1977-78 Women’s Basketball Champs are Honored at The Basketball Reunion Inaugural Event at Newark’s Prudential Center

NCAA Championship season is always more exciting when New Jersey athletes are advancing in the tournament, and the Saint Peter’s Peacocks’ history-making performance in 2022 had everyone’s attention.

While many of us might have invited a few friends over to watch the championship game, Fred Hill, Jr. ’81 envisioned something a little more grand. On April 4, 2022, Hill welcomed more than 500 former high school and college basketball players, coaches and fans to Newark’s Prudential Center for the first-ever “The Basketball Reunion,” a celebration of New Jersey’s basketball greats that would launch a new basketball Hall of Honor. On the inaugural Hall of Honor roster was Montclair’s 1977-78 Women’s Basketball team.

In 1978 Head Coach Maureen Wendelken ’61 ’69 MA and Assistant Coach Charlie DiPaolo, along with Carol Blazejowski ’78, Alice Schmidt De Fazio ’80 (dec.), Jill Jeffrey ’80 (dec.), Patricia Fixter Kowal ’82, Ellen Henry Manor ’78, Pat Colasurdo Mayo ’79, Catherine Meyers O’Callahan ’85, Patricia Quilty ’80, Janice Ternyik Shevchek ’79, Karen Smith ’79, and Wanda Szeremeta ’80, led the Red Hawks to the Final Four. Montclair defeated Wayland Baptist 90-88 in the third-place contest. The team fell to UCLA in the national semifinals, but not before Blazejowski (“Blaze”) scored 40 points against their opponent.

The Montclair team was one of only four New Jersey teams, and the only women’s team, to be honored for reaching the Final Four.

“What an honor,” says Szeremeta, who now is an NCAA Regional Advisor for Women’s Basketball. “I have the best memories from my time as a student athlete at Montclair, playing with my Montclair sisters.”

“It was such a special team,” Szeremeta adds. “In those days, we didn’t receive scholarships to be part of the team. We were just kids from New Jersey and the surrounding areas who loved basketball and wanted to play. And we were good. We started the season playing highly ranked teams, which gave us a taste of what we would have to do to get to the Final Four. The experience, and those memories, are precious to me.”

Szeremeta and her teammates took pride in putting Montclair on the map. “We filled the stands,” she recalls. “Our games were being covered in The Star-Ledger!”

Gregory Collins ’79, Chair of the Montclair State University Foundation, attended the April 4th event and accepted the award on behalf of the women’s 1977-78 Final Four team. “It was wonderful to see the team’s accomplishments being recognized by induction to the Hall of Honor,” he says. “I was honored to be part of this celebration of Montclair athletes, and take pride in knowing that this amazing event was made possible by a Montclair alumnus.”

Two alumni involved in the Montclair’s Men’s Varsity Basketball teams – Ted Fiore ’68 MA, who coached the basketball team for more than 16 years, and John Ziemba ’85 – were also inducted into the Hall of Honor. For Fiore, the event was a wonderful way to celebrate school pride, and to inspire the next generation of Montclair graduates.

“It is great for students to see the success of the people who came before them,” he says. “It helps them understand the value of the education that they are getting.”

Hill’s love of New Jersey basketball was apparent as the state’s best players and coaches came forward to join the Hall of Honor. Although his career spans five New Jersey colleges – Montclair, Rider, Fairleigh Dickinson, Rutgers and Seton Hall – Hill’s ties to Montclair run deep. In addition to his own days as Captain of the Men’s Basketball team from 1977 to 1981 as well as Red Hawk coach from 1982 to 1983, his uncle, Brian Hill was Assistant Coach to Ollie Gelston from 1972 to 1974 and his father, Fred Hill, Sr., coached football and baseball from 1977 to 1983.

Fred’s brother Jim Hill, a 1984 Montclair graduate, played baseball for their dad and his sister Tracey graduated with the Class of 1987. His niece Jessica Hill ’13 and nephew Brian Hill ’15 are proud Red Hawks as well. Brian played infield for the Men’s Varsity Baseball team while a student and has been an Assistant Coach for the team.

“I have enjoyed a wonderful career in college athletics, and it began at Montclair,” Hill says. “I was a student at Montclair at a very special time. We had wonderful coaches. My dad was coaching there at the time. Maureen Wendelken was running the women’s basketball program, and Ollie Gelston was Head Coach of the men’s team.”

“Some amazing athletes came out of Montclair in those years,” he continues. “Carol Blazejowski was one of the greatest female basketball players of all time. Former Carolina Panther Sam Mills ’80, who will be posthumously inducted into the Football Hall of Fame in 2022, played for my dad. Kenny Mallory ’93, a four-time All-American in the Wrestling Hall of Fame, was one of the greatest wrestlers of all time in his weight class.”

Given Hill’s passion for collegiate sports in his home state, it is easy to imagine that the 2022 reunion will be the first of many – and that the audience will grow along with membership in the Hall of Honor.

“This year’s event came about because I wanted to celebrate the many relationships I had formed over the years with students and colleagues – even those who were my opponents,” he says. “I have stayed in touch with so many people and thought it would be cool to bring them all together. I have a vision of bringing together representatives from every high school, college and university in New Jersey. Each group can have their own reunion at this event. It is an opportunity to educate and continue to build on the tradition and history of New Jersey basketball.”

And why not? The only thing better than having a few friends over to watch the big game is celebrating New Jersey’s basketball greats – and watching the game with 1,000 diehard fans.