Alice DeFazio admitted that there was a different feeling when she walked into Marist High School to conduct her first practice as the new girls’ basketball coach there.
“It was kind of surreal,” said DeFazio, who has decided to take over the program that was established by her late husband Bill, Hudson County’s all-time leader in girls’ basketball victories.
“I gave it a lot of thought about how I was going to feel,” said DeFazio, who had a long history as a basketball coach before becoming the athletic director at New Jersey City University. “It was kind of overwhelming and a little intimidating.”
Bill DeFazio, who spent two decades as Marist’s girls’ basketball coach, died in November, 2010, after a year-long battle with pancreatic cancer. Before he passed away, Marist named the floor in the high school gym as the Bill DeFazio Court, so Alice gets to see her husband’s name every time she holds a practice.
“It’s a very special feeling,” DeFazio said. “I’m just there to keep Bill DeFazio’s program steered in the right direction. He was a unique person and a great coach. One of the main reasons I wanted to do this was to re-instill the values of his program. I’m just trying to continue what he started.”
DeFazio has been away from coaching for the last seven years, stepping down as the women’s basketball coach at NJCU to focus on her duties as the AD. DeFazio was also once the head coach at St. Dominic Academy in the late 1980s-early 1990s.
“It’s kind of like riding a bike,” DeFazio said. “Coaching is like teaching. I just needed to get back into the swing of things. The kids have really stepped up to the plate and I’m just trying to teach them.”
DeFazio knows that she’s not going to walk in and win championships the way her late husband did on a regular basis.
“It’s a work in progress,” DeFazio said. “They have a commitment to a strong work ethic. I just want them to get better every day. If they do that, then eventually, we’ll have a good team. I’m excited about the progress we’ve made.”
Junior Alexis Wilson is the Lady Knights’ point guard. The 5-foot-4 Wilson is the glue to the team.
“She’s running the team and we go where she goes,” DeFazio said. “She’s going to take us to whatever level we get to. She’s fast and skilled and we’re going to only be as good as she takes us.”
Senior Angela Randle is a 5-6 shooting guard.
“She is one of the few who played for Bill, so she knows what I’m looking for,” DeFazio said. “She’s a good senior leader and she’s going to score some points.”
Senior forward Marisa McCabe is what DeFazio calls “the X Factor.” The 5-foot-9 McCabe is a transfer from Cedar Grove who played only two games last year before getting injured and missing the rest of the season.
“There’s something special about her,” DeFazio said. “She can shoot the three [from 3-point range] and shoot it well. She might be the key to our success this year.”
Sophomore Kayla Rowan is a 5-foot-4 guard who is a solid defender.
“She’s going to create some havoc,” DeFazio said of Rowan.
Sophomore Angela Lenzo is a 5-foot-7 forward with some solid skills.
The Lady Knights open their season this weekend with a game against Kearny. DeFazio is looking forward to the challenge.
“It’s such a pleasure to come to the gym and work with these girls,” DeFazio said. “My time is totally compromised now, but when I get to the gym, every so often, I glance down and see his name. I’m very humbled by it all.”…
Snyder High School had a very special guest participate in a month-long series of educational programs.
Four-time United States Track and Field Olympian Joetta Clark-Diggs conducted the “Head 2 Toe Financial Literacy and Fitness Program” at Snyder, which introduced the students to nutrition, fitness and life skills training, coupled with a financial literacy program presented by State Farm Insurance representative Tawanda Jackson. State Farm Insurance helped to sponsor the program.
“We’ve been able to do 30 different sessions at 25 different elementary, middle, and high schools in New Jersey,” said Clark-Diggs, who is the daughter of famous educator Joe Clark, immortalized in the movie “Stand By Me,” starring Morgan Freeman.
Clark-Diggs said that Jackson, a product of the Jersey City school system, recommended taking the program to Snyder.
“We dealt with nutrition and having a healthy mind and body,” Clark-Diggs said. “We also dealt with life skills, like bullying. I’ve been doing things like this with my foundation for the last 10 years, but this was the first time we teamed up with State Farm. The program is all about education and we leave them with information and data that they don’t only use now, but when they grow up as well.”
Clark-Diggs said that the Snyder students were wonderful.
“They were very receptive and happy,” Clark-Diggs said. “We tried to make the sessions fun. They received a lot of items from State Farm, like stop watches, gym bags, T-shirts and head bands. The kids all got into it. I think they realized why I would be there, but I’m really no different than anyone else who understands what it takes to be successful. All you have to do is dream and believe.”…
Former Hoboken football coach Ed Stinson, currently a resident of Secaucus, received a huge honor. Stinson has been selected to coach in the upcoming U.S. Army/Under Armour High School All-American Bowl in San Antonio. Stinson, who was the defensive coordinator this season at Bergen Catholic, has been selected to work with the defense on the East squad for that game… — Jim Hague
Jim Hague can be reached at OGSMAR@aol.com.
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