By Nathan Mayberg
GLENS FALLS — March 30, 2004 – Paul Zintel, the 25-year head coach of the Jeffersonville-Youngsville boys’ basketball team, was enshrined in the Basketball Coaches Association of New York Hall of Fame on Saturday.
He was honored at the Glens Falls Civic Center, amid the annual high school basketball tournament that is held there. (The New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) boys’ tournament was held in Glens Falls the weekend of March 20-21 and the New York State Federation boys’ basketball tournament was held this past weekend.)
Zintel was instrumental in creating a New York State high school basketball tournament. His work to bring the state hoops tournament to New York was one of many reasons he was inducted with 11 other coaching greats from around The Empire State during Saturday’s ceremony.
For most of Zintel’s coaching career, New York did not hold a state tournament. In fact, New York was one of the last states to hold a state tournament, and Zintel was integral in the creation of the first NYS boys’ basketball tournament in 1980. His team made it to the state tournament once before his retirement in 1983.
Fred Ahart, Roscoe Central School Athletic Director and coach of the Roscoe boys’ basketball team, nominated Zintel and called the honor “past due.”
Zintel led his J-Y Trojan teams to six Section IX titles, eight Western Sullivan League (WSL) titles and one regional championship between 1959 and 1983 while posting an overall record of 348-126, a .734 winning percentage. The regional championship was the farthest a team could go back in 1976, a few years before the first state tournament was held in 1980.
He also went 29-15 in two years as coach of the Sullivan County Community College (SCCC) men’s basketball team.
Saturday’s honor was the latest in several Zintel has received over the years. He has already been inducted into the East Stroudsburg (Pa.) University Hall of Fame, the SCCC Wall of Fame and the Northeastern Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame. Zintel has also received the Dr. William Moran Service Award and the New York State Athletic Administrator Award. He served as Section IX basketball chairman for 25 years and spent 25 years on the New York State Basketball Committee.
Zintel also created IAABO, a board that provided local officials to basketball games in Sullivan County. Zintel was a referee himself for 25 years.
Ahart called it “a fabulous day for Paul.”
“It is well deserved,” Ahart said. “There are close to 50 people here for him.”
Current Sullivan West boys’ varsity basketball coach Rick Ellison called Zintel’s induction “a real nice honor.”
“He’s extremely worth of it,” Ellison added.
A number of Zintel’s former players came from as far away as Arkansas to see their coach inducted into the hall of fame. Over two dozen of his family and friends were there as well. Zintel called it “an honor” to see all the support.
One former player of his was Zintel’s son Tim, who remarked that his father “didn’t put any extra pressure on me.”
“We had a real good team,” Tim Zintel said.
He added that “we weren’t the fastest,” but noted that his team went all the way to the top in 1976, winning the regional championship. In four years, he said, his team didn’t lose a WSL game.
Paul Zintel said that some of the keys to his success as a coach were the support from his family and the discipline he instilled in his players.
Zintel thanked assistant coach Jerry Davitt, who worked together with him for over 21 years. He also thanked Ross Dimler, who helped in the J-Y program for 40 years as timekeeper and scorekeeper. Bob Lynch was also a help to Zintel as a scorekeeper and newspaper contact for about 20 years.
His acceptance speech was short and to the point. He thanked his players, friends and family.
He noted he is happy living down in Alabama, where he volunteers as a boys’ and girls’ varsity basketball coach for a Class A high school. He helps teach those players different offenses and defenses.
And, of course, he plays golf. He joked that the golf course officials won’t let him play the easier gold tees, even though he is eligible.