Alex August is used to milestones.
As a sophomore guard at Berman Hebrew Academy he was the youngest Cougar ever to reach 1,000 points. Last year he became the first in school history to surpass 2,000 points.
And in a few weeks he should set the record for most career points by anyone on a Jewish high school team. On Thursday, nearing the end of his 4-year assault on the record books, he did what only one other player at a Jewish high school has done: he broke 3,000 points.
He needed 11 points entering the game against Model and took care of business quickly. Befitting his career - and uniform number - August did it with a 3-pointer from the wing with 2:48 to play in the first quarter. As soon as the shot went in he hugged the nearest teammate as the Cougar bench emptied and mobbed him on the court. He then posed with his parents, holding the requisite poster announcing his accomplishment - this one with the nice touch of a hand sign for 3-pointer followed by three zeros.
Although Model is not among the Cougars’ strongest opponents, August said he was more nervous before the game than usual and was glad to hit the big basket early. He said one thing that made the moment particularly special was the assist came from fellow senior Erez Zaghi, his close friend since kindergarten.
He said the scoring milestone is most attributable to his love for, and commitment to, the game.
“I just worked really hard,” he said. “There were moments when I’d come back from like vacation and I would immediately go work out, get some shots up, whatever, because I wanted to separate my game from everyone else. That’s the biggest key. You have to work hard for what you want.”
He added 34 points in a win over Burke Monday night. During the Potomac Valley Athletic Conference tournament next week he should pass Itzy Ribald, who scored 3,080 points for Yavneh Dallas from 1999 to 2003.
The record books are sketchy but it is believed August may be only the fourth male player ever in Maryland to hit 3K. And he has as many as 11 more games to move up the list.
Now with 3,046 points, he’ll reach #2 in the state during the tournament. Rodney Monroe had 3,047 points for St. Maria Goretti in Washington County in the mid 1980s before starring at North Carolina State and still holds the Wolfpack record for career points.
Daryl Pope had 3,063 points for Broadfording Christian in the 90s.
Likely out of reach - but who knows with August - is the state-record of 3,356 points by Louis Bullock, at Canterbury School and Laurel Baptist. Bullock went on to become the 3rd highest scorer ever at Michigan.
August’s credits his coaches for trusting him with carrying the offensive load over the past three seasons. And he thanks older guards Asher Falk and Erez Epstein for their guidance when he was a freshman.
His sophomore and junior years allowed August to begin leading the team while playing mostly with teammates he’d grown up with. This season may have been the biggest transition for him as he had to adjust to a slew of new, younger players - and being that leader Epstein and Falk were for him.
“We’ve been making it work and thank God everything’s going well,” he said.
The Cougars, ranked #13 in Jewish Hoops America’s Top 25, are on an 8-game winning streak heading into the league tournament.
Coach Yonah Singer was among the first Cougars to break 1,000 points when he played a generation ago. He said August has “put us on the map” and marveled at his accomplishment, for the hard work it required and that he still put up numbers even though, game in and game out, the other team is saying “that’s the kid we have to stop”.
Many factors made 3,000 points possible for August. He is a deadly shooter who got a chance to start on varsity as a freshman. He stayed healthy and his coaches scheduled lots of games. Tough to know for sure but it’s possible August has played in more games than any other Jewish high school baller.
Still, a strong finish will give him a 20 points per game average over his career. He’s been a consistent 44 percent shooter from the floor each year and has shot 38 percent from beyond the arc over the four years.
Here are his year-by-year totals:
YEAR……………Games…………Points…………Avg.
2022-23 …………….46…………….562……………12.2
2023-24……………..36…………….747…………….20.8
2024-25……………..40…………….913……………22.8
2025-26*..…………..31…………….824……………26.6
Total…………………….153………….3,046…………..19.9
*Through 2/9/2026