Special Report

COME PLAY DETROIT

Grassroots from page 21

Above: Jordan Wolfe and

Marc Piper, both 27 and of
Royal Oak; Justin Jacobs, 27,
of Bloomfield Hills; Michael
Leach, 26, of Berkley; Blair

Gottlieb, 30, of Sylvan Lake;

David Herc, 27, of Berkley;
Adam Jahnke anad Michael
Bassirpour, both 27 and of

Royal Oak. Jeff Vieder, 26,
of Berkley is not pictured.

He also is a member of the

Glamour Puss team.

Nick Dallas, 29, and Bradley Garden, 22, both of West Bloomfield

& Boutique, both in Franklin; The MGA
Group (Michigan Graphics and Awards)
in Berkley; Novi Laser and Aesthetic in
Novi; Weinstein Jewelers and Loan in
Farmington Hills; and Jerusalem Pizza, in
both Southfield and West Bloomfield.
Initially, the Jewish Community Center
of West Bloomfield was considered as
a location for league play, but because
of scheduling difficulties it was unable
to accommodate. "Between our youth
leagues, JCC Maccabi and Frankel Jewish
Academy games, our courts are simply
packed:' said Dave Stone, associate execu-
tive director. "We are, however, looking for
ways to support the league and heighten
awareness for them:'
The league plays at Franklin, which has
cut court fees because the league supports
a good cause. Teams pay $640 each.

About The League
Ten teams, each with seven to nine play-
ers, were organized in a matter of weeks.
Now four weeks into the league, the
response is tremendous, with a waitlist of
men who would like to play and inquiries
about the next season. The league is 80
percent Jewish, with the average age rang-
ing between 23-35.
Games are played weekly on Thursday

22

March 11 • 2010

nights at Franklin, with one at 7 p.m., two
at 8 p.m. and another two at 9 p.m. All
referees are certified by the Michigan High
School Athletic Association.
"The guys are very competitive said
referee Ric Crouse. "They play hard, but
have a good time. It's nice to see them
playing for a good cause and having fun at
the same time'
The season lasts 10 weeks, with eight
regular season games followed by a week
of playoffs. The season will culminate on
April 22 with an All-Star game, a 3-point
contest and a championship game.

Looking To The Future
Come Play Detroit is one of the first steps
in an initiative called CommunityNEXT
(CNEXT), supported by the Jewish
Federation of Metropolitan Detroit. Its aim
is to reach the young adult community.
"We plan to use April 22 as a launch
party for Come Play Detroit and CNEXT,"
Jacobs said. "Sports are only one aspect
of the initiative, but other ideas are in the
works for social gatherings:'
At the launch, Friendship Circle's
Shemtov will speak to the players, spon-
sors and guests.
The league will have three seasons each
year. The next one will begin in late May

Above: Brett Powell, 24, of Royal Oak

or early June, and then again in early fall.
Eventually, Jacobs wants to expand
Come Play Detroit to several other sports,
for males and females, as well as other co-
ed social experiences.
"Our goal through starting this bas-
ketball league he said, "along with other
events currently in the planning stages, is
to create more opportunities for people
in our community to get together and to
expand the horizons of the participants
by exposing them to athletic, cultural and
social experiences:'
League member Brett Powell said,
"Being a part of a community and meet-
ing other like-minded individuals in an
athletic environment is a great way to
meet people and develop character"
Rabbi Jason Miller, rabbi at Oakland
County-based Tamarack Camps and at
Congregation T'chiyah in Oak Park, is a
player on one of the teams.
"What is so great about the basketball
league is the grassroots way in which
it was created:' he said. "Too often, our
organized Jewish community focuses its
attention on the young Jews who no longer
live in Metro Detroit, trying to entice them
back. Justin focused on the young Jews
who are currently living here and sought
to create something big for us. What will

be telling is whether the institutions are
wise enough to see Justin's innovation and
invest in it:'
Come Play Detroit offers an opportunity
to draw people out of their houses and
engage with others in their age group in
the community — whether it is basket-
ball, another sport or other social activity.
"I don't want this to be a 'show up, play
and go home' moment:' Jacobs said. "I
want it to be a bigger experience. Franklin
has opened up its courts to the league,
even if you are not a member of the club.
This way, players and friends can sit, chill,
hang out, watch the other games and enjoy
the evening." ❑

Rachel Lachover is program manager for
Southeastern Michigan Jewish Alliance.

For more information on Come
Play Detroit, contact Justin Jacobs
at comeplaydetroit@gmail.com .
You can find "Come Play Detroit
Basketball in partnership with The
Friendship Circle" on Facebook. A
site, www.comeplaydetroit.com ,
will be launched soon. For more
information on Friendship Circle,
visit www.friendshipcircle.org .