T

his has been a great season for 
the Frankel Jewish Academy 
boys basketball team, one of its 
best in years. But it won’
t play in the 
Catholic League C-D tournament.
Not because the Jaguars didn’
t qual-
ify for the league tournament. They 
did. They were one of the top four 
teams in the seven-team Intersectional 
2 Division. 
Coach Mike Marek’
s team finished 
second in the division and beat every 
other team in the division including 
champion Riverview Gabriel Richard 
at least once.
FJA won’
t compete in the league 
tournament because its schedule con-
flicts with the observance of Shabbat.
Four first-round tournament games 
will be played Saturday, Feb. 9, starting 
at noon at Sacred Heart Academy in 
Bloomfield Township. 
The tournament semifinals will 

be Tuesday, Feb. 12, at Birmingham 
Marian High School, and the tour-
nament championship game will be 
at 5 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 16, at the 
University of Detroit’
s Calihan Hall, a 
change from previous years when the 
A-B and C-D tournament champion-
ship games were played on Sunday.
The Jaguars (10-6, 7-4) are disap-
pointed they’
ll be on the sidelines, 
especially because they have a good 
chance to finish the regular season 14-6 
with a perfect 8-0 record at home.
FJA went 10-10 last season and was 
4-16 the previous year, before Marek 
took over.
“This is frustrating for our team 
because we know we can do some-
thing in the league tournament,” said 
senior captain and point guard Noah 
Schlussel. “I understand this is the 
Catholic League and they don’
t want 
to play on Sunday. But we’
ll play on 
any day we can if they’
d let us.”
Schlussel said he understands that 
FJA opted out of playing in the boys 
basketball league tournament when 
the schedule was released last March. 
Associate league members like FJA 
have had the option since 2016 of 
opting in or opting out of league tour-
naments in all sports based on their 
school and religious calendars. 
FJA has participated in some league 
tournaments since the rules were 
changed.
The FJA boys basketball team last 
won a division championship in 2009. 
At that time, associate league members 
could not play in league tournaments.
Catholic League and FJA officials 
acknowledged the FJA boys basketball 
team’
s disappointment, but said noth-
ing can be done to help the Jaguars 
and the team’
s five seniors this season.
“We’
re a faith-based organization. 
We do everything we can to be accom-
modating to Frankel when we set our 
regular-season and tournament sched-
ules,” said Catholic League director 
Vic Michaels. 
A spokeswoman from FJA con-
firmed the West Bloomfield school 
receives dates for league tournaments 
the previous March and “if we know 
there is a conflict for any reason, 
including Shabbat and Jewish holidays, 

we opt out.
“It’
s understandable our boys bas-
ketball players are disappointed they 
can’
t play in the league tournament, 
but we hope they feel proud of the 
hard work they’
ve put in and the fact 
that they finished second in their divi-
sion.”
Michaels said it isn’
t logistically fea-
sible to change a league tournament 
schedule after it has been set. The FJA 
spokeswoman was understanding.
“The Catholic League and the 
Archdiocese have a lot of factors to 
weigh in their league tournament 
schedules,” she said. “They have to 
book the venues, schedule officials 
and make sure the dates work with the 
schedules of the full-league members. 
FJA has deep respect for the work of 
the Catholic League and we appreciate 
their partnership.”
The FJA spokeswoman agreed with 
Michaels that the school and league 
have a solid working relationship that 
hasn’
t been compromised by the situa-
tion with the FJA boys basketball team.
“FJA appreciates being a part of a 
league with great teams and strong 
competition that gives Jewish students 
an opportunity to compete in stellar 
athletics,” she said.
The Jaguars had something to cel-
ebrate Jan. 29, not long after they got 
the news about the league tournament. 
They beat visiting division opponent 
Clarkston Everest Collegiate 37-34 
on a banked-in three-pointer at the 
buzzer by Ethan Mostyn, who scored 
15 points.
“That was the first time we’
ve beaten 
Everest in my four years on the Frankel 
team,
” Schlussel said. 
Everest Collegiate beat FJA 53-42 on 
Dec. 20 in Clarkston.
The FJA boys basketball team ros-
ter includes seniors Ryan Otis, Jacob 
Klein, Jordan Salesin, Zack Seiferheld 
and Schlussel, juniors Will Bloomberg, 
Rafie Iframiov, Mitch Blackman and 
Mostyn, sophomores Jeremey Jenkins 
and Brandon Gladstone and freshman 
Caleb Kleinfeldt.
Angelo Lanava is the team’
s assistant 
coach. ■

Send news to stevestein502004@yahoo.com.

40 February 7 • 2019
jn

FJA Jaguars Qualify But 
Won’t Play in Catholic 
League Tournament

STEVE STEIN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

The Frankel

Jewish Academy boys 

basketball team

See player Ethan Mostyn’
s game- 
winning shot at thejewishnews.com.

FJA

sports