Steve Babiarz set out to add to the Babiarz legacy at Notre Dame High School.  He exceeded that goal with one of the best careers any male student ever had on the basketball court.  Upon graduation, the former Juggler was the all-time leading single-season record holder in scoring with 692 points.  In addition, he was just one of nine players with 1,000+ points in the school’s history.  Widely considered one of the best offensive and defensive players in the old Central Oneida League, Syracuse.com named Babiarz one of the top 75 players ever to play basketball in Central New York. 

Babiarz’s storied high school career evolved into a historic one at SUNY Potsdam.  A four-year starter, Babiarz led his teams to a 112-11 record (including exhibitions), a 57-4 record at home, and a stretch where the Bears went 60-0.  While a freshman, Potsdam went 32-0 and won the SUNYAC Tournament and the NCAA Division III Championship.  

Over the next three years, Babiarz’s career exploded.  Each year he scored more total points than the previous one, going from 479 to 669 to 754.  He left Potsdam as the team’s all-time leading scorer with 2,095 total points.  The record still stands. 

Potsdam repeated as SUNYAC Champions in 1986-1987 and won the NCAA East Regional Championship before elimination in the NCAA Quarterfinals.  Babiarz was an Honorable Mention All-SUNYAC selection for this on-court work.  

In the 1987-1988 and 1988-1989 seasons, Babiarz was unstoppable.  As a junior, he was a First Team All-SUNYAC, Division 3 All-American and was the SUNYAC and ECAC Player of the Year.  As a senior, he led his team to a return trip to the NCAA Quarterfinals and was a First Team All-SUNYAC selection, Potsdam’s Player of the Year, the ECAC Player of the Year, Division 3 All-American and the East Region’s Player of the Year and the NCAA East Region Player of the Year. 

Throughout college, Babiarz competed in the Empire State Games Central Region.  After graduation, Babiarz played one preseason with the New York Knicks and then went to play for the Albany Patroons in the Continental Basketball League.  From there, he played for teams in Canada (summer 1990) and Brazil (winter 1990-1991).  

Babiarz, who also amassed several MVP and All-Tournament Awards throughout his career, is a member of the Notre Dame High School Brother More, C.F.X. Hall of Fame and is a 2019 inductee of the Upstate New York Basketball Hall of Fame. 

In 2021-2022, Babiarz helped form the Herkimer Originals, an entrant in the American Basketball Association.  He was a player-coach for the squad and a teammate to fellow 2022 GUSHOF inductee Sean Burton.  Currently, Steve is the General Operations Manager for Aldridge Electric based out of Libertyville, Illinois.  He has worked for the firm for 26 years.  He lives in Yorkville with his wife, Joanne, and his son Christian.