Johny Dan of Valley Torah High School is the 2022-23 Jewish Hoops America Player of the Year, winning the award for the second straight season after leading the Wolfpack to consecutive #1 rankings in the JHA Top 25.
The Coach of the Year is Shalom Babayev of North Shore Hebrew Academy and sophomores Alex Gabbay of YULA and Avi Okner of Ida Crown share Underclassman of the Year.
Dan became the third repeat winner of the JHA Player of the Year award, beating out Frisch's Alex Zakheim and Wolfpack teammate Noam Mayouhas. He averaged more than 22 points and 8 rebounds per game, was named 2nd Team All State and 1st Team All-Sectional and led the Wolfpack to a 35-6 record that included their second straight Sarachek Tournament championship.
Joining Dan, Zakheim and Mayouhas on the 1st-Team All-Jewish Hoops America are seniors Avi Halpert of Shalhevet, Gavin Foonberg of Denver Jewish Day School and Akiva Schanzer of SAR.
The 2nd Team, also all seniors, is Ephraim Blau of Fuchs Mizrachi, Asher Falk of Berman Hebrew Academy, Asher Melamed of Magen David, David Orbach of North Shore Hebrew Academy and Mikel Biton of Posnack Jewish Day.
Voted to the 3rd Team were seniors Elliot Braha of Hillel, Ben Farkas of Hebrew Academy Miami and Nathan Sellam of Shalhevet and juniors Harry Kitey of Weber School and Jakob Wortman of Ida Crown.
Other finalists were seniors Netanel Benloulou of TABC; Jordan Dekelbaum of Yavneh Dallas; Erez Epstein of Berman Hebrew Academy; Michael Galeck of deToledo; Yuval Ovaknin of Katz Yeshiva HS; and Eli Wallace of Kohelet; and juniors Netanel Jacobs of Fuchs Mizrachi; Milan Kushner of Ramaz, Max Mogyoros of Mesivta Philadelphia; and Yishai Rosenblatt of YULA.
Babayev, in his first year at North Shore, led the Lions to the #2 JHA ranking and a 28-6 record, including an undefeated Yeshiva League season capped off by a title-game win over Frisch. He beat out Michael Foonberg of Denver Jewish Day, last year's Coach of the Year Lior Schwartzberg of Valley Torah and Yonah Singer of Berman Hebrew Academy. Other coaches considered were Ari Braun of Beth Tfiloh, Brian Jensen of Frisch, Zac Katz of Fuchs Mizrachi, Motti Meisels of YULA and Jim Nole of Gann.
Gabbay and Okner were the top vote getters for Underclassman of the Year, edging out freshman Alex August of Berman Hebrew Academy.
Gabbay took over the helm of YULA's offense midway through the season and was a key to the Panthers' 3rd place finish at Sarachek, where he was named to the All-Tournament team. Okner averaged nearly 15 points and more than 8 rebounds per game for Ida Crown.
Others considered were sophomores Aiden Bitran of Shalhevet; Yoni Hollender of YULA; Joshua Matheson and Joey Siemens of Donna Klein Jewish Academy; and Jonas Singer of Farber Hebrew Day; and freshmen Jason Lewin of Donna Klein Jewish Academy and Jack Silberstein of San Diego Jewish Academy.
1st Team All-Jewish Hoops America
Johny Dan, Sr.,Valley Torah/Valley Village,CA
Alex Zakheim, Sr., Frisch/Paramus,NJ
Noam Mayouhas, Sr., Valley Torah/Valley Village,CA
Avi Halpert, Sr., Shalhevet/Los Angeles,CA
Gavin Foonberg, Sr., Denver Jewish Day/Denver,CO
Akiva Schanzer, Sr., SAR/Bronx,NY
2nd Team All-Jewish Hoops America
Ephraim Blau, Sr., Fuchs Mizrachi/Beachwood,OH
Asher Falk, Sr., Berman H.A./Rockville,MD
Asher Melamed, Sr., Magen David/Brooklyn,NY
David Orbach, Sr., North Shore H.A./Great Neck,NY
Mikel Biton, Sr., Posnack Jewish Day/Davie,FL
3rd Team All-Jewish Hoops America
Harry Kitey, Jr., Weber School/Sandy Springs,GA
Elliot Braha, Sr., Hillel/Ocean,NJ
Nathan Sellam, Sr., Shalhevet/Los Angeles,CA
Jakob Wortman, Jr., Ida Crown/Skokie,IL
Ben Farkas, Sr., H.A. Miami/Miami Beach,FL
Honorable Mention
Ben Abizadeh, Jr., North Shore H.A./Great Neck,NY
Netanel Benloulou, Sr., TABC/Teaneck,NJ
Gabe Bodokh, Sr., Hebrew Academy/Montreal, CA
Jonah Carmili, Jr., North Shore H.A./Great Neck,NY
Michael Cohen, Jr., Beth Tfiloh/Baltimore,MD
Jordan Dekelbaum, Sr., Yavneh Academy/Dallas,TX
Erez Epstein, Sr., Berman H.A./Rockville,MD
David Fritz, Sr., Jewish Day School/Rockville,MD
Michael Galeck, Sr., deToledo/West Hills,CA
Netanel Jacobs, Jr., Fuchs Mizrachi/Beachwood,OH
Eddie Kassin, Sr., Hillel/Ocean,NJ
Beni Keda, Jr., Flatbush/Brooklyn,NY
Milan Kushner, Jr., Ramaz/New York,NY
Yonah Light, Jr., Tarbut vTorah/Irvine,CA
Ethan List, Jr., Valley Torah/Valley Village,CA
Max Mogyoros, Jr., Mesivta/Bala Cynwyd,PA
Yishai Rosenblatt, Jr., YULA/Los Angeles,CA
Joe Schanzer, Sr., Leffell/Hartsdale,NY
Isaac Schiffman, Sr., Frisch/Paramus,NJ
Ephraim Shmidman, Sr., Mesivta/Bala Cynwyd,PA
Ben Spira, Sr., Gann/Waltham,MA
Eli Wallace, Sr., Kohelet/Merion Station,PA
2022-23 FINAL JHA Top 25
1.Valley Torah/Valley Village,CA(10) ………. .35-6……………250……………2
2.North Shore H.A./Great Neck,NY…………28-6…….….….228……….…..3
TieSAR/Bronx,NY………………………..………………26-6……………228….….….…5
4.Shalhevet/Los Angeles,CA ……….…………..30-9…….……..221………….….1
5.YULA/Los Angeles,CA…………………………….23-12…….…….212……..….….7
6.Frisch/Paramus,NJ …………………….…….………21-9.………..….202……………4
7.Posnack Jewish Day/Davie,FL………………..12-4……………..196……………6
8.Katz YHS/Boca Raton,FL……….…………………17-8……………...177….………..9
9.Magen David/Brooklyn,NY …..………..………21-8……….……..175..……...….8
10.Denver Jewish Day/Denver,CO…….……...22-3………..…..147……….…..14
11.Fuchs Mizrachi/Beachwood,OH…….……….18-8….…….……139…….…….21
12.DRS/Woodmere,NY ……………….……………….27-9…………..…127…………….12
13.Berman H.A./Rockville,MD…………………….29-15…………….112……………..17
14.Ida Crown/Chicago,IL…………………….….……21-7…….………...110……..……...10
15.Rochelle Zell/Deerfield,IL……………….………13-7……….………103……..……..13
16.Jewish Day School/Rockville,MD………….21-7……………….95…….………18
17.Flatbush/Brooklyn,NY……………………………….11-7……….……….94..…...…..…15
TieTABC/Teaneck,NJ … ….………..…….…………..14-11….……………94…...……….16
19.deToledo/West Hills,CA…………………………..21-6……….……...80…………….18
20.Maimonides/Brookline,MA…………….……..18-8……………….56………..…...11
21.Mekor Chaim/Baltimore,MD…………..……..21-13………………41……………..20
TieYavneh Academy/Dallas,TX…………….…..25-6…….………..41……….…….22
23.Gann/Waltham,MA………………………………….12-5……………….24…………….23
24.Hebrew Academy/Miami Beach,FL…….13-14……………….22……………..-
25.Beth Tfiloh/Baltimore,MD…………………….25-10………………21…………….24
Past Players of the Year
2022 Johny Dan, Valley Torah
2020/2021 Albert Fallas, YULA/Zev Remer, Shalhevet
2019 Judah Oppenheimer, SAR
2018 Ryan Turell, Valley Torah
2017 Bryan Knapp, Jewish Day School
2016 Gabriel Leifer, DRS
2015 Josh Newlander, Chicagoland Jewish (Rochelle Zell)
2014 Josh Newlander, Chicagoland Jewish
2013 Zach Yoshor, Beren Houston
2012 Jack Gindi, YULA
2011 Yisroel Feld, MTA/Jack Gindi, YULA
2010 Eric Avdee, Tarbut vTorah
2009 Eitan Chemerinski, Jewish Day School
2008 Jordan Marcus, Schechter NJ (now Golda Och)
2007 Solomon Schoonover, Hillel Miami
Past Coaches of the Year
2022 Lior Schwartzberg, Valley Torah
2020/2021 David Zimmerman, Yavneh Dallas
2019 Evan Pickman, Heschel
2018 Ryan Coleman, Shalhevet
2017 Mike Whiting, Milken
2016 Avrum Stein, DRS
2015 Joe Schwartz, Frisch
2014 Dwight Hollins, Fuchs Mizrachi
2013 Marty Dello, Chicagoland Jewish (Rochelle Zell)
2012 Richard Lewis, Cooper Memphis
2011 Rafi Halpert, SAR
2010 Patrick Roberts, Tarbut vTorah
2009 Elliot Steinmetz, HANC
2008 Howard Braun, Ida Crown
2007 Howard Braun, Ida Crown
