far from it.

"Plainview has been home to me my entire life, and I'll always be incredibly grateful for the players, families, coaches, and supporters who were part of my five years there," Weiss said. "It meant a lot to me that even people from my hometown POB Hawks community who were disappointed and sad to see me leave were still so supportive and had such kind and respectful things to say."

As the Hawks' junior varsity head coach for the past five seasons, Weiss has watched players flourish over the years. He has also been named Nassau County Conference AAA-II JV Coach of the Year for the 2023-24 season.

Weiss' long-term goal is to become a varsity head coach, and he said Jericho has allowed him to grow toward that goal, while "being part of an outstanding school district with great facilities, a strong culture, and tremendous support for its basketball program."

One of the factors in his decision was Coach Wally Bachman, who personally reached out to Weiss.

Bachman has been the boys' varsity basketball coach at Jericho High School for decades, starting his coaching career at the school in 1992. He has had an "incredible career as a Hall of Fame coach, a 500-plus-game winner, and a longtime leader in Nassau County basketball," according to Weiss.

"He made it clear that he wanted to help me continue developing as a coach and eventually be prepared to coach at the varsity level," Weiss said. "That meant a lot to me."

Throughout his coaching career, Weiss has had many standout moments. He said some of his most meaningful moments have come from watching players overcome adversity.

"Whether it's an injury, struggling on the court, or dealing with something outside of basketball, seeing a player work through that challenge and come out stronger is incredibly rewarding," he said.

The young coach said one moment in particular stands out during the 2024-2025 season when his team played against Westbury, one of the top junior varsity teams in the conference at the time.

"Two of our best players got hurt in that game, and we found ourselves down by double digits in the fourth quarter," he said. "I remember how much that team came together in that moment. The players continued to fight for one another and found a way to force overtime, and then eventually double overtime."

Weiss continued, adding that the game was at Westbury's gym:

"We ultimately lost the game, but the way our players responded to that adversity that night always stuck with me."

Later in the season, his team had the opportunity to play Westbury again, but this time, at home.

In the first game, Westbury scored more than 60 points against his team, but in the rematch, his players came in with a "completely different mindset," he said. His team held Westbury to just 42 points and won the game.

"I'll always remember how excited that team was after that win and how proud they were of the work they had put in to earn it," Weiss said.

He added that it showed what coaching and development are all about.

"It wasn't just about beating a team we had lost to earlier in the year," he said. "It was about seeing our players learn from that first experience, respond to adversity, work harder, trust each other, and ultimately see the results of that work. Those are the moments that stay with you as a coach."

Weiss said he hopes to continue doing what he loves for many more years.

"I've been very fortunate to have opportunities to turn that passion into a career, and I'm extremely grateful for that," he said.

His ultimate goal is to keep elevating himself so he can be better for the players he has the chance to coach and influence.

"I'm extremely excited to be a Jericho Jayhawk and begin this new chapter in my coaching career," he said. "I'm really looking forward to this next chapter."