sports

BAR-ILAN UNIVERSITY:

Destination Syracuse

Steve Stein

I Contributing Writer

uch has happened in Jon
Radner's life since the
Berkley High School boys'
basketball star decided last month to
accept an offer from legendary Syracuse
University coach Jim Boeheim to join the
Orangemen as a preferred walk-on.
His father, Rick Radner, died unex-
pectedly Jan. 23.
"Jon lost his big-
gest fan and closest
confidant;' said Barry
Bershad, who coached
Radner on Detroit
teams in the JCC
Maccabi Games.
Last week, Syracuse
announced a self-
imposed ban on post-
season play in men's
basketball this season
because of violations
the school reported to
the NCAA in 2007.
The case is still under
investigation by the
NCAA.
Jon Radner
Through it all,
Radner hasn't wavered
from his college deci-
sion. The 18-year-old is standing firm.
"I'm a little nervous because the NCAA
hasn't made any decisions yet:' he said.
"I'm confident I'll be going to Syracuse."
Radner knows full well he won't get
much or any playing time at Syracuse.
That wouldn't be the case if the 5-foot-10
senior guard went to any of the smaller
colleges that had been recruiting him.
"It will be tough to have to sit and
watch," he said. "I'm used to playing
every minute of every game. I've done
that all my life. Now I won't be playing
at all."
But he will experience big-time college
basketball. And he wanted to go to a big
school "because I'm a social guy."
Radner said Syracuse is a good fit for
him academically as well. He doesn't have
any career plans, but he wants to study
economics and business.
Bershad has spoken highly about
Radner for several years. He coached
Radner on two Detroit teams in the
Maccabi Games and Detroit won a medal
both times.
While he'd love to see what Radner can
achieve on the basketball court at the col-
lege level, Bershad said he understands
Radner's decision to go to Syracuse.
"It's difficult to turn down an oppor-
tunity to play for Coach Boeheim," he
said. "Plus, Jon is a bright young man (he
has a 3.9 grade point average). He knows

M

there's a life after college, and he'll make
some great contacts at Syracuse."
Bershad said he doesn't rule out
Radner getting playing time. There are
many cases of walk-ons becoming key
members of major college basketball
teams.
Radner burst onto the Detroit area
prep basketball scene last season by
averaging 26 points per game at Berkley.
Bershad saw what Radner could do
before he became a star for the Bears.
Radner was a standout
in a golden era of Detroit
Maccabi Games boys bas-
ketball.
He was a member of
the Detroit U14 team
coached by Bershad that
won a gold medal in 2011
in Springfield, Mass.
Detroit won all seven
games it played and aver-
aged 73 points per game
to top a 17-team field.
Radner scored 36 points
in an opening-round win
over Denver.
The following year,
Radner was on the
Detroit U16 team
coached by Steve Weiss
that won six of seven
games in Houston and took home a
bronze medal.
In 2013, Radner helped the Detroit
U16 team coached by Bershad win a "B"
division silver medal in Orange County,
Calif.
Berkley was 5-6 last week after win-
ning three straight games. Radner was
averaging about 20 points per game,
below his average from last season.
There was a reason for that
"Every team has been focusing their
defense on me:' he said. "There's usually a
guy in my face not even looking to guard
anyone else:'
What has he done to fight back?
"I'm trying to do a better job working
off screens and taking advantage of my
opportunities to score," he said.
Radner said his friends and family
knew about his decision to go to Syracuse
about a month before he made it public
in the Oakland Press.
He met with Boeheim last spring at
Syracuse after a family member sent in
tapes of Radner playing during his junior
year at Berkley.
"I knew I was going to meet with
Coach Boeheim," Radner said. "I didn't
know he was going to offer me a walk-on
spot. That was a surprise."

Where Brain Science
and Jewish
Come Together

Improving electric
car batteries

is what drives Prof. Arie Zaban, who
says his inspiration comes from reading
the Bible and Jewish sources, as well as
other fields of research.

Prof. Zaban and his team at Bar-Ilan
University's Institute of Nanotechnology
and Advanced Materials have developed
an affordable, longer-lasting Aluminum-
Air battery for electric cars.

He has sold this battery technology to
the Israeli start-up company, Phinergy,
which plans to use it in electric cars
by 2017.

To learn more about Prof. Zaban's research,
go to www.afbiu.org or contact Ari Steinberg at
847-423-2270 or at ari.steinberg@afbiu.org

Jewish and Zionist values are central to Bar-Ilan's initiatives
in the sciences, law, nanotechnology, engineering, business,
the humanities and its Medical School in Safed.

❑

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February 12 • 2015

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