I Health & Fitness

SPORTS

A Winner

Rookie cage coach wins national honor.

Steve Stein
Special to the Jewish News

H

e's one of the few coaches in the
Jewish Community Center of
Metropolitan Detroit's Kenny
Goldman Basketball League who doesn't
have a son, daughter, nephew or niece in the
league. And he had never coached until he
took over an age 12-and-under team last fall
after some prodding by a former co-worker.
But now Jeremy Brandt is considered one
of the best youth basketball coaches in the
world. He's one of 32 out of 83,000 named a
2007-08 Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA Coach of the Year.
Nearly coaches were eligible for the honor.
"I was shocked when I found out I won
the award," said Brandt, 29."Even though
my team has been very successful in the
fall, winter and spring seasons, the award
has nothing to do with wins and losses. Ifs
all about making sure kids learn real-life
lessons from basketball, and teaching them
teamwork and sportsmanship!'

Brandt tries his best to give each of his
players equal time on the court, and he
makes sure he keeps everyone pumped up.
"During a game, I'm as excited as the
kids," he said. "I just kind of stumbled onto
coaching, and now I'm consumed by it:'
Brandt proudly points out that his team,
the Dawgs, has a diverse roster.
"We have the only girl in our division, an
African-American, an Asian-American, two
Chaldeans, Jewish kids, non-Jewish kids ...
and its amazing how well they come togeth-
er as a team," he said. "It's very important for
these kids to learn how to interact with kids
from other cultures and religions."
Brandt, who is single, lives in Royal Oak.
He works at his family's investment manage-
ment and financial planning business in
Southfield. He's a North Farmington High
School and Michigan State University grad.

Palace Venturing
Even though he's 59, Allen Olender had
never seen the Harlem Globetrotters in per-

son. Neither had six members of Venturing
Crew 18 who went to the Palace of Auburn
Hills for "Scout Day:' Weeks later, Olender is
still raving about the great time Crew 18 and
three adults had interacting with and watch-
ing the Globetrotters.
The day began with a photo-op session
with the Globetrotters. Then came the game
and the nonstop laughter.
"I was floored by the quality of the
show' said Olender, a Crew 18 adviser. "The
Globetrotters are living proof that outstand-
ing family entertainment is alive and well:'
Abe Saperstein, who was inducted into
the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame
in 1979, founded the Globetrotters in 1927.
Louis "Red" Klotz, coach of the Washington
Generals, the Globetrotters' nightly victims,
was inducted into Philadelphia's Jewish
Sports Hall of Fame in 2001.
Venturing is a high school co-ed program
run by Boy Scouts of America. Crew 18's 13
members attend Frankel Jewish Academy in
West Bloomfield and Detroit Country Day in

Jeremy Brandt

Beverly Hills Crew 18 is chartered by Jewish
War Veterans Department of Michigan.

Diamond Jews
Looking for a Father's Day gift for the base-
ball fan in your family? The 2008 Jewish
Major Leaguers baseball card set is out. The
50-card set includes current players and
Jewish baseball history cards, including an
11-card subset on Hank Greenberg written
by Greenberg biographer Ira Berkow.
Cost for the set is $28, including ship-
ping. Make check payable to JML and send
to Martin Abramowitz, 104 Greenlawn,
Newton, MA 02459. For more information,
go to www.jewishmajorleaguers.org . JML is
a not-for-profit organization.

❑

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June 5 • 2008