Benjie Wimberly, Democratic Assemblyman for New Jersey’s 35th District, remembers his plight 20 years ago. He was Paterson Eastside High’s baseball coach and budget cuts wiped out hope of new uniforms. Wimberly tried fund-raising.
Then he chatted with a relative of one of Eastside’s most famous graduates, Baseball Hall of Famer Larry Doby.
“Larry’s brother-in-law said, ‘Talk to Joe Taub,’ ” Wimberly recalled. “A couple days later, I walked in the gym and there were all these boxes. That was 1993, the only year we won the county. I’ve reminded Joe about that. He just mumbled.
“It is a godsend that Joe came into our lives to help other people’s lives.”
That was two decades ago and Joe Taub, best known as a past Nets owner, hasn’t quit helping. He remains close with ex-Nets, but his devotion and generosity to the kids of his beloved Paterson are legendary.
“It is neat you can come across someone who wants to use his influence and leave a mark on the community without the whole recognition or looking for all the praise that comes with it,” said Essence Carson of the WNBA’s New York Liberty. “That’s a definite special person.”
Carson, a Rutgers grad, is one of the countless crew who as kids came through the Taub-Doby League, an after-school basketball program run in conjunction with the Paterson public schools. It is funded by Taub, who founded what is now Automatic Data Processing (ADP) with his late brother Henry in 1949. Taub grew up in Paterson, remaining unwaveringly loyal to his city.
“I was born in Paterson, lived in Paterson, started my business in Paterson,” said Taub, a long-time friend of the late Doby, the first African-American to play in the American League. “Did it with tremendous problems like today. One parent households, drugs, gangs. I wanted to come up with a program where we could combine academics with sports. I worked with Paterson [recreation and education officials].
“When I grew up, we were all trying to survive, and I understand what these kids are going through,” said Taub, who as a teen developed a strong neighborhood friendship with South Carolina transplant Doby, a bond that endured until Doby’s death in 2003. “They’re trying to survive and I have to try to help them.”
Taub and Doby hooked up with a basketball great, the late Maurice Lucas, and began their league in 1985 to help kids stay off the streets, in school and out of trouble. A vast number of kids have earned scholarships to high schools. Many over the years, including ex-Knick Tim Thomas, attended now-defunct Paterson Catholic. Summer camps help kids aged six up through their teens.
The coed league, concentrating on grades 6-9, goes full tilt starting in November but is really a year-round program with summer camps. There are 22 teams involving some 700 kids. But basketball really never has been the main point. Kids must maintain a C average, exhibit good behavior and the ability to work in a structured situation. Taub has supplied college student tutors to help those struggling with grades.
Championship games have been played at Izod Center, Prudential Center and Barclays Center with all costs paid by Taub. Additionally, championship teams, plus the best student from each team, receive a summer trip to a Pennsylvania basketball camp.
“The objective was to keep the kids off the streets,” said Taub, who declined to say how much he spends, but others put the tab at “over six figures” annually.
“We wanted them in a structured situation,” Taub said.
A situation Taub rules.
“I want to do it my way,” said Taub, who is as reluctant about his age — “old enough to vote” — as he is about the bills he pays. “It’s been working all these years.”
The program isn’t just to produce jocks. Alphonso Gee, 16, attends Paterson’s Rosa Parks School of Fine and Performing Arts. He was All-County in basketball as a freshman — but his loves include acting and academics. He has a 3.9 GPA.
“I’ve been coming for five years. The program’s helped me with my basketball game, but it’s helped me with my basketball IQ,” said Gee who attended summer camps run by ex-Nets Micheal Ray Richardson and Otis Birdsong. “It’s more than just basketball. The most important thing it has taught me is focus. Focus on what you need to do in life.”
Sometimes, what is needed is a private school. Wimberly, who coaches football at Hackensack High while serving as recreation coordinator for Paterson public schools and the City of Paterson, got a call from a coach with a special case: 15-year-old Juvaris Hayes lost a brother to a random shooting.
“His coach said, ‘Is there any way you can help me get this kid to St. Anthony’s [in Jersey City]?’ We wanted to get him out of town,” Wimberly said.
Hayes landed at St. Anthony’s. He credits the Paterson programs with helping him grow beyond basketball.
“It helped me with my game,” Hayes said. “It helped me be a better person, control my attitude. It taught me sportsmanship. It taught me the importance of grades.”
There has been criticism about kids going to private or parochial school sports factories. But not all the kids leave Paterson. As Wimberly stressed, they look for “the right fit.”
“The Taub-Doby League keeps kids on the straight and narrow,” Wimberly said. “It helps kids with great talent, helps nice kids in their area of interest. What Paterson gets is a productive citizen. And the majority go to Eastside.”
Carson was one who stayed in Paterson, attending Rosa Parks School and Eastside High. She praises the whole concept of Taub’s league.
“We don’t have many outlets like that. The few we do have serve a purpose to keep kids in school, keep them active and keep them off the streets,” Carson said. “That’s just one reason why I cherish it.”
Richardson, the first player banned from the NBA for drugs, teaches real life to the kids. He had it all, lost it all then turned his life around. He uses his experience.
“We teach them about being adults, making the right choices, getting an education,” Richardson said. “My story, you don’t have to read out of a book. You’re hearing it from a guy who’s been there. These kids relate to it.”
Richardson and Birdsong have run camps for six years after talking with Taub at a dedication of Larry Doby Field. Doby worked in the Nets’ community relations department when Taub was an owner. Plus, Taub stood by Richardson throughout his troubles.
“Joe told us he had a foundation for kids, talked about working a camp,” Birdsong said. “Joe doesn’t want the limelight or the attention. He loves the kids. He loves Paterson. It’s his city. A lot of kids have received scholarships because of Joe’s generosity.”
Essence Carson, Tim Thomas, the Giants Victor Cruz, Rutgers guard Myles Mack and college footballers Elijah Shumate of Notre Dame and Al-Quadin Muhammad of Miami are some who benefited from the league.
“You always hear about Larry Doby and that Joe Taub was his closest friend,” said Cruz who played at Paterson Catholic where Wimberly was his football coach. “You have a ton of respect for what they’ve done. To be from Paterson and continue to give back is huge.
“I met Joe about two years ago through coach Wimberly. We instantly hit it off. We still speak,” Cruz said, recalling his first encounter with Taub as a kid. “I remember Joe coming to speak to us at a camp and telling us, ‘Stay focused, stay in school.’ As a kid you’re kind of star-struck. You know who he is, you see him and you just want to soak in whatever he says. It was a good moment.”
The type of moment Taub strives to provide.
“What Joe does is invaluable,” Wimberly said. “He literally has saved lives. It’s something people in his position or elected officials take for granted.”
But not Taub.
“If we saved one kid,” Taub said, “it was worth it.”