BE lacrosse coach Weiner retires

Jeff Weiner remembers, well, the first time he watched his daughter, Abbey, play in a high school lacrosse match. She was a member of the Kings Park High School team, which was located on Long Island, New York. 

 

“I had no idea of what was going on,” Weiner said of that match, which was contested in 1994. “I had no clue.”

 

Times – and Weiner – have changed. The proud father absorbed everything he could about the sport of lacrosse to the point he became an assistant on his daughter’s staff once she graduated from college and joined the coaching ranks.

 

The rest is history.

 

In 2008, Weiner and his wife, Nancy, were among those who migrated from the Northeast and Midwest to Charleston, and he soon became a Johnny Appleseed of LAX, spreading the growth of the sport in the Palmetto State.

 

He landed his first coaching job as an assistant at Wando High School and was a regular at many of the youth lacrosse camps, volunteering his time to create interest and develop talent.

 

“I came from a lacrosse hotbed,” Weiner said. “I came from a place where lacrosse was No. 1. Here, it was football and basketball.”

 

Weiner ended up finding his niche as the Bishop England High School girls’ lacrosse coach. It turned out to be one of the Bishops’ best coaching hires.

 

After a combined record of 11-17 the first two seasons, Weiner turned the program into a juggernaut. The 76-year-old coach called it a career last month, leading his Bishops to their 10th state championship appearance.

 

He owned a 226-36 career record and led his teams to seven state championships. His team recorded an amazing 98-game win streak that would have reached 117 games if the South Carolina High School League hadn’t ruled the Bishops used an ineligible player in 2023.

 

Weiner, who developed 87 all-state selections, 19 All-America picks, and 18 college players, sensed it was time to call it a career.

 

“What else could I do?” Weiner asked rhetorically. “When I came here, I not only wanted to make Bishop England better, I wanted to make the other (high) schools better.”

 

The retirement will give Weiner more time to refine his tennis game. It will also allow him to watch his grandson, Jackson, take the next step in a promising baseball career.

 

Jackson played first base, pitched, and served as a designated hitter for Bishop England. Statistically, he just completed one of the best seasons in the program’s rich history. The 6-4, 225-pound slugger batted .456 his senior season to earn all-state honors; he had 31 hits with 14 extra bases and seven home runs and drew 24 intentional walks, including one with the bases loaded.

 

Weiner’s grandson saw limited action on the mound after undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2023. Still, he was impressive, with his fastball registering 96 mph on the radar gun. He struck out 49 batters in 22 innings.

 

Jackson will play at Coastal Carolina if he doesn’t opt for the Major League Baseball draft, which is slated for July 13.

 

Although watching his grandson’s career will be one of the many benefits of Weiner’s well-earned retirement, Bishop England’s legendary lacrosse coach said he will still make time to fondly look back.

 

“I am sure I’ll miss it,” he said. “I won’t miss lining the field and other administrative things that came with the job. Working with the kids to make them better – that’s what I’ll miss.”