Magen David tourney tips off 2022-23 JHA season

October 21, 2022

Jewish Hoops America action begins this weekend as 12 Yeshiva League boys varsity teams participate in the Magen David Preseason Tournament in Brooklyn.

Each team will play two games on Sunday for seeding purposes with the top eight seeds advancing to the quarterfinals on Tuesday.

Here is the schedule for Sunday. Games marked with an asterisk will be livestreamed at
https://events.locallive.tv/school/magen-david-yeshivah

11:00 JEC vs HAFTR *
11:00 Hillel vs Flatbush
12:30 Magen David vs Ramaz *
12:30 HAFTR vs Hillel
2:00 HANC vs YDE *
2:00 North Shore HA vs JEC
3:30 Flatbush vs DRS *
3:30 Ramaz vs Magen Abraham
5:00 Magen David vs HANC *
5:00 YDE vs SAR
6:30 North Shore HA vs SAR *
6:30 Magen Abraham vs DRS

The semifinals are on Thursday and the championship game is on Sunday, Oct. 30.

Schwartz, Coleman, Meldung are top honorees in inaugural JHA girls awards

August 31, 2022

Shalhevet sophomore Yalee Schwartz is the National Player of the Year and the Firehawks’ Ryan Coleman is Coach of the Year in the first-ever Jewish Hoops America awards in girls basketball.

Mia Meldung, a high scoring sophomore from Donna Klein Jewish Academy, is the Underclassman of the Year.

Schwartz and Coleman led the Firehawks to the CIF Division 5 championship game, the first time a Jewish school ever played for a California state title. There was no team rankings during this inagural season of girls coverage but JHA has picked a Top 10 (see below) with Shalhevet finishing at #1.

Schwartz, who averaged 16 points and 7 rebounds per game, anchors a 1st Team Jewish Hoops America that includes her teammate, senior Talia Tizabi, HAFTR senior Ruthee Rosner, Berman Hebrew Academy junior Jenny Kagan and Meldung.

The 2nd Team includes seniors Tali Cohen of Berman HA, Dayna Felger of Barrack Hebrew Academy, Megan Spivak of HAFTR and Jasmine Maly-Danker of Milken and sophomore Arielle Grossman of Shalhevet.

Making the 3rd Team are seniors Avital Friedman of Jewish Day School and Yakira Wolfson of Hebrew Academy Miami, junior Dalia Leibowitz of Beth Tfiloh and freshmen Leila Sakhai of Ramaz and Daphna Steinmetz of SKA.

Coleman, who was Boys’ Coach of the Year in 2018, led the Firehawks to a 28-7 record. Other coaches considered were Joey Hoenig of HAFTR, Danilo Pinnock of Berman HA, Sean Rochester of Barrack HA, Joe Campodonico of HA Miami, Becky Silberman of Jewish Day School and Kevin Scholla of Kohelet.

Meldung averaged more than 26 points per game for the Eagles. She topped a deep, talented group of underclassmen that included Grossman and fellow sophomores Ayeket Ostrin of Maayanot, Ilana Schwartz of Ida Crown and Shani Schwartz of Jewish Day School and freshmen Sakai, Steinmetz, Kira Heumann of YULA and Lilly Yalovsky of Yavneh Dallas.

1st Team All Jewish Hoops America

Yalee Schwartz, So., Shalhevet/Los Angeles,CA
Jenny Kagan, Jr., Berman Hebrew Academy/Rockville,MD
Mia Meldung, So., Donna Klein Jewish Academy/Boca Raton,FL
Ruthee Rosner, Sr., HAFTR/Cedarhurst,NY
Talia Tizabi, Sr., Shalhevet/Los Angeles,CA

2nd Team All Jewish Hoops America

Tali Cohen, Sr., Berman Hebrew Academy/Rockville,MD
Dayna Felger, Sr., Barrack Hebrew Academy/Bryn Mawr,PA
Arielle Grossman, So., Shalhevet/Los Angeles,CA
Jasmine Maly-Danker, Sr., Milken/Los Angeles,CA
Megan Spivak, Sr., HAFTR/Cedarhurst,NY

3rd Team All Jewish Hoops America

Avital Friedman, Sr., Jewish Day School/Rockville,MD
Dalia Leibowitz, Jr., Beth Tfiloh/Baltimore,MD
Leila Sakhai, Fr., Ramaz/New York,NY
Daphna Steinmetz, Fr., SKA/Hewlett Bay Park,NY
Yakira Wolfson, Sr., Hebrew Academy/Miami Beach,FL

Honorable Mention All Jewish Hoops America

Simone Amkraut, Jr., Flatbush/Brooklyn,NY
Aviva Clauer, Jr., Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy/Overland Park,KS
Alexa Heumann, Jr., YULA/Los Angeles,CA
Kira Heumann, Fr., YULA/Los Angeles,CA
Megan Horowitz, Jr., SAR/Bronx,NY
Shiri Kolom, Sr., Ida Crown/Skokie,IL
Natalie Neusner, Jr., Maimonides/Brookline,MA
Shir-el Rudnick, Sr., Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy/Overland Park,KS
Barbara Sasson, Jr., Kohelet/Merion Station,PA
Ilana Schwartz, So., Ida Crown/Skokie,IL
Shani Schwartz, So., Jewish Day School/Rockville,MD
Eden Singer, Jr., Barrack Hebrew Academy/Bryn Mawr,PA
Leah Weiss, Sr. Maayanot/Teaneck,NJ
Lilly Yalovsky, Fr., Yavneh Academy/Dallas,TX
Ma’ayan Zakheim, Jr., Berman Hebrew Academy/Rockville,MD

2021-22 National JHA Top 10

1.Shalhevet/Los Angeles,CA………..…28-7
2.HAFTR/Cedarhurst,NY…………..……..18-3
3.Berman HA/Rockville,MD………..…..17-5
4.SKA/Hewlett Bay Park,NY…………..…13-2
5.Milken/Los Angeles,CA………………..15-9
6.Barrack HA/Bala Cynwyd,PA……..…16-4
7.Jewish Day School/Rockville,MD…12-5
8.Ramaz/New York,NY……………………..14-8
9.Frisch/Paramus,NJ………………………..13-5
10.YULA/Los Angeles,CA…………………18-14

Dan, Schwartzberg, Kitey take top JHA boys honors for 2021-22

August 31, 2022

Valley Torah junior Johny Dan and Coach Lior Schwartzberg have won the top Jewish Hoops America awards for 2021-22 after leading the Wolfpack to their first ever #1 final ranking in the JHA Top 25.

Dan, the Player of the Year, was JHA’s top scorer this season at 26.5 points per game, including five games over 40 points. Schwartzberg wins his first Coach of the Year award after the Wolfpack went 36-4, reached the CIF Division 4 state semifinals and won the Sarachek Tournament for the first time.

The Underclassman of the Year award goes to Harry Kitey, a sophomore at Weber School in Atlanta.

This is the 15th year Jewish Hoops America has given out end of season awards, with voting by more than three dozen coaches.

Dan was the state Division 4 Player of the Year, won the John Wooden Award as the best player in CIF Southern Section D4 and was the Most Valuable Player at Sarachek. He beat out Shalhevet junior Avi Halpert, making it the second straight time that players from Los Angeles were the top two vote-getters in the balloting for JHA Player of the Year.

Joining Dan and Halpert on the 1st Team All-Jewish Hoops America are seniors Yoel Kintzer of Northwest Yeshiva High School, Noah Ohayon of Yavneh Dallas and Julius Rubinstein of Ramaz.

The 2nd Team includes DRS senior Ari Ivry; junior Gavin Foonberg of Denver Jewish Day; senior Jonathan Levy of Katz Yeshiva HS; senior Zach Rosen of Rochelle Zell; and junior Elliot Braha of Hillel.

Making the 3rd Team are: Ephraim Blau, a junior at Fuchs Mizrachi; Milken senior Noah Carmona; Frisch junior Alex Zakheim; Haimy Salem, a senior at HAFTR; and Hillel Miami senior Daniel Abbo.

It was the third time (Tarbut v Torah, 2010; DRS, 2016) that a school had the #1 team in the JHA rankings and both the Player and Coach of the Year.

Schwartzberg beat out Ramaz’s Scott Ferguson, who led the Rams to the Yeshiva League championship in his first year at the school. The other finalists were: Ashford Jackson of Northwest Yeshiva High School; Michael Foonberg of Denver Jewish Day; DRS’ Avrum Stein; and Zac Katz of Fuchs Mizrachi.

Kitey led the Weber Rams in scoring as a sophomore and this summer was a key contributor on the U.S. Under 16 squad that brought home gold from the Maccabi Games in Israel.

He beat out Valley Torah’s sharpshooting soph Ethan List. Had List won, it would have been the first time one team swept the top three individual JHA awards.

Other finalists for Underclassman of the Year, all sophomores, were HAFTR’s Kevin Levy; Riley Ellis of Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy; Netanel Jacobs of Fuchs Mizrachi; and Ida Crown’s Jakob Wortman.