Fort Lee Boys Basketball Players Surprise Coach Surprise Coach with Video Tribute

On Tuesday, Feb. 14, the Fort Lee Bridgemen basketball team was already anticipating a special night at Fort Lee High School. It was senior night and a big game against Tenafly, but a certain surprise for head coach John Ziemba added to the magic of the night.

After the JV game, the team brought coach Ziemba into a classroom; he was told that he was going to be watching a video made for the seniors. Instead, it was a video honoring his own 300th win as a coach, which cam back in early January.

 “He just kept saying while we were watching, ‘Where did you get this stuff?’" said assistant coach James Puliatte. “The video included certificates from his freshmen year of high school basketball, clips of his college career, newspaper articles dating back to 1979, as well as current pictures and videos. Coaches that he has worked for and against even gave quotes. When it was over he said, ‘You got me with that one.’” 

Ziemba was impressed and honored, and one part of it in particular made him especially proud.

Former Bridgeman player Sandy Burgos, an incredible player who scored more than 2,000 career points under Coach “Z,” but who lost his father tragically in middle school and looked up to Ziemba immensely, had a special message for his high school coach.

"Coach Ziemba has been a mentor and a father figure to me," Burgos said in the video. "He changed my life, really."

 After watching the video, the seniors on the team were honored, and Coach Ziemba received the game ball from his 300th win. His son, wife and father presented him with the ball, which was signed by the members of this year’s varsity team.

The team fell to Tenafly that night but they are looking to finishing out the regular season on a high note and enter the state tournament with some momentum.

The Week in Sports

Boys Basketball

Tenafly-58, Fort Lee-36

Fort Lee-73, Cliffside Park-54

Garfield-86, Fort Lee-63

Record: 11-10

This Week: Feb. 21 @ River Dell

Girls Basketball

Tenafly-47, Fort Lee-33

Cliffside Park-37, Fort Lee-31

Record: 8-15

This Week: Feb. 21 vs. River Dell; Feb. 23 vs. Bogota

Track

The Fort Lee Boys and Girls Track teams finished out their regular season with many great performances at the Lou Molino Invitational on Feb. 16 at the FDU Rothman Center. For the girls team, the talented group of Melanie Plattner, Julie Lau, Larissa Anndeherz and Christina Ramirez finished in fourth place in the 3200 meter relay with an impressive time of 10:41.6 and also finished in third in the 1600 meter relay with a time of 4:34.8. Margo Grisanti, Jacqueline Greenfield, Nicolette Pappas and Amy Qin finished in sixth place in the novice 1600 meter relay with a time of 5:14.0.

For the boys, Masaru Yiamaguchi finished in sixth place in the 55 meter dash with a time of 6.8. Taichi Aritomo finished in third place in the 55 meter hurdles with a time of 8.9. The team of Matt Barbosa, Alex Chong, Soichiro Itagaki and Yuki Takahashi finished in sixth place in the 1600 meter relay with a time of 4:07.6. The team of Spyro Koustis, Steven Morales, Soichi Hasegawa and Alphan Lu finished in sixth place in the freshman 1600 meter relay with a time of 4:18.8.

At the Group II State Championship Meet in Toms River, YuYu Fahmy, Sophia Luppino and Ashley Jenq all had strong performances but failed to win any medals. 

The last meet with be the Bergen County Championship meet on Feb. 21.

Athlete of the Week

Dashaun Washington, Boys Basketball

Washington has been a defensive juggernaut for the Bridgemen, playing intense defense for Fort Lee at crucial times. Assistant coach James Puliatte has full confidence in Washington’s defensive abilities.

"He is really handcuffing the team's best ball handlers," Puliatte said. "He is one of the more aggressive players we have. You can tell right away by the look on his face that he is not going to let his man beat him."

The Bridgemen will need Washington to continue his defensive prowess in the state tournament.