Columbia University’s women’s basketball team has won nine games in a row and are undefeated in Ivy League play, in large part because of their impressive sophomore guard Riley Weiss.
Friday, February 7, 2025 2:10AM
Sam Ryan says Riley Weiss’s impressive basketball talents are a family trait.
NEW YORK (WABC) — Columbia University’s women’s basketball team has won nine games in a row and are undefeated in Ivy League play, in large part because of their impressive sophomore guard, who comes from a family that lives and breathes hoops on a daily basis.
It’s safe to say Riley Weiss was born to play basketball. It’s in her DNA. Not only did her father, Jeff Weiss, play college hoops, he spent 32 years coaching at Lawrence Woodmere academy on Long Island, compiling 19 league championships.
Riley’s father has been inducted into both the Nassau Athletics Hall of Fame and the New York Basketball Hall of Fame.
“The kids growing up from basically 2 years old and on, just lived at the court at his school,” said Riley’s mom Andrea Weiss. “They’re used to being with teams, his players… they think they’re one of them.”
So, it may not surprise many that his twins Ryan and Riley both, not only took to the sport, but made basketball part of their every day lives.
“Now that they’re both playing college basketball, I texted my wife the other day, it’s like living a dream, I think. They’re unbelievable,” Jeff Weiss said.
“Me and Ryan brought a ball everywhere we went,” Riley Weiss said. “That’s definitely true. Like every vacation we went on – everything.”
The twins’ dad even encouraged them to randomly use their left hand when they were young to help develop their left-handed shooting.
“I remember when we used to eat cereal in the morning, our dad told us to use our left hand to eat cereal, he’d make us use our left I guess,” Riley Weiss said. “And at night he would make us throw a ball against the wall, like catch and throw with our left hand, so, I’m happy he did that though.”
Ryan Weiss plays at Brandeis University in Massachusetts, while Riley Weiss has been dominating the box scores with Columbia, even being named Ivy League Player of the Week two weeks in a row.
Despite the distance, the twins still keep tabs on each other.
“I frequently check his box score so I know what’s going on with him,” Riley Weiss said.
“I’m always checking the box score, seeing how Columbia is doing, and seeing how she’s playing also,” Ryan Weiss said.
Their mother says it shows how hard they have worked.
“Nothing was ever handed to them,” she said. “We’re so happy for them.”
———-
* Get Eyewitness News Delivered
* Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts
Submit a tip or story idea to Eyewitness News
Have a breaking news tip or an idea for a story we should cover? Send it to Eyewitness News using the form below. If attaching a video or photo, terms of use apply.
Copyright © 2025 WABC-TV. All Rights Reserved.
Related Topics
Top Stories
Columbia University’s women’s basketball team has won nine games in a row and are undefeated in Ivy League play, in large part because of their impressive sophomore guard Riley Weiss.
Discover more from World Byte News
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
