30 January 10 • 2019
jn

T

he path is clear for the Frankel 
Jewish Academy boys basketball 
team.
If the Jaguars can win their final five 
Catholic League Intersectional No. 2 
games, they’
ll win the division cham-
pionship.
“We want to put up a division 
championship banner in our gym. 
That’
s our goal,
” said second-year FJA 
coach Michael Marek. “The only other 
banner up there is from the division 
championship in the 2008-2009 sea-
son. That’
s it.
”
FJA got off to a great start this 
season, winning six of seven games 
including a huge 56-49 victory Dec. 18 
over division rival Riverview Gabriel 
Richard.
Then came three straight losses to 
end 2018, leaving the Jaguars with 
a 6-4 overall record and a 4-2 mark 
in the division, tied for second place 
with Clarkston Everest, a game behind 
Gabriel Richard (5-1).
“Humbled, but motivated,
” Marek 
said about the team’
s reaction to the 
losing streak, which includes losing to 
Everest by 11 points and losing twice 
in a holiday tournament at Auburn 
Hills Oakland Christian with only 
seven of 12 players available because of 
family obligations.
FJA
’
s reduced roster battled Macomb 
Lutheran North (55-45) and Livonia 
Clarenceville (44-43) at Oakland 
Christian but couldn’
t get wins.
“I always say you either win a game 
or learn from it,
” Marek said. “We 
learned from those losses.
”
The group pulled out one of the pro-
gram’
s most important wins in years 
last month when it knocked off visiting 
Gabriel Richard.
“We had a ‘
whiteout’
 night and the 
gym was packed,
” Marek said. “It was 
great to see so many fans cheering us 
on.
”
FJA led Gabriel Richard by 16 points 
in the third quarter, but the visitors 
rallied and tied the game late in the 
fourth quarter. The Jaguars went 
back in front for good on consecutive 
three-pointers by Ryan Otis.
Otis, a 6-foot-4 center often goes 
head-to-head with taller players. As a 
lefthander, he’
s dangerous on the wings.

Point guard Noah Schlussel runs the 
FJA offense, and three other seniors 
play key roles for the Jaguars: guards 
Zack Seiferheld and Jordan Salesin and 
forward Jacob Klein, a tough defender.
Junior forward Ethan Mostyn is the 
Jaguars’
 leading rebounder, and junior 
Will Bloomberg is a jack-of-all-trades, 
playing wherever he is needed.
The coach was optimistic at the end 
of last season that this could a division 
championship year for FJA because the 
team finished 10-10 in 2017-2018 and 
lost only one senior, Dylan Backalar, to 
graduation.
He came back to FJA — along with 
former Jaguars star Dylan Bressler, 
who scored more than 1,300 points in 
four years — for a pre-season practice 
Nov. 25 with the current team and 
three of Marek’
s former Catholic Youth 
Organization players from St. John 
Neumann Catholic in Canton. 
Backalar is a freshman at Ball State 
University in Muncie, Ind., and a stu-
dent manager for the basketball team 
there. ■

Send news to stevestein502004@yahoo.com.

FJA BOYS BASKETBALL ROSTER
Seniors: Ryan Otis, Noah Schlussel, 
Jacob Klein, Jordan Salesin, Zack 
Seiferheld; juniors: Ethan Mostyn, 
Will Bloomberg, Rafie Iframiov, Mitch 
Blackman; sophomores: Jeremey 
Jenkins, Brandon Gladstone; and 
freshman Caleb Kleinfeldt.

sports

Current and former players, along with FJA 

coach Michael Marek and his daughter Kaylee

FJA Hopes for
Banner Season

STEVE STEIN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

MAY 17-19 | MUSIC HALL




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