Tayler Wejnert joined the Wood-Ridge girls basketball coaching staff to help her uncle reach a milestone.
Earlier this week, she was at the helm when the team earned it in his honor.
The former All-Bergen County player became the Blue Devils’ head coach this season after serving as an assistant to uncle Lou Wejnert last season. She had been away from coaching since the death of her father, Rich, in 2017.
“I didn’t think I was going to come back to coaching,” Tayler Wejnert said. “The irony is, my uncle called and asked me to do this as a favor: ‘Hey, I want to get back into it, coach a couple more years, get my 500th win, would you do this?’”
Lou ended last winter with 487 career wins but died unexpectedly from a heart attack last July. He was 67.
Naturally, when Tayler took over as head coach, the team dedicated their 2020-21 season to Lou’s memory. When Wood-Ridge defeated Becton on Wednesday, 44-31 in East Rutherford, it marked their 13th win in a row – the number “Coach Lou” needed to get to 500.
“Playing for him has been an inspiration for us,” Tayler Wejnert said. “But at the beginning of the season, we spoke a lot about not putting so much on our shoulders – particularly in a 15-game season – to go out and do all of this in one game or in one possession.
“I have tremendous senior leadership on this team, though, and they did a fantastic job, on and off the court, just helping the girls stay focused.”
Those same seniors, unbeknownst to Wejnert, then unfurled a banner that read, “13 for Lou!” – and posthumously recognized him as an honorary 500-game winner.
“My immediate reaction [to hearing of Lou Wejnert’s passing] was, we’re going to go out, and we’re going to finish our senior year the way he wanted it,” Blue Devils guard Natalie Cala said. “We did have the number 13 in mind, but our main goal was to just win them all, win it for him, and play the way he would’ve wanted to. And I know that he would be so proud of us.”
A style of her own
Tayler Wejnert, 32, graduated from Holy Angels in 2007 after leading her team to a Bergen County championship as a senior. The 39-34 title-game victory over Ramapo took place in Becton’s gym.
“I jumped on my dad, right here,” Wejnert said, pointing to the spot where she celebrated with him. “That was the picture in The Record… so, this is a special gym.”
Playing for legendary Holy Angels coach Sue Liddy taught Wejnert the finer points of the diamond press, a defensive strategy she has passed on to her Wood-Ridge players.
“About three-quarters of the way through the season last year, I begged my uncle to run it,” said Wejnert, noting that Coach Lou was a staunch supporter of the 1-3-1 press. “We tried it here and there. This year’s personnel is probably better suited to it.”
Lou Wejnert spent the bulk of his career at River Dell. Rich Wejnert coached boys basketball at Paramus Catholic. Their tough-minded, defense-first approach also served to influence Tayler.
“Anyone who plays for me knows I’m a transition/pressing coach,” she said. “I think if there’s one thing I added to [Wood-Ridge’s] defensive aggression, it’s the idea that – you’ve played so well on defense, now go reward yourself and get layups in transition. Everyone’s a scorer on this team.”
Honoring their mentor
The Blue Devils’ warmup shirts for this season featured the hashtag “#LWSTRONG” on the front and a quote from Coach Lou on the back: “Believe in your team, because I believe in you.”
“He had such a big impact on me,” forward Amanda DiMase said. “He made me so much better, and he helped me grow as a person.”
His words also live through his son, Jason, a longtime assistant on Lou’s staff who remains at Wood-Ridge.
“His family was always a huge part of his life, so I had a feeling that they would help us out and step in and do this for him together,” Cala said. “And Tayler has really just been the best person for this job… she is the reason why we’re so successful this year.”
Cala, DiMase and guard/forward Samantha Eckert are the seniors who were part of the main rotation last winter.
Senior Emily Gardella was unable to play in 2019-20 due to an ACL injury but has come back to help the balanced attack that Tayler Wejnert referenced. All five Wood-Ridge starters (including junior Victoria Drotos) average between six and 10 points per game.
Friday, the Blue Devils will formally celebrate the Wejnerts’ 500 combined girls basketball wins before their season finale against Nutley.
“It was never my plan to come back to basketball,” Tayler Wejnert said. “And yet, here we are.”
Greg Tartaglia is a high school sports reporter for NorthJersey.com. For full access to live scores, breaking news and analysis from our Varsity Aces team, subscribe today. To get breaking news directly to your inbox, sign up for our newsletter and download our app. mail: tartaglia@northjersey.com Twitter: @njtags13
