Legendary New Jersey coach Jeff Jasper reaches 1,000 wins
By Sarah Sommer
Jasper’s 1,000th win began with a 3-0 deficit. His first win did, too.
In Pascack Valley’s first season, the team’s uniforms consisted of cutoff denim shorts and t-shirts with numbers made of tape. When the team faced River Dell, a nearby high school, River Dell’s coach saw an opportunity.
“The officials came over to inform me that the other coach was assessing five technical fouls on us at the start of the game because we had illegal uniforms,” Jasper said. “I was pissed. They made three of the five foul shots, so they were up 3 nothing.”
Pascack Valley came back to win, 36-9.
On Thursday, Pascack Valley trailed 3-0 due to more conventional—and more modern—scoring: a three-pointer. Northern Highlands made three more three-pointers to take a 12-5 lead midway through the first quarter.
Pascack Valley eventually heated up, making four three-pointers of its own as part of a 17-2 run. The Indians led 22-14 at the end of the first quarter. They never looked back. They seldom do.