THE GIFT
OF BREAD
Sweep Makes Believers
Of Young JCC Varsity
Q: What is the difference between a slice of bread
and a present?
RICHARD PEARL
A: Both are gifts. The difference between them is a
difference in World view. Most people look and see
the slice of bread . . but the person who says a
berakka looks at the same piece of bread and sees
a gift. (The berakka teaches us to see the bread as
if it were gift wrapped,)
Staff Writer
B
arry Bershad is pleas-
ed with the progress
this year's Jewish
Community Center varsity
basketball team already has
made in learning his new
offense.
"They're almost all new
players, young kids who
show a high interest in lear-
ning the new system," said
Bershad, whose mostly in-
experienced team utilized
the new offense in sweeping
a season-opening three-game
series from the hosting
Dayton, Ohio, JCC.
"The system got us some
clutch baskets in Dayton,"
said the coach, whose
players won two of the
games by a total of three
points. It made believers of
them, added Bershad, who is
starting his 26th year as
volunteer head coach of the
varsity.
The system is the Duke
University-Indiana Univer-
sity motion offense, which
Bershad learned this past
summer, when he assisted
Howard Golden in coaching
the Detroit Maccabi basket-
ball team in the Youth
Games.
The motion offense, which
coach Golden employs at
Oak Park High School, con-
sists of "semi-sophisticated
patterns we've never run
before," said Bershad. The
patterns keep the players
rotating across the court,
setting picks.
Bershad said he's got the
largest varsity team ever —
19 players, 14 of whom are
from West Bloomfield High
School. But only six squad
. members are returnees from
last season and team mem-
bers realize they lack height
— the tallest are returnees
Jon Layne and Bryan
Silverman at 6-feet-2 each —
and experience.
The players have made
learning the new offense a
must, said the coach. "They
rely on the system more and
they found out that, under
pressure, the system works.
"We've got a lot of kids
willing to listen to me and
believe in the team concept,"
said the coach. "It's a very
cohesive unit, very close. We
practice three times a week
and I have to say they're fun
to be with."
Returnees include tri-
captains Silverman, Joey
Hershe (6-1) and Matt
Frankel (5-8) plus Jon Layne
Barry Bershad:
Pleased with progress.
(6-0), Aaron Wigod (5-7) and
Derek Malerman (5-9).
Rounding out the squad are
Mike Kam, Bob Budai, John
Crimmings, Josh Malerman,
Bruce Leuchter, Jeff Wolfe,
Scott Schneiderman, Mark
Smith, Brian Winshill, Matt
Kenner, Brian Dickman,
Glenn Bassirpour and Todd
Berman.
Bershad said he learned a
great deal from Golden dur-
ing the Youth Games. "And
I believe I'm now a better
coach because of it," he add-
ed.
In addition to coaching the
JCC varsity, Bershad now is
assisting Golden at Oak
Park, which has enabled
Bershad to schedule three
games against the OP junior
varsity.
Bershad said his team is
considering an invitation to
a post-season tournament in
New Jersey, to be hosted in
March by the teams that
played in Detroit's Youth
Games.
The present schedule (H —
Home, A — Away):
December — 17th, Toledo
(H); 20th, Oak Park JV (A).
January — 9th, Windsor (A);
10th, Oak Park JV (A); 14th,
Bethlehem (H); 19th & 20th,
Dayton (H); 24th, Toledo,
(A). February — 4th, Wind-
sor (H); 7th, Oak Park JV
(A); 15-17th, Midwest Tour-
nament, Columbus, Ohio.
(All home games are played
at the Maple-Drake JCC.)
Bread is the staff of life. Its importance is reflected
in the fact that it has its own special berakka and
because it has come to symbolize all food, it is the
berakka said before a meal. Saying the berakka
can transform "bread" into "gift," and thus change
the experience of eating itself!
Enjoy The Gift Of Bread
'New
Modern
Bakery
Detroit, MI
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THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS 55