Following-up on something that I mentioned last week (JUCO DIRT). Tom Weiler has officially stepped away as the head basketball coach at Sussex County CC (NJ), and has been named as an assistant coach at D3 Waynesburg University. Here is the official announcement:
Waynesburg University Director of Athletics and Head Men’s Basketball Coach Tim Fusina is excited to announce the hiring of Tom Weiler as Assistant Men’s Basketball Coach. Weiler will also serve as Equipment Manager for the Department of Athletics.
Weiler comes to Waynesburg after two years as head coach at Sussex County College in Newton, New Jersey. Weiler inherited a Skylander team coming off an 0-9 season during the 2020-21 COVID 19-shortened campaign and led them to a 6-15 mark in 2021-22. The notable improvements continued this past winter, when Sussex County CC went 13-15 and qualified for the NJCAA North Atlantic District tournament for the first time since 2009 after ranking in the top three nationally in points allowed.
Weiler was particularly proud that all five of the sophomores on his team graduated and went on to continue their educations, with three of them competing at the NCAA Division III level.
Prior to his two years with the Skylanders, Weiler spent the 2020-21 school year as the assistant varsity/head freshman boys basketball coach at St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Edison, New Jersey. His professional experiences also include coaching in the AAU ranks with United NJ 16U team as a head coach, as well as serving in a player development role with the 15U, 16U and 17U programs.
“Early in this process, Tom is someone I had identified as an ideal candidate. He has a great amount of experience in a short amount of time and is ready to take the next step in his career as a full-time assistant coach at the Division III level,” Fusina said. “He has head coaching experience, so he understands how a program operates. That type of experience is invaluable for not only myself, but our student-athletes in the program. He has been a successful recruiter and has the personality and work ethic to be a successful coach at this level.”
Fusina is very familiar with Weiler, as he recruited and coached him at Centenary (N.J.) from 2015-17, before he moved on to coaching at California Lutheran University. During Weiler’s time with the Cyclones, he appeared in 97 games and started 72 of them, despite playing in just three games due to injury during the 2017-18 campaign. He was a three-year team captain and a two-time All-Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC) selection, including a second-team pick in 2020.
Weiler was also a standout in the classroom and was selected to the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Honors Court following his senior season. He concluded his time at Centenary by being selected as the Co-Male Cardy Gemma Award Winner. The Cardy Gemma Award recognizes a senior who has used up their eligibility and achieved success in their sport along with academic success and made notable contributions in the community.
Weiler graduated from Centenary with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Elementary Education with TOSD and Mathematics Education in 2020.
“There were a few things about the job that were immediately appealing. I loved the opportunity to be part of a four-year program and learn from an experienced coach,” Weiler said. “After being recruited by Coach Fusina to Centenary University and playing for him from 2015-2017, I felt like having that foundation would be very beneficial to how we work together and how I can relate to our guys. I was also impressed with the recognition and honors that Waynesburg receives for its academic and community service aspects, so it seemed like a great place to call home.”
Weiler is also ready to face a new challenge as the equipment manager, which he views as an opportunity to quickly assimilate into the culture and staff at Waynesburg.
“I’m ready to get after it and just do what needs to be done to fill all responsibilities! Communication and organization will definitely be my points of emphasis to ensure that all goes as smoothly as possible,” Weiler said. “I’m really looking forward to working with everyone in the department.”
