Woodmere Man to Join NYS Basketball Hall of Fame

Woodmere resident Jeff Bieder will be inducted into the New York State Basketball Hall of Fame on Sunday after a 34-year high school- and college-coaching career with a 77 percent winning percentage.

“I loved playing the game on the streets of Brooklyn as a kid and I always knew that I wanted to coach as soon as I graduated college,” Bieder told Patch. “I feel honored to be inducted into the Hall of Fame with some great present and former players and coaches. I thank my family for their support over my career.”

The hall of fame is operated by the Basketball Coaches Association of New York, which “exists to promote the sport of basketball statewide at all levels.”

The soon-to-be 66 year old has coached teams at Long Island City High School, Bergtraum High School and South Shore High School in New York City and Hunter College. He now works as the athletic director at a private school after retiring from the city in 2002.

The coach’s accomplishments also include three city championships, three New York City Coach of the Year awards, a man of the year award in 2002 by the NYC Coaches Association and the “prestigious” Gatorade Coaches Care Award, according to his wife, Georgia. Bieder’s teams have won 543 games over his career.

Floyd Bank, also an inductee in the NYS Hall of Fame, worked with Bieder when the latter was a junior varsity coach at Long Island City High School and nominated him for the induction.

“He connects with players and puts in the time and effort,” Bank said. “Coaches have to be teachers first. He did the best job and instilled morals and ethics into the players.”

Bieder, who has degrees in education, said he likes how basketball instills a competitive spirit and teamwork into teenagers that they can bring in the real world.

“Of course you have to have good players,” he said, “but I believe in hard work, organization and a thorough knowledge of the game.”