26 August 15 • 2019
jn
A
nthony Ianni doesn’
t get lost in
a crowd. Not at 6-foot-9.
But there was another
reason why all eyes were focused on
him Aug. 6 when he spoke to about
500 teens at Temple Israel in West
Bloomfield Township during the JCC
Maccabi Games & ArtsFest.
The 30-year-old former Michigan
State University basketball player was a
keynote speaker for JCC Cares, a pro-
gram that gets Maccabi participants
involved in community projects in the
host city and teaches them life lessons
to take home.
Ianni brought his “Relentless Tour”
speaking series to JCC Cares, which
had a theme of “One Community.” The
“Relentless Tour” is an initiative of the
Michigan Department of Civil Rights.
He talked for 45 minutes about
autism and bullying, how he defied
the experts who said his autism would
derail his dreams, and how he rose
above those who bullied him in ele-
mentary school and particularly in
middle school growing up in Okemos.
It’
s estimated that between 65 and
90 percent of children with autism are
bullied, so Ianni’
s impassioned speech-
es resonate with many listeners. That
certainly happened at Temple Israel.
“Several Maccabi coaches and ath-
letes came up to me after my speech
and said they could relate to what I
had to say,” Ianni said. “One of the first
athletes I spoke with was a kid from
Vancouver who said he was inspired
by my presentation.
“Every time I speak, my goal is to
make a difference in at least one per-
son’
s life. If that happens, I consider it
a successful speech.”
Samantha Cohen, vice president
of the JCC Association of North
America, said Ianni “hit it out of the
park.”
“I’
m always concerned when you
get a room full of teenagers that they
won’
t listen to a speech, especially
one given by an adult,” Cohen said.
“But you could hear a pin drop when
Anthony spoke.
“I was so happy to see that. The
Maccabi Games & ArtsFest is more
than about sports and the arts. We
want participants to practice the
Jewish value of tikkun olam, to go
back to their communities as better
citizens, and do good work that helps
not just Jewish people.”
Looking back, Ianni said, it doesn’
t
surprise him that middle school was
the worst time in his life for bullying.
“Middle school is a time when you
don’
t know where you fit in
,” he said.
“And you certainly don’
t understand
what someone like me on the autism
spectrum is going through.”
What made matters worse for Ianni
at that time of his life was his height,
which was both a blessing and a curse.
“I was 6-feet-tall and wore a size-13
shoe when I was in sixth grade,” he
said. “In middle school, I was a freak-
ishly tall kid who was bullied by kids
who came up to my hip. At the same
time, I dreamed about being a profes-
sional basketball player.”
Ianni graduated from MSU in 2012
STEVE STEIN CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Tall Tales
Ex-MSU basketball player
brings his personal story of
autism and bullying to the JCC
Maccabi Games & ArtsFest.
sports
quick hits
Defenseman Eric Israel has signed with the Fort Wayne Comets of
the ECHL (formerly the East Coast Hockey League).
The 5-foot-9, 180-pound Huntington Woods native just finished a
four-year hockey career at Robert Morris University, where he scored
21 goals and had 85 points in 146 games.
Israel, 24, led Robert Morris defensemen in goals, assists and
points each of the last three seasons. Last season, he tied for fifth in
Division I with 85 blocked shots.
BY STEVE STEIN
David Vinsky con-
tinues to make news
with the State College
(Pa.) Spikes, the
St. Louis Cardinals’
short-season Class
A team in the New
York-Penn League.
The 21-year-
old outfielder from
Farmington Hills Harrison High
School hit a walk-off single
with one out in the 10th inning
July 14 as the Spikes beat the
Staten Island Yankees 3-2.
Vinsky scored the winning
run July 26 in a 2-1 walk-off
victory over the West Virginia
Black Bears in front of a
season-high 5,266 fans at
Lubrano Field.
Vinsky led off the
bottom of the ninth
inning with a double,
moved to third on a
bunt and scored on a
single.
Through 32 games,
Vinsky was batting
.269 for the Spikes
with one home run and 10 RBI.
He had scored 20 runs.
This is Vinsky’
s first season
as a professional baseball
player after a great career
at Northwood University. In
June, he was selected by the
Cardinals in the 15th round
of the Major League Baseball
draft.
Rock climbing phenom Nate
Emery of Farmington Hills
finished in 10th place in
his age group in the USA
Climbing sport climbing
national competition July
11-14 in Bridgeport, Pa.
There were more than
50 competitors in the age
group.
Nate placed 27th in his
age group earlier this year in
the USA Climbing boulder-
ing national competition in
Redmond, Ore.
A fifth-grader at Hillside Elementary School in
Farmington Hills, Nate competes with the Madison
Heights-based Planet Rock climbing team.
Gary Klinger led the individual standings through
Aug. 7 in the weekly B’
nai B’
rith golf league at
the Links of Novi. He had accumulated 58 points.
Adam Vieder and Ryan Vieder were tied for second
place with 57.5 points.
Mitch Cohen and Jeff Vieder were on top in the
team standings with 118 points. Adam Vieder and
Ryan Vieder were in second place with 116 points
and Dale Taub and Klinger were in third place with
115 points.
MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY
Anthony Ianni speaks at Temple Israel during the JCC Maccabi Games & ArtsFest.
ELLEN CROMIE/JCC ASSOCIATION OF NORTH AMERICA