Pioneer Spirit

squads were from New York and
one from Toronto), but Berman
was named Akiva's most valu-
able player in the tournament.
"The team played extremely
well in New York City. Plus, we
took in the east side of the city,
the New York Stock Exchange
and every kosher eating estab-
lishment along the way," Coach
Kohn said. 'That weekend was a
lot of fun for me because, for a few
days, I was a coach and
not an attorney who was
also coaching."

extensive back therapy early in
"Because of the size of our
the season. While the other boys school (350 boys and girls in the
were practicing their shot, Ozzie nursery through 12th grade),
was stretching his back."
there were very few seniors and
Geoff Dworkin, a senior guard, even less height on our team,"
and Michael Stark, a talented Kohn said. "But as the season
eighth-grader, were Avika's oth- progressed, we made up for our
er starters. Rounding out the ros- deficiencies with team play."
ter were Avi Newman, Jonathon
Kohn and his wife, Marilyn,
Nussbaum, Josh Skarf, Erie have four children. Three of them
Skoczulas, Shlomo Winkler and attend Akiva. El
David Wolkinson.

PHOTOS BY GLEN N TR IEST

hey're in class from 7:30 a.m. to
4:30 p.m. Monday through Fri-
day, with only a 45-minute break
for lunch. So for the players on
the Akiva Hebrew Day School
boys basketball team, basketball
was more than just a game this
past winter.
"It was a good feeling knowing
I'd get a chance to play some
hoops with the guys after a long
day," said Zack Herman, a team
co-captain along with fellow se-
nior Etan Berman.
Herman is 5-foot-11 and
Berman is 5-7. Both Southfield
residents are 18 and they were
members of the Akiva basketball
team since the eighth grade. This
is Herman's 12th year at Akiva;
Berman has been at the Lathrup
Village school since seventh
grade.
"Basketball was fun,
sure, and it was great be-
ing on the team, but edu-
cation remained our top
priority. Basketball was a
privilege," said Herman,
who plans to attend the
University of Michigan or
Wayne State University
in the fall.
Berman said playing on
the team allowed him to
meet many fellow Akiva
students and he enjoyed
the school spirit which
was generated when the
Pioneers played in front of
their fans in their home gym.
"Plus, having the responsibil-
ity of leadership because I was
a captain will help me in the fu-
ture," said Berman, who says he
will be studying in Israel for the
next year or two.
Ken Kohn, a patent trademark
copyright attorney in the medical
and bio-technology fields, coached
the blue-and-gold clad Pioneers
for the second consecutive season.
The 41-year-old Oak Park
High School (where he was an all-
league tennis player) and Uni-
versity of Michigan grad guided
Akiva to one victory. The sched-
ule included Jewish Community
Center and church teams and
other private schools.
One game against a home-
study school was featured on the
nationwide CNN Headline News
network.
In addition, the Akiva squad
flew to New York City in mid-
March to participate in a four-day
invitational tournament. Akiva
finished fourth of four teams (two

"Basketball
was fun, but
education
remained our
top priority."

— Zack Herman

Twelve boys in grades
8-12 were on the Akiva
roster. The team practiced
for up to two hours every
Wednesday and Sunday.
"Zack (Herman) was
our leading rebounder,"
Kohn said. "He outre-
bounded and at times
outscored opponents who
were twice his size. Etan
(Berman) was our floor
captain and second lead-
ing scorer. He has the
skills and drive to play on
any local varsity basket-
ball team.
"Our leading scorer
was David Yolkut, the
son of Rabbi Morton
Yolkut. David averaged
more than 20 points a
game and he had an 18-
point first quarter
against Eton Acade-
my of Birmingham.
David is a sophomore
who will lead our
team for the next two
years.
"Ozzie Chelst was
our 5-10 center. He
played with more
heart than any play-
er on the team and
was an effective re-
bounder, even against
Eton Academy's 6-8
center.
"Ozzie underwent

Akiva basketball team
co-captains were Zack
Herman and Etan Berman.

103