Magen David Tournament: Opening Day

HANC 59 Rambam 38

Ruby Tilis scored 22 points and Adam Arbiv had 14 to lead the Hurricanes (1-0). Gabe Mosheyev led the Ravens (0-1) with 14 points and Nate Cohen added 10.

Magen David 54 HAFTR 44

Samuel Chira scored 14 points for the host Warriors (1-0) and Solly Hara added 13. The Hawks (0-1) were led by Daniel Naumberg with 14 points, Nate Meyer with 12 and Jojo Kaplan with 11.

SAR 61 DRS 59

The Sting (1-0) rallied from a 15-point first quarter deficit. Rafi Halpert led SAR with 20 points, Max Weiss added 16 and Manu Wiebke scored 12. Elisha Tsaidi scored 21 points for the Wildcats (0-1) and Gaby Spodek and Yitz Bennett added 15 each.

Magen David 62 JEC 40

The Warriors (2-0) led by 15 at the end of the first quarter and cruised from there, led by Jacob Chami and Isaac Alfaks with 10 points each. Yoni Hill scored 10 points for the Thunder (1-1).

North Shore H.A. 68 Heichal 67 OT

Aryeh Sanandaji scored 18 points to lead four players in double figures for the Lions (1-0). Andrew Kohanim added 13 points, Jacob Cohen had 11 and Charlie Sassoon scored 10. For the Hornets (0-1), Akiva Jacoby scored 24 points, Eli Weiderkehr added 15 and Aaron Edell had 11.

Flatbush 48 Hillel 43

Aaron Romano led the Falcons (1-0) with 19 points and Sam Jemal had 11. Jason Zekaria paced the Heat (1-1) with 13 points.

Ramaz 50 YDE 35

Noah Hiltzik had 14 points, including four 3-pointers, and Asaf Seinfeld added 12 points to lead the Rams (1-1).

SAR 50 Flatbush 44
Hillel 62 Rambam 29
DRS 48 Ramaz 45
JEC 69 Barkai 38
North Shore 56 HAFTR 51
HANC 63 YDE 62
Heichal 63 Barkai 30

Seeds were based on points allowed, knocking DRS and JEC out among the 1-1 teams.

Quarterfinal Matchups on Oct. 21:

#1 Magen David vs #8 Heichal
#2 HANC vs #7 Flatbush
#3 SAR vs #6 Ramaz
#4 North Shore vs #5 Hillel

Boys JHA season tips off with Magen David tournament

The 2025-26 Jewish Hoops America boys season tips off Sunday with the start of the Magen David Tournament in Brooklyn.

The tournament, in memory of Elliot Torkieh, A’H, features 14 teams playing two games each in the opening round to determine the seeds for Tuesday’s quarterfinals. Heichal Yeshiva will join the host Magen David Warriors and 12 other Yeshiva League teams, including the Barkai Suns who are fielding a varsity team for the first time this season.

All the tournament games will be livestreamed, with games in the 5th Floor gym at https://sportsengineplay.com/Local-Live/MDY?viewType=list

3rd Floor games will each have their own livestream link (see below)

Here are the opening round games on Sunday:

5TH FLOOR

11:00 AM - Rambam vs HANC
12:15 PM - HAFTR vs Magen David
1:30 PM - SAR vs DRS
2:45 PM - JEC vs Magen David
4:00 PM - Heichal vs North Shore H.A.
5:15 PM - Hillel vs Flatbush
6:30 PM - YDE vs Ramaz

3RD FLOOR

11:30 AM - JEC vs Barkai (https://www.nfhsnetwork.com/events/d1-media-pro/evt52fc95499a)
12:45 PM - HANC vs YDE (https://www.nfhsnetwork.com/events/d1-media-pro/evt5bfb90fd15)
2:00 PM - North Shore H.A. vs HAFTR (https://www.nfhsnetwork.com/events/d1-media-pro/evt5798a3a76c)
3:15 PM - Rambam vs Hillel (https://www.nfhsnetwork.com/events/d1-media-pro/evt74b74061ce)
4:30 PM - DRS vs Ramaz (https://www.nfhsnetwork.com/events/d1-media-pro/evt0cb66fb6e2)
5:45 PM - Heichal vs Barkai (https://www.nfhsnetwork.com/events/d1-media-pro/evt27b2085c68)
7:00 PM - SAR vs Flatbush (https://www.nfhsnetwork.com/events/d1-media-pro/evt9345bb206d)

Steinmetz, Joffe and Haghighat take top 2025 JHA Girls Awards

SKA senior Daphna Steinmetz is the 2025 Jewish Hoops America Player of the Year, with other top honors going to Coach of the Year Lee Joffe of SAR and North Shore High School sophomore Dillan Haghighat as Underclassman of the Year.

Steinmetz led the Sonics to a 17-6 record and #7 JHA Chai High ranking while averaging 21.5 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists per game.

Joining Steinmetz and Haghighat on the 1st Team All-Jewish Hoops America are senior Kira Heumann of YULA and juniors Liv Solomon of SAR, Zoe Levy of Frisch and Eliana Wolfson of H.A. Miami..

The 2nd Team includes Ramaz senior Leila Sakhai, juniors Izzy Nadtrich of Frisch and Mikayla Trajtenberg of Barrack H.A. and sophomores Shylee Blavvise of Rochelle Zell and Shira Abramson of Shalhevet.

Named to the 3rd Team are seniors Daria Lennon of Ida Crown, Jamie Morris of CHAT and Lilly Yalovsky of Yavneh Dallas and juniors Nava Bousbib of SAR and Izzy Wilbur of Fuchs Mizrachi.

Joffe was named JHA Coach of the Year after leading the 26-2 Sting to the Yeshiva League championship and the #1 JHA ranking. It was the team’s fifth league title and first since 2019.

Other coaches considered were Batsheva Aaron of SKA, Joe Campodonico of H.A. Miami, Ryan Coleman of Shalhevet, Gil Dalva of YULA, Cheri Haghighat of North Shore H.A., Tali Zelenetz of Frisch and Aubrey Zimmerman of CHAT.

Haghighat won Underclassman of the Year after averaging 22 points per game, including a JHA single game record of 50 points. She also averaged 6 assists and 6 rebounds per game, topped 1,000 career points and was MVP of the Sam Gyenes and HAFTR tournaments.

Also considered were sophomores Shira Abramson of Shalhevet, Shylee Blavvise of Rochelle Zell, Shana Leibowitz of Beth Tfiloh and Danielle Shalom of Ilan and freshmen Ava Cohen of SAR and Lea Steinmetz of SKA.

1st Team All-Jewish Hoops America

Daphna Steinmetz, Sr., SKA/Lawrence,NY
Kira Heumann, Sr., YULA/Los Angeles,CA
Dillan Haghighat, So., North Shore H.A./Great Neck,NY
Zoe Levy, Jr., Frisch/Paramus,NJ
Liv Solomon, Jr., SAR/Bronx,NY
Eliana Wolfson, Jr., H.A. Miami/Miami Beach,FL

2nd Team All-Jewish Hoops America

Shira Abramson, So., Shalhevet/Los Angeles,CA
Shylee Blavvise, So., Rochelle Zell/Deerfield,IL
Izzy Nadtrich, Jr., Frisch/Paramus,NJ
Leila Sakhai, Sr., Ramaz/New York,NY
Mikayla Trajtenberg, Jr., Barrack H.A./Bryn Mawr,PA

3rd Team All-Jewish Hoops America

Nava Bousbib, Jr., SAR/Bronx,NY
Daria Lennon, Sr., Ida Crown/Skokie,IL
Jamie Morris, Sr., CHAT/Toronto,ON
Izzy Wilbur, Jr., Fuchs Mizrachi/Beachwood,OH
Lilly Yalovsky, Sr., Yavneh Dallas/Dallas,TX

Honorable Mention

Ava Cohen, Fr., SAR/Bronx,NY
Nitzahn Epstein, Jr., Berman H.A./Rockville,MD
Addison Floumanhaft, Sr., HANC/Uniondale,NY
Sarah Kahane, Sr., Margolin/Memphis,TN
Leah Kaplan, Sr., Maimonides/Brookline,MA
Shirel Kashimallek, Sr., North Shore H.A./Great Neck,NY
Shana Leibowitz, So., Beth Tfiloh/Baltimore,MD
Tali Loeffler, Sr., Jewish Day School/Rockville,MD
Sami Neff, Jr., Barrack H.A./Bryn Mawr,PA
Megan Sharf, Sr., HAFTR/Cedarhurst,NY
Danielle Shalom, So., Ilan/Deal,NJ
Leah Sicklick, Jr., SKA/Lawrence,NY
Shana Strohli, Jr., H.A. Miami/Miami Beach,FL
Inbar Vicus, Sr., CHAT/Toronto,ON

Final 2024-25 Chai High JHA Top 18

1.SAR/Bronx,NY…………………………………………26-2
2.Frisch/Paramus,NJ…………………………………19-2
3.Shalhevet/Los Angeles,CA ………………….17-11
4.North Shore H.A./Great Neck,NY……….26-5
5.Tanenbaum CHAT/Toronto,ON ………….24-3
6.YULA/Los Angeles,CA………………………….21-13
7.SKA/Hewlett,NY………………………………………17-6
8.Hebrew Academy/Miami Beach,FL…….22-9
9.Barrack H.A./Bryn Mawr,PA…………………..10-8
10.Milken/Los Angeles,CA…………………………12-14
11.Ida Crown/Skokie,IL……………………………….17-10
12.Ramaz/New York,NY……………………………..10-10
13.Maimonides/Brookline,MA……………………12-9
14.Katz YHS/Boca Raton,FL………………………,,12-5
15.Ilan/Deal,NJ……………………………………………..12-9
16.Flatbush/Brooklyn,NY…………………………….13-14
17.Beth Tfiloh/Pikesville,MD……………………….13-12
18.Rochelle Zell/Deerfield,IL……………………...16-11

PAST PLAYERS OF THE YEAR

2024 - Yalee Schwartz, Shalhevet
2023 - Yalee Schwartz, Shalhevet
2022 - Yalee Schwartz, Shalhevet

PAST COACHES OF THE YEAR

2024 - Ryan Coleman, Shalhevet
2023 - Becky Silberman, Jewish Day School
2022 - Ryan Coleman, Shalhevet

Bitran, Singer and Stepner Win Top 2025 JHA Boys Awards

Shalhevet senior Aiden Bitran has been named the 2025 Jewish Hoops America Player of the Year.

The Coach of the Year is Yonah Singer of Berman Hebrew Academy and Frisch sophomore Isaac Stepner is Underclassman of the Year.

Bitran scored 20.5 points per game and led Shalhevet to the #4 JHA ranking.

Joining him and Stepner on the 1st Team All-Jewish Hoops America are seniors Joe Aaron of DRS, Joshua Chabbott of Magen David and Eyal Kinderlehrer of TABC and junior Alex August of Berman H.A.

The 2nd Team All Jewish Hoops America includes seniors Alex Gabbay and Jaden Azeroul of YULA, Eli Braha of Hillel, Gideon Greenberg of Posnack Jewish Day and Avi Okner of Ida Crown.

Making the 3rd Team All Jewish Hoops America are seniors Zac Agichtein of Atlanta Jewish Academy, Jake Coblentz-Brown of Tarbut vTorah, Zeke Levitt of Kohelet and Sam Weiss of SAR, junior Solly Bielsky of Denver Jewish Day and sophomore Simon Alloul of H.A. Montreal.

Singer helmed the 33-10 Cougars to their first conference title in 20 years, their best JHA ranking ever and their first trip to the Sarachek Tournament semifinals, where only a 1-point loss to Magen David kept them out of the championship game. He beat out TABC’s Oswald Cross and Morrie Levy of H.A. Montreal. Others considered were DRS’ Moshe Cohen, Magen David’s Ike Dweck, Mike Pollack of YULA and Zachary Pollack of Yavneh Dallas.

Stepner was the rare Yeshiva League sophomore to play on varsity let alone shine, as he led the Cougars with 18.5 points and 11.5 rebounds per game. Others considered for Underclassman of the Year were Alloul, sophomores Ezra Cutler of Gann, Meir Dan of Valley Torah, Moshe Jacobs of Fuchs Mizrachi and Ashton Javaheri of Milken and freshman Amiel Jotkowitz of Maimonides.

1st Team All-Jewish Hoops America

Aiden Bitran, Sr., Shalhevet/Los Angeles,CA
Joe Aaron, Sr., DRS/Woodmere,NY
Alex August, Jr., Berman H.A./Rockville,MD
Joshua Chabbott, Sr., Magen David/Brooklyn,NY
Eyal Kinderlehrer, Sr., TABC/Teaneck,NJ
Isaac Stepner, So., Frisch/Paramus,NJ

2nd Team All-Jewish Hoops America

Jayden Azeroul, Sr., YULA/Los Angeles,CA
Eli Braha, Sr., Hillel/Ocean,NJ
Alex Gabbay, Sr., YULA/Los Angeles,CA
Gideon Greenberg, Sr., Posnack Jewish Day/Davie,FL
Avi Okner, Sr., Ida Crown/Skokie,IL

3rd Team All-Jewish Hoops America

Zac Agichtein, Sr., Atlanta Jewish Day/Atlanta,GA
Simon Alloul, So., Hebrew Academy/Montreal,QB
Solly Bielsky, Jr., Denver Jewish Day/Denver,CO
Jake Coblentz-Brown, Sr., Tarbut vTorah/Irvine,CA
Zeke Levitt, Sr., Kohelet/Merion Station,PA
Sam Weiss, Sr., SAR/Bronx,NY

Honorable Mention

Jake Abenaim, Sr., MTA/New York,NY
Adir Amster, Sr., Fasman Yeshiva/Skokie,IL
Eli Bokhour, Sr., North Shore H.A./Great Neck,NY
Joe Benoliel, Jr., Northwest Yeshiva HS/Mercer Island,WA
Akiva Borgen, Jr., TABC/Teaneck,NJ
Jordan Cohen-Mintz, Sr., Heschel/New York,NY
Ezra Cutler, So., Gann/Walthan,MA
Meir Dan, So., Valley Torah/Valley Village,CA
Liad Edry, Sr., deToledo/West Hills,CA
Pinch Greenwald, Sr., Toras Chaim/North Miami Beach,FL
Ricky Haddad, Sr., Flatbush/Brooklyn,NY
Ari Halpert, Jr., SAR/Bronx,NY
Jonny Hazan, Sr., Jewish Culture/Fort Lauderdale,FL
Moshe Jacobs, So., Fuchs Mizrachi/Beachwood,OH
Sam Jacobson, Jr., Shalhevet/Los Angeles,CA
Ashton Javeheri, So., Milken/Los Angeles,CA
Yonah Mandel, Sr., TABC/Teaneck,NY
Rafi Miller, Jr., Beren/Houston,TX
Ronen Ousley, Jr., Rochelle Zell/Deerfield,IL
Jonathan Rhein, Sr., Posnack Jewish Day/Davie,FL
Jack Silberstein, Jr., San Diego Jewish Academy/San Diego,CA
Ezra Stern, Sr., Ohr Yisroel/Tenafly,NJ
Nate Sugar, Sr., Ramaz/New York,NY
Tzvi Tsaidi, Sr., North Shore H.A./Great Neck,NY
Jacob Zackheim, Jr., CHAT/Toronto,ON

Final 2024-25 JHA Top 25

1.TABC/Teaneck,NJ … ….………..…….………………23-5
2.YULA/Los Angeles,CA……………………………..27-14
3.DRS/Woodmere,NY……………………………………31-5
4.Shalhevet/Los Angeles,CA………………………22-15
TieMagen David/Brooklyn,NY….…..………..…..24-11
6.Milken/Los Angeles,CA……………………………..12-8
7.Berman H.A./Rockville,MD………………………..33-10
8.SAR/Bronx,NY………………………………………………23-9
9.Posnack Jewish Day/Davie,FL………………….17-10
10.Hillel/Ocean,NJ…………………………………………..21-13
TieNorth Shore H.A./Great Neck,NY……………21-16
12.Frisch/Paramus,NJ …………………….…….…………12-11
13.Ida Crown/Chicago,IL…………………….….……….20-7
14.Hebrew Academy/Montreal,QB………………..18-6
15.Rochelle Zell/Deerfield,IL………………….…..……14-12
16.Ramaz/New York,NY………………………………..…..14-11
17.MTA/New York,NY…………………………………………21-8
18.Fasman Yeshiva/Skokie,IL……………………….….17-10
19.Jewish Culture HS/Ft. Lauderdale,FL……….26-11
20.Toras Chaim/North Miami Beach,FL…………..14-2
21.Donna Klein Jewish Acad./Boca Raton,FL…11-9
22.Tanenbaum CHAT/Toronto,ON………………….30-6
23.Katz YHS/Boca Raton,FL……………………………...17-16
24.Tarbut vTorah/Irvine,CA…………………………….….16-4
TieAkiba Yavneh/Dallas,TX……………………………….22-10
TieFlatbush/Brooklyn,NY……………………………………13-14

Past Players of the Year

2024 Jakob Wortman, Ida Crown
2023 Johny Dan, Valley Torah
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

2024 Ed Gelb, Maimonides
2023 Shalom Babayev, North Shore H.A.
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

Sarachek Generations: Aaron and Nathan Neufeld

Aaron Neufeld played in the Sarachek Tournament for Hebrew Academy of Miami in 1999 and 2000. His son, Nathan, was a junior for Frisch this year and hit one of the biggest shots in tournament history, a 3-pointer at the buzzer to beat Yeshiva League champion DRS in the opening round.

Playing in the Sarachek tournament was one of the highlights of my high school basketball career. The energy, the competition, and the sense of community made it an unforgettable experience. I still remember stepping onto that court at Yeshiva University, representing Hebrew Academy from Miami on the biggest Yeshiva League stage, and embracing the challenge of going up against the best Jewish teams from across the country. With only one other Jewish school in our league back then, Sarachek was more than just a tournament, it was a celebration of pride, unity, and moments we’d never forget. It’s impressive to see how much the tournament has evolved, and yet still holds the same passion and significance. 

I was fortunate enough to play in the tournament twice. In 1999, we were happy just to be here, we dropped our opening game, but quickly regrouped and won the Tier 3 Championship. In 2000, we returned with a sharper focus and made a strong run before falling to the eventual champions, YULA, in the semifinals.

25 years later, sitting court-side, and watching my son, Nathan Neufeld, play for Frisch in the same tournament felt surreal. Seeing him hit the game-winning shot at the buzzer against DRS, was euphoric. It was a moment that our family will forever embrace. It proved to everyone that hard work and determination goes a long way. As a father, there’s no greater joy than watching your child succeed and experience something that meant so much to you at their age. I’m beyond proud of him, not just for his unforgettable shot, but for the way he carries himself on and off the court. 

Nathan and the Frisch Cougars will be back next year, hungry for that Tier 1 Championship.