A. J. Wynder (born September 11, 1964) is an American

college basketball College basketball is basketball that is played by teams of Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. In the Higher education in the United States, United States, colleges and universities are governed by collegiate athle ...

coach and the current head coach of the

Nassau Community College Nassau Community College (NCC) is a Public college, public community college in the East Garden City, New York, East Garden City section of Uniondale, New York, Uniondale, Nassau County, New York, Nassau County, on Long Island, New York (state), N ...

men's basketball team. A former professional basketball player, during his playing career Wynder was a member of the

United States national basketball team The USA Basketball Men's National Team, commonly known as Team USA and the United States men's national basketball team, is the basketball team representing the United States. It is the most successful men's team in international competition, ...

that won a silver medal at the

1995 Pan American Games The 1995 Pan American Games, officially known as the XII Pan American Games () and commonly known as Mar del Plata 1995, were held in Mar del Plata, Argentina, from 12 to 26 March 1995. After 44 years, this was the Pan American Games' first retur ...

and was a member of the

Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NBA), Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), ...

of the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

during the 1990–91 season. A native of

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated continental island in southeastern New York (state), New York state, extending into the Atlantic Ocean. It constitutes a significant share of the New York metropolitan area in both population and land are ...

, he grew up in

Freeport, New York Freeport is a Political subdivisions of New York State#Village, village in the town of Hempstead, New York, Hempstead, in Nassau County, New York, Nassau County, on the South Shore (Long Island), South Shore of Long Island, in New York (state), ...

College career

Wynder attended

Fairfield University Fairfield University is a private university, private Society of Jesus, Jesuit university in Fairfield, Connecticut. It was founded by the Jesuits in 1942. In 2023, the university had about 5,000 full-time undergraduate students and 1,200 gra ...

where he was selected a Second Team All- MAAC in 1987 and helped lead the Stags to back-to-back MAAC Championships and NCAA Tournament appearances in

1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. ** Spain and Portugal en ...

and

1987 Events January * January 1 – Bolivia reintroduces the Boliviano currency. * January 2 – Chadian–Libyan conflict – Battle of Fada: The Military of Chad, Chadian army destroys a Libyan armoured brigade. * January 3 – Afghan leader ...

. In the 1987 MAAC tourney title game, Wynder hit a buzzer beater at the end of regulation to send the game to overtime. Fairfield would go on to beat Iona in the game and head off to the NCAA tournament.

Professional career

Wynder played for the

during the

1990–91 NBA season The 1990–91 NBA season was the 45th season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the Chicago Bulls winning their first NBA Championship, eliminating the Los Angeles Lakers 4 games to 1 in the NBA Finals. This season wo ...

. He also played 10 seasons in the

Continental Basketball Association The Continental Basketball Association (CBA), originally known as the Eastern Pennsylvania Basketball League, and later as the Eastern Professional Basketball League and the Eastern Basketball Association, was a men's professional basketball m ...

(CBA) from 1987 to 1989 and from 1990 to 1996. Wydner was selected to the All-Defensive Team from 1991 to 1993.

USA Basketball career

Wynder helped USA win a silver medal in the

Mar del Plata Mar del Plata is a city on the coast of the Argentine Sea, Atlantic Ocean, in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. It is the seat of General Pueyrredón Partido, General Pueyrredón district. Mar del Plata is the second largest city in Buenos Aires ...

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

. During the tournament Wynder set the US basketball record for 3-point shooting accuracy hitting 8-of-12 or 66.7 percent of his 3-point shots.

Coaching career

Wynder is the fourth head coach of the

men's basketball team. During his 11 seasons coaching NCC, Wynder has compiled an overall 208–86 record. In 2002, Wynder was named Region XV Coach of the Year. Coach Wynder has led NCC to three title games ('02, '06, '07) of the Region XV (Div. III) championship. Wynder also served as a player/assistant coach while playing for the Tri City Chinooks in Washington state from 1993 to 1995.Nassau Community College - Men's Basketball Coach Bio

References

External links

Nassau Community College Head Men’s Basketball Coach Profile

CBA Quad City Thunder Playing Card
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wynder, AJ 1964 births Living people American men's basketball coaches American men's basketball players Basketball coaches from New York (state) Boston Celtics players Cedar Rapids Silver Bullets players Connecticut Pride players Continental Basketball Association coaches Fairfield Stags men's basketball players Junior college men's basketball coaches in the United States Basketball players at the 1995 Pan American Games Medalists at the 1995 Pan American Games Pan American Games silver medalists for the United States in basketball People from Freeport, New York Sportspeople from Hempstead, New York Basketball players from Nassau County, New York Basketball player-coaches Point guards Quad City Thunder players San Diego Wildcards players Sioux Falls Skyforce (CBA) players Basketball players from the Bronx Tri-City Chinook players UMass Minutemen basketball players Undrafted NBA players United States men's national basketball team players Wyoming Wildcatters players Yakima Sun Kings players 20th-century American sportsmen