Sarachek Generations: Jon and Abie Kaweblum

Jon Kaweblum played in the Sarachek Tournament for Scheck Hillel Miami in 1998 and 1999. His son Abie Kaweblum is a junior at Katz Yeshiva High School playing this year in his first Sarachek Tournament.

I was the starting point guard for the Hillel Hurricanes from Miami, FL and played in two Sarachek tournaments.

In 1998 we played our second Tier 1 game against a skinny unknown 10th grade kid from Baltimore who scored what felt like a quiet 40 points on us. That was Tamir Goodman and it was the year before the Sports Illustrated article came out proclaiming him the ‘Jewish Jordan’, so no one really knew about him yet. It made it really cool that the next year once he became known that we had played him the year earlier.

In 1999 we entered the tournament as either the 8th or 9th seed (I don't remember). After beating Berman from Silver Spring we faced the #1 ranked HAFTR team on Friday. I believe we were down 17 in the first half and came back to win. There is nothing like going into Shabbos at Sarachek still alive in the tournament.

Then on Sunday in the Tier 1 semifinal game against Valley Torah we were down 1 in the closing seconds and we hit a 3-point shot, sending us to the championship for the first time. We faced off against MTA and although we kept it close in the first quarter they beat us pretty handily in the end. I’ll never forget that moment. The gym was packed to capacity and it was an amazing experience because none of us had ever played in front of that many people.

Five years later I became the coach for Katz Yeshiva High School in Boca Raton and ended up coaching there for 8 years. That Sarachek championship run that I was a part of in high school forged a strong foundation in my coaching as it clearly showed me what it takes to win at the highest levels of Jewish ball. I returned to Sarachek many times as a coach, winning the Tier 2 championship once and just coming a buzzer shot away from reaching Tier 1 in a game against Rambam of Baltimore.

Then in 2023 I had the privilege of returning to Sarachek as a Dad, getting to watch my 11th grade son Jake go 3-1 but losing to that year's champion Valley Torah. This year I'm back at Sarachek as a dad and coach once again. The head coach of Katz graciously asked me to sit on his bench as a 3rd coach and I am happy to do what I can to help the team. It is also a great front row seat to watch my 11th grade son Abie play on the biggest stage of Jewish High School basketball. 

Sarachek Generations: Jon and Aiden Rich

Jon Rich is the coach of his alma mater Ida Crown Jewish Academy and played in Sarachek 1995. Junior Aiden Rich is playing this year in his first Sarachek.

In 1995, I had the privilege of participating in the YU Sarachek Tournament as a player for the Ida Crown Aces.  We had a very talented team and won 3 of our 4 games but lost in the semifinals to the eventual champions, MTA (squandering a 4th quarter lead).

To this very day, my teammates and friends from that team still lament the loss and genuinely believe we were the most talented team to not win the tournament. However, despite the painful defeat, we had a great experience and it began a tradition of Ida Crown students attending the tournament nearly every subsequent year.  In fact, sometimes it feels like the Sarachek tournament is all any of the players want to talk about at the beginning of each basketball season.

On a personal note, I represented Ida Crown on that 1995 team in the annual Sarachek three-point shoot-out (which sadly no longer takes place)…and somehow I won first place. In fact, I have a vague memory of Jon Bandler himself handing me the champion’s trophy (which was like 3 feet tall!)

Incredibly, 30 years later (wow) I have the privilege of not only returning to coach my alma mater at this tournament, but my very own son (Aiden Rich) is a junior on our team. The fact that something like this can even happen is pretty darn special and a testament to Yeshiva University’s incredible legacy in many notable areas, including investing in Jewish high school students from across North America. While I hope my son enjoys his experience on the court, even more so I look forward to him immersing himself in the entire extended weekend of networking and meeting students from other schools, experiencing a special shabbos in the hotel, and feeling the electric energy of Yeshiva University.

Countdown to Sarachek

18 Days to #Sarachek2025

Most Sarachek Tournament appearances (not counting this year):

31, MTA, YULA
29, Valley Torah
26, Ida Crown
23, Cooper Memphis
22, Fuchs Mizrachi

17 days to #Sarachek2025

Most wins ever at Sarachek:

YULA, 84
MTA, 72
Ida Crown, 65
Valley Torah, 60
Fuchs Mizrachi, 46

16 Days to #Sarachek2025

Best Team Name at 2025 Sarachek Tournament

2-part poll - winners will square off

Shalhevet Firehawks - 37.3%
Ida Crown Aces - 24.1%
Mesivta Mustangs - 20.5%
Maimonides M-Cats - 18.1%

SAR Sting - 33.7%
Fuchs Mizrachi Mayhem - 20.5%
Farber Fire - 10.8%
Fasman The Yeshiva - 34.9%

15 Days to #Sarachek2025

By a single vote, Fasman The Yeshiva edges SAR Sting, w Fuchs Mizrachi Mayhem, Farber Fire far behind; and Shalhevet Firehawks tops Ida Crown Aces, Mesivta Mustangs and Maimo M-Cats So here's this yr's final for Best Sarachek Team Name

Fasman The Yeshiva - 61%
Shalhevet Firehawks - 39%

14 Days to #Sarachek2025

Tried and true…four mascots are duplicates this year, Storm, Lions, Heat, Cougars

13 days to #Sarachek2025

enO nosaer siht s'raey yenruot si os peed? ts1 emit reve ereht era 8 LASHYM ffoyalp smeat ta kehcaraS! evaH a taerg miruP!

For those who struggle with the Nahaphochu dialect:

One reason this year’s tourney is so deep? 1st time ever there are 8 MYHSAL playoff teams at Sarachek! Have a great Purim!

12 Days to #Sarachek2025

Most Championship game appearances:

12, YULA
7, MTA
6, Frisch
5, Shalhevet
4, HAFTR, Valley Torah

11 Days to #Sarachek2025

Most Sarachek titles:

9, YULA
3, Shalhevet, MTA
2, Valley Torah, Frisch, HAFTR, Rambam

10 Days to #Sarachek2025

Coaches who will be coaching their sons at Sarachek this year:

-Morrie Levy (Zac), H.A. Montreal (3rd son!)
-Ed Gelb (Zach), Maimonides (2nd!)
-Rafi Halpert (Ari), SAR
-Jon Rich (Aiden), Ida Crown

9 Days to #Sarachek2025

Best winning percentage at Sarachek (min. 20 gms)

.718 - YULA (84-33)
.657 - DRS (23-12)
.630 - Frisch (34-20)
.629 - Magen David (22-13)
.619 - Ida Crown (65-40)

8 Days to #Sarachek2025

Only non-Yeshiva League or LA teams to win Sarachek:

Hyman Brand HA, 2004
CHAT, 2006
Ida Crown, 2008

Reached final these other times:

Hillel-Miami, 1999, 2001
Hyman Brand, 2003
Ida Crown, 2007

7 Days to #Sarachek2025

These 1st round matchups will mark 1st time the teams have faced each other at Sarachek:

#1 YULA vs #16 Mesivta
#4 TABC vs #13 Fasman
#5 SAR vs #12 H.A. Montreal
(and #3 DRS vs #14 Frisch if you don't count last year's play-in game)

6 Days to #Sarachek2025

States (and Provinces) that have sent teams to Sarachek:

CA - YULA, Valley Torah, Shalhevet, Southern California Yeshiva, Harkham Gaon, deToledo (New Jew)
CT - Hebrew High of New England
FL - H.A. Miami, Hillel Miami, Katz YHS, Ohr HaTorah, Posnack Jewish Day
GA - Atlanta Jewish Academy
IL - Ida Crown, Fasman Yeshiva, Rochelle Zell (Chicagoland Jewish)
KS - Hyman Brand H.A.
MA - Maimonides
MD - Berman H.A., Beth Tfiloh, Mekor Chaim, TA of Baltimore, Rambam, Eshkol
MO - Block YHS
MI - Farber Hebrew Day (Akiva)
NJ - TABC, Frisch, JEC, Kushner, Hillel, MAYHS
NY - MTA, DRS, SAR, Ramaz, HAFTR, North Shore H.A., Flatbush, Rambam, HANC, Magen David, Heschel
OH - Fuchs Mizrachi, Columbus Torah
ON - Or Chaim Toronto, Tanenbaum CHAT, CHAT Kimel, Beit Yitzchak
PA - Kohelet, Mesivta, Hillel Pittsburgh, Mesivta Pittsburgh
QU - H.A. Montreal, Bialik
TN - Cooper Memphis
TX - Yavneh Dallas, Beren Houston
VA - Yeshiva of Virginia
WA - Northwest Yeshiva HS

5 Days to #Sarachek2025

Felines, as always, well represented at Sarachek:

YULA
DRS
Berman H.A.
North Shore H.A.
MTA
Frisch
Maimonides

4 Days to #Sarachek2025

Returning awardees from #Sarachek2024

Alex Gabbay, YULA (MVP)
Aiden Bitran, Shalhevet (1st Team, All-Tournament)
Joe Aaron, DRS (Tier 2 MVP)
Simon Alloul, HA Montreal (All Star)
Alex August, Berman H.A. (All Star)
Josh Chabbott, Magen David (All Star)
Yoni Holender, YULA (All Star)
Moshe Jacobs, Fuchs Mizrachi (All Star)
Eyal Kinderlehrer, TABC (All Star)
Avi Okner, Ida Crown (All Star)
Josh Treuhaft, MTA (All Star)

3 Days to #Sarachek2025

2024-25 Leading Scorers playing in tournament:

Alex August, Berman H.A., 23.4 ppg
Yaacov Ohayon, H.A. Montreal, 22.4 ppg
Avi Okner, Ida Crown, 22.0 ppg
Aiden Bitran, Shalhevet, 20.5 ppg
Adir Amster, Fasman Yeshiva, 20.5 ppg
Josh Chabbott, Magen David, 19.0 ppg
Joe Aaron, DRS, 18.0 ppg

2 Days to #Sarachek2025

Schools with 1 Sarachek title:

Hillel-NJ
Magen David
Ramaz
Hyman Brand H.A.
Tanenbaum CHAT
Ida Crown
SAR
DRS

1 Day to #Sarachek2025

Coaches this year who played at Sarachek:

Mike Pollack, YULA (2001, 2002, 2003)
Rafi Halpert, SAR (MTA, 1999, 2000)
Yonah Singer, Berman H.A. (1999)
Jon Rich, Ida Crown (1995)
Elie Baratz, Katz YHS (2005, 2006)
Dani Katz, Mesivta (Beth Tfiloh, 2015)
Zac Katz, Fuchs Mizrachi (2009, 2010)

South Florida Yeshiva League Playoffs

March 23

CHAMPIONSHIP

Toras Chaim 58 Ohr HaTorah 36

The #21 Lightning (14-2) end their season with a 10th straight win. Pinch Greenwald led the way with 21 points and 17 rebounds and Benny Dalfin added 17 points. The Thunder finish 10-8.

March 22

SEMIFINALS

Toras Chaim 64 Mechina 45

Pinch Greenwald had 20 points, 17 rebounds, to lead the #21 Lightning to their 9th straight win. Benny Dalfin added 17 points and Menachem Bloom scored 15.

Ohr HaTorah 59 Tiferes Torah 47

Yaakov Perez led the Thunder (10-7) with 18 points, Yosef Weiss had 12 points, 16 rebounds and Berel Knight scored 11 points.

DRS holds off TABC in OT to claim MYHSAL varsity title

The #3 DRS Wildcats raced out to a huge 1st half lead but needed extra time Sunday to beat the #5 TABC Storm 66-63 to capture the school’s third MYHSAL varsity championship.

Joe Aaron scored 24 points and Tzvi Tsaidi added 21 as the Wildcats (29-3) won their 15th straight game and denied the Storm (19-5) in their first ever championship game. The Wildcats previously won the league title in 2013 and in 2016 when Gabe Leifer led them to an undefeated season.

Dovid Saks opened the scoring with a 3-pointer for the Storm but it wasn’t until the 2nd quarter that TABC would score again as DRS reeled off 18 straight points. The Wildcat lead twice reached 17 points in the quarter but the Storm scored the final five points to trail by only 30-18 at the half.

With the first seven points of the 3rd quarter, TABC got to within five and then another Saks triple made it 34-33. But two Aaron 3-point plays and a triple from Tsaidi in the closing minutes made the Wildcats cushion 43-35 heading to the 4th.

A Tsaidi bucket extended the DRS lead to nine at 46-37 but from there the Storm’s big man Eyal Kinderlehrer took over, scoring 15 points in the quarter including a rare trey. His final points were a pair of free throws to get TABC to within 53-52.

Michael Solomon hit two free throws for DRS to extend the Wildcat lead to 55-52, but Yonah Mandel hit a corner 3-pointer with :30 left to get TABC even for the first time since 3-3. DRS held for a last shot but turned the ball over in the final seconds and TABC’s half court shot missed to send the game to overtime.

DRS dominated early in the extra session, scoring the first eight points on single baskets by Solomon and Tsaidi and a pair by Yitz Bennett. Five free throws by TABC got them to within three but Aaron all but sealed it with a pair of free throws with :20 left.

Kinderlehrer finished with 24 points for TABC, Akiva Borgen added 14 and Mandel had 11, but none scored in overtime.

DRS heads to the Sarachek Tournament as the #3 seed with an opening round matchup against #14 Frisch. TABC will be seeded 4th and will play #13 Fasman Yeshiva.