Shalhevet senior Yalee Schwartz is the 2023-24 Jewish Hoops America Player of the Year, winning the award for the third straight season.
Her coach Ryan Coleman is the Coach of the Year and SAR’s Liv Solomon wins Underclassman of the Year.
Schwartz was JHA’s second leading scorer this year with 23.3 points per game and also grabbed 8.7 rebounds per contest. A year after she and Coleman led Shalhevet to a California state title, the Firehawks were effectively denied a shot at repeating when CIF bumped them up two divisions. But they finished 30-8 and #1 in the JHA Top 18. They won Shalhevet’s Glouberman Tournament in the fall and the Hyman Galbut Tournament in Miami in February and Schwartz was MVP of both tournaments.
Joining Schwartz on the 1st Team All Jewish Hoops America were seniors Mia Meldung of Donna Klein Jewish Academy, Samantha Pruzansky of Frisch and Ilana Schwartz of Ida Crown and SKA junior Daphna Steinmetz.
Solomon, a sophomore, was named to the 2nd Team All Jewish Hoops America along with seniors Shani Schwartz of Jewish Day School and Arielle Grossman of Shalhevet, junior Kira Heumann of YULA and sophomores Izzy Nadtrich of Frisch and Eliana Wolfson of H.A. Miami.
The 3rd Team All Jewish Hoops America includes seniors Carmel Baratz of Tanenbaum CHAT and Ayelet Ostrin of Ma’ayanot, junior Lily Yalovsky of Yavneh Dallas, sophomore Mikayla Trajtenberg of Barrack H.A. and freshman Dillan Haghighat of North Shore H.A.
Solomon was the 4th highest scorer in Jewish Hoops America this year, averaging 23 points per game. She beat out an excellent field of underclassmen, including Nadtrich, Wolfson, Trajtenberg and Haghighat. Others considered were sophomores Nava Bousbib of SAR; Molly Leifer of HANC; Zoe Levy of Frisch; Tali Loeffler of Jewish Day School; Sami Neff of Barrack H.A.; Samantha Strohli of H.A. Miami and Izzy Wilbur of Fuchs Mizrachi; and freshmen Shira Abramson of YULA and Shylee Blavisse of Rochelle Zell.
Coleman, who was also JHA’s top coach in 2022, beat out Frisch’s Tali Zelenetz and Ida Crown’s Avigail Levinson for Coach of the Year. Others considered were Batsheva Aaron of SKA; Joe Campodonico of H.A. Miami; Cheri Haghighat of North Shore H.A.; Lee Joffe of SAR; Sherrie Sessions of YULA; and Becky Silberman of Jewish Day School.
1st Team All-Jewish Hoops America
Yalee Schwartz, Sr., Shalhevet/Los Angeles,CA
Daphna Steinmetz, Jr., SKA/Lawrence,NY
Mia Meldung, Sr., Donna Klein Jewish Academy/Boca Raton,FL
Samantha Pruzansky, Sr., Frisch/Paramus,NJ
Ilana Schwartz, Sr., Ida Crown/Skokie,IL
2nd Team All-Jewish Hoops America
Shani Schwartz, Sr., Jewish Day School/Rockville,MD
Arielle Grossman, Sr., Shalhevet/Los Angeles,CA
Kira Heumann, Jr., YULA/Los Angeles,CA
Liv Solomon, So., SAR/Bronx,NY
Izzy Nadtrich, So., Frisch/Paramus,NJ
Eliana Wolfson, So., H.A. Miami/Miami Beach,FL
3rd Team All-Jewish Hoops America
Mikayla Trajtenberg, So., Barrack H.A./Bala Cynwyd,PA
Lily Yalovsky, Jr., Yavneh Academy/Dallas,TX
Dillan Haghighat, Fr., North Shore H.A./Great Neck,NY
Carmel Baratz, Sr., Tanenbaum CHAT/Toronto,ON
Ayelet Ostrin, Sr., Ma’ayanot/Teaneck,NJ
Honorable Mention
Shira Abramson, Fr., YULA/Los Angeles,CA
Davina Benelyahu, Sr., Shalhevet/Los Angeles,CA
Shylee Blavisse, Fr., Rochelle Zell/Deerfield,IL
Meira Falk, Sr., Berman H.A./Rockville,MD
Addison Floumanhaft, Jr., HANC/Uniondale,NY
Paulina Gamel, Jr., Northwest Yeshiva HS/Mercer Island,WA
Chloe Javidzad, Sr., Milken/Los Angeles,CA
Sarah Kahane, Jr., Margolin/Memphis,TN
Abbi Kammerman, Sr., HAFTR/Cedarhurst,NY
Leah Kaplan, Jr., Maimonides/Brookline,MA
Shirel Kashimallak, Jr., North Shore H.A./Great Neck,NY
Merle Kassab, Sr., Flatbush/Brooklyn,NY
Kira Kupferman, Sr., Shalhevet/Los Angeles,CA
Sami Neff, So., Barrack H.A./Bala Cynwyd,PA
Galil Neuer, Sr., Frisch/Paramus,NJ
Clara Rosen, Sr., SAR/Bronx,NY
Leila Sakhai, Jr., Ramaz/New York,NY
Rachel Sedaghat, Sr., Schechter-Long Island/Williston Park,NY
Ariella Sheppard, Jr., Kehillah Jewish/Palo Alto,CA
Abby Singer, Sr., Rochelle Zell/Deerfield,IL
Inbar Vicus, Jr., Tanenbaum CHAT/Toronto,ON
Izzy Wilbur, So., Fuchs Mizrachi/Beechwood,OH
Final JHA Top 18
1.Shalhevet/Los Angeles,CA………………..30-8
2.Frisch/Paramus,NJ………………………………24-1
3.Ida Crown/Skokie,IL……………………………21-6
4.Tanenbaum CHAT/Toronto,ON (1)…….26-1
5.SKA/Hewlett,NY…………………………………..15-6
6.YULA/Los Angeles,CA………………………23-13
7.North Shore H.A./Great Neck,NY…….20-11
8.SAR/Bronx,NY………………………………………14-9
9.Ma’ayanot/Teaneck,NJ……………………….12-6
10.Hebrew Academy/Miami Beach,FL…18-9
11.Flatbush/Brooklyn,NY…………………………13-9
12.Yavneh/Dallas,TX………………………………..14-8
13.Ramaz/New York,NY…………………………..17-15
14.Barrack H.A./Bryn Mawr,PA……………….8-11
15.Donna Klein JA/Boca Raton,FL…….……10-4
16.Jewish Day School/Rockville,MD……….15-7
17.Rochelle Zell/Deerfield,IL…………………….12-8
18.Milken/Los Angeles,CA……………………….12-12
PAST PLAYERS OF THE YEAR
2023 - Yalee Schwartz, Shalhevet
2022 - Yalee Schwartz, Shalhevet
PAST COACHES OF THE YEAR
2023 - Becky Silberman, Jewish Day School
2022 - Ryan Coleman, Shalhevet
