I Health & Fitness
SPORTS
Taking Silver
Maccabi basketball team gets it done short-handed.
Detroit's U-14 basketball team included, from left, front: Jonah Kest, Max Sandberg,
Johnny Narens, Dylan Deitch, Sam Orley; back row: Oliver Soble, Josh Bender, Max
Weiss, Eric Weiss and coaches Steve Weiss and Danny Weiss.
Steve Stein
Special to the Jewish News
I
t isn't unusual for a hockey team to
play shorthanded. A basketball team?
Well, that's another story.
Coach Barry Bershad's Detroit U16
boys basketball team needed to overcome
that rare predicament twice during the
JCC Maccabi Games in Denver, Colo., and
somehow came home with silver medals.
"I couldn't have been prouder of the
kids:' Bershad said. "To play six games
in 31/2 days under those circumstances
and earn medals was unbelievable. I've
been coaching basketball for 40 years.
I've never coached a team with less than
five players."
Detroit brought just seven play-
ers to Denver, so depth was a problem
before the opening tipoff. To make
matters worse, Detroit lost starters
Seth Goldman (concussion) during
round-robin play, and Jeremy Fishman
(sprained thumb) in the first half of
the semifinal game against a team from
Denver.
Goldman and Fishman sat out
Detroit's 54-47 loss to San Antonio in
the gold medal game, played at the
University of Denver. Josh Stroster
86
September 2 • 2010
Detroit's volleyball team, from left, front: Ashley Silbert, Sammi Goldsmith,
Rebecca Berman, Rheanna Henney, Megan Simmons; back row: Sydney Rosen, Erin
Graub, Jessica Adler, Bradley Steel, Lilli Malach and Leslie Alter.
fouled out early in the fourth quarter,
Pool Haul
leaving Detroit with just four players for
Alex Dworman, Mason Horn, Andrew
the rest of the game.
Jacobs, Tim Kaplan and Brandon
Detroit's shorthanded effort won over
Sherbel won medals in swimming for
the 100 or so fans in the gym.
Detroit in Richmond.
"Everyone was rooting for us:' Bershad
Sherbel won gold medals in the boys
said.
age 15-16 200 and 400 medley relays.
Jared Kohlenberg, Jessie Medina,
Jacobs won a gold medal in the boys
Omar Oppenheim and Yale Williams
15-16 400 medley relay. Dworman (boys
finished the gold medal game for Detroit.
15-16 200 freestyle relay) and Horn
Medina fouled out late in the third
(boys 13-14 200 freestyle relay) also won
quarter in the Denver game, leaving
gold medals.
Detroit with just four players. Detroit
After a long summer of practice,
led by seven points when Medina went
Detroit dancers Brianna Dines and
to the bench and ended up winning by
Nicole Goodman won gold med-
three points.
als in tap solo, jazz solo and tap
The Detroit U14 boys basketball team
duo in Richmond. Their coach was
advanced to the final eight in Richmond, Allie Ruben.
Va., before losing in the playoffs to even-
Detroit bowlers Stanley Wolf
tual bronze medalist Orlando, Fla.
and Shlomo Honig won medals in
Gold medal winner Metro West beat
Richmond. Wolf combined with Ezra
Detroit in round-robin play, but the
Freedlander of Richmond for second
Motor City boys left an impression.
place in high series handicap with 1323.
"The Metro West coach told me he
Honig had the high game for boys with
wanted no part of playing our team
194.
again in the playoffs:' said Detroit Coach
Steve Weiss.
Confidence Spike
Josh Bender, Dylan Deitch, Jonah
The Detroit volleyball team had a win-
Kest, Johnny Narens, Sam Orley, Max
ning record in Denver "and played above
Sandberg, Oliver Soble, Eric Weiss and the kids' expectations:' said Coach
Max Weiss made up the Detroit roster.
Bradley Steel. "The girls were intense,
but always smiling and supporting each
other, even when things got tough."
Jesse Adler, Leslie Alter, Rebecca
Berman, Sammi Goldsmith, Erin
Graub, Rheanna Henney, Lilli Malach,
Sydney Rosen, Ashley Silbert and
Megan Simmons were on the Detroit
roster.
Detroiters combined with players from
Albuquerque and Winnipeg to form a
boys U14 7-on-7 soccer team in Denver.
The Mad Dawgs, as they called
themselves, went 2-3, losing 4-3 to
Springfield/Raleigh/Birmingham in the
playoffs. They nearly scored an equilizier
in the final five minutes despite playing
with just six players because of a red
card.
In their opener, the Mad Dawgs defeat-
ed Springfield 3-1. Zach Walter played
well in goal for the winners. Matan Tzur
had two goals and Oran Lieberman had
the other goal. Lieberman and Tzur both
scored in the final five minutes after
Springfield knotted the game at 1-1.
The Mad Dawgs lost 5-0 to Chicago, beat
Houston 5-1 and lost 5-0 to Los Angeles
before facing Springfield again. ❑
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