Wellesley High School has hired Paul Seaver as its boys varsity basketball coach, and if the name rings a bell, that may be because his late father served on the Raiders’ coaching staff during an emotional 2010-2011 season. Paul “Wally” Seaver, the Raiders’ JV coach, was diagnosed with ALS (aka, Lou Gehrig’s Disease) in February of 2011 and died two years later at the age of 53.

The elder Seaver left a mark on Wellesley that has lasted for more than a decade, and now his son will have a chance to make his impact on the basketball program and wider community.

Like his dad, Paul coached boys basketball at Milford High, a school which they both attended and where both played hoops. The younger Seaver coached there for 9 seasons (the COVID year was in there), steering the Scarlet Hawks to a league title and into the playoffs most of the years he was there.

When word got out that Wellesley High boys varsity basketball coach Mike Reidy had stepped down at the end of this past season, Seaver kept an eye on the situation, then applied for the job. He interviewed in June and was recently hired, as he announced on social media.

“A lot has come full circle over the past year plus, especially in regard to my full-time career with The ALS Association and now in taking over the boys’ program at WHS,” wrote Seaver. He manages community engagement and events for the non-profit ALS Association, which leads the way in supporting ALS research and those living with the disease.

In a follow-up interview, Seaver and I initially shared some Milford memories (I grew up there, too), then moved on to Wellesley basketball.

Seaver has been coaching since he was just 19 years old, starting while in college, and at the age of 35 now is relatively young among his peers.

“Young and experienced,” said Seaver, who last season coached the boys’ varsity for Scituate High School in Rhode Island. “I’ve been fortunate enough to grow and learn and see a lot of different styles from those I’ve coached against and with.”

During his years of coaching, Seaver’s teams have only faced Wellesley once, though he is familiar with the program through his father’s time here, and because Wellesley High takes part in an annual February break tournament hosted in Milford. Glen Magpiong, the Wellesley High boys’ varsity coach when Wally Seaver coached here, has stayed in touch with the Seaver family (Magpiong now coaches the WHS girls’ varsity team.)

Seaver says Wellesley basketball has a great culture, so he is looking forward to continuing that. His biggest focus, coaching-wise, is on defense, but he vows to have this team ready to execute on offense as well. “Every team is different. There are certain things I can’t teach, as there are certain advantages or skills one group might have or not. As a coach you want to adapt and put your kids in the best position to succeed, and to play to their strengths.” Seaver’s dad’s motto while Franklin High’s coach was “Team First,” and Wellesley’s new coach says “getting everyone to buy into a team-first mentality” is important to him.

He’s had a chance to say hello to a few players, but things won’t really get going for the winter sport until students start returning to school. The schedule has been finalized, and Seaver will be putting his staff together in the weeks to come. The team is coming off of an 8-12 season.

Up next for Seaver will be supporting the 13th Annual “Wally” Seaver High School Invitational on July 27-28 in Foxborough and Stoughton, as 120-plus teams compete at the ALS fundraiser and awareness event.

More: Deland, Gibson’s Wellesley Athlete of the Week profiles