Camden Catholic's Tim Bieg to enter Carino Hall of Fame

• Tim Bieg graduated as Camden Catholic's all-time leading scorer with 1,503 points
• The 5-foot-10 guard was a four-year starter at Lafayette College

Tim Bieg shared a backcourt for four years at Camden Catholic High School with Kevin Crawford.

Over the years, Crawford, who is now the Eastern boys’ basketball coach, shares a story on Bieg with each of his teams.

“I say one thing that I would recommend to you high school kids is to try and match up with the best player on your team every day,” Crawford, who also was the head coach at Pitman, said about practicing against Bieg. “That’s something I was smart enough to do as a player. He was our best player. By the end of my career, he had made me better just by going against him all the time.”

The 5-foot-10 Bieg is now being recognized as one of the best to ever play in South Jersey. He will be inducted into the Albert Carino Basketball Club of South Jersey Basketball Hall of Fame on Sunday, Feb. 14.

Bieg, who graduated as the all-time leading scorer with 1,503 points for the Irish and went on to be a four-year starter at Lafayette College, will be enshrined with Thomas Bowe (International Association of Approved Basketball Officials), Clayton Brown (Palmyra High School), Donna Clark (Collingswood), Lisa Foglio (Ocean City), Charlie Kates (Sacred Heart), Frank (Bud) McAlarnen (Wildwood Catholic) and Joe McAleer (Riverside) at the Crowne Plaza in Cherry Hill.

“It’s humbling to think a little kid from Haddon Township is being inducted to the Hall of Fame,” Bieg said. “You think about all the players you have watched and all the players that you read about, all the players you have played against who were on a different level, and to be included in their company is just a very humbling experience.”

Crawford, who played at St. Rose of Lima in Haddon Heights, competed against Bieg, who played at Christ the King in Haddonfield, in grade school. Crawford actually recruited Bieg to play for his father, Jim, at Camden Catholic.

“You play sports for the guy next to you and Timmy was a warrior and a great competitor,” Kevin Crawford said. “He was someone you always loved competing for. You knew he was going to be there and he was going to be doing his thing and he would be accountable and playing his butt off.

“And he was your star player so you better do the same.”

Bieg started as a freshman for the Irish, scoring 10.1 points to help Camden Catholic capture the South Jersey Group A championship in 1992-1993.

The next year, Bieg averaged a season-best 16.3 points and was named first team All-Olympic Conference and All-Parochial.

As a junior, Bieg averaged 15.3 points, helping the Irish reach the Group A state title game and finish 25-3 while earning All-South Jersey second team honors.

As a senior, he was named first team All-South Jersey while averaging 15.9 points.

During his remarkable four-year run, the Irish were 91-16.

“He was a great leader and it was just a blast to play basketball with him,” Crawford added. “We’ve become great friends over the years and that is what sports are all about.”

Bieg ran the point at Lafayette and coach Fran O’Hanlon as the Leopards won three Patriot League championships.

“I think about Camden Catholic a lot,” Bieg said. “I’m so grateful that my parents sacrificed so much.

“I just lucked out, even going to Lafayette, I lucked out going there at the right time,” Bieg added “I was at the right place at the right time. And to think about basketball, I was able to play for Jim Crawford and then Fran O’Hanlon.

“I don’t want to sound like I’m bragging, but I will put those two coaches up against anybody.”

Bieg, who led Lafayette in steals all four season and made a 167 career 3-pointers, was co-captain as a senior when he averaged 10.9 points. His junior season, Lafayette won the Patriot League title to earn a NCAA tournament bid. He averaged 8.1 points as the Leopards finished 24-7.

“I think maybe it was the way I was raised, but when I think about basketball, the only thing I wanted to do was to win,” Bieg said. “I wanted to be on a winning team. I didn’t care about the individual stuff.

“Obviously, when I was at Camden Catholic there were a lot of individual accolades but when I think about my team there I always think about John Sigmund, and Gene Cuneo and Vinny McCaffery and Billy Burr, I think about all the times I had with the team and the camaraderie.

“I think about Kevin (Crawford), we are close friends and we had a great career together, that’s what matters to me.”

Bieg went on to Rutgers University Law School and is currently an attorney at Madden & Madden in Haddonfield. He is married to Kate (Madden) and they have a son Seamus, and daughters Theresa and Cleary.

Also Bieg coaches 8th grade basketball at Christ the King where he no doubt teaches his players to be the best they can be so other players can match up on them in practice someday.

“When I found out I was getting into the Hall of Fame, I was a little embarrassed because to me it’s all about the team,” Bieg said. “You are not going to be successful if you don’t have good people around you.

“I was lucky enough to be surrounded with good teammates and good coaches in my career.”

Kevin Callahan; (856) 486-2424; kcallahan@GannettNJ.com

CLASS OF 2016

•Tim Bieg: graduated as all-time leading scorer at Camden Catholic and four-year starter at Lafayette College.

•Thomas Bowe: The Gloucester Catholic graduate was involved in officiating for five decades.

•Clayton Brown: Paced Burlington County in scoring at 27.5 points a game as a senior in 1998 at Palmyra.

•Donna Clark: The Timber Creek coach was All-South Jersey at Collingswood and helped Rowan win three league titles.

•Lisa Foglio: All-time leading scorer at Ocean City and 1,000 point scorer at Florida State.

•Charlie Kates: A 1,000 point scorer at Sacred Heart High School and Saint Francis College.

•Frank (Bud) McAlarnen: Coached Wildwood Catholic to state titles in 1958 and 1960.

•Joe McAleer: Helped Riverside win state title in 1962 and was an All-America guard at Rowan University.

•Tickets: Call Jack Mongulla at 856-461-8800 or send payment ($40.00 per ticket) to 41 Emery Way, Delanco, NJ 08075.