An Orthodox kid

with an unorthodox dream

of basketball greatness.

•

PHIL JACOBS
Contributing Editor

n many a winter's night in high school
gyms all over Baltimore, there are plenty
of guys who wish Tamir Goodman
wouldn't pray so hard. There are many
who spent too much time wondering about this
Jew, this guy with the kippah and tzitzit.
Tamir, 17, is an Orthodox Jew, the point guard
on Talmudic Academy's basketball team. He is, by
all accounts, one of the top three high school bas-
ketball players in Baltimore. Almost 11 months
before he can sign a binding letter of intent to
play college hoops, he has given a verbal commit-
ment to the University of Maryland while unoffi-
cally visiting the school this month.
Since the commitment, he has been the subject
of a Sports Illustrated feature, as well as an article
on ESPN.com
(e spn.go.com/recruiting/99 0116 hoops.html).
Fox Sports Net and ESPN
have run highlight pack-
ages.
But how does being
Orthodox translate into
Division I basketball?
Tamir, his parents, Karl
and Chava Goodman, and
T.A.'s coach Chaim Katz
are at peace with his faith
and his talent. He will not
desecrate the Sabbath.
Katz said Tamir would
miss six or seven games
due to the Sabbath if he
were playing this year's
major college basketball
schedule.
Tamir has found an
interesting component to
all of this. He said he has
every intention to not
play on Shabbat, and to
continue to wear his
yarmulke and adhere to
Goodman
—
his customs. He said

0

"I think God
gave me this
ability, and He
wants me
to show
that a religious
Jew can be good
at something
like basketball."

2/5
1999

Detroit Jewish News

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