84 | MAY 18 • 2023 

Phoenix Suns owner Mat Ishbia’s 
entanglement in the stands with 
Denver Nuggets star Nikola 
Jokic during an NBA playoff 
game May 7 resulted in Jokic 
being assessed a technical foul 
and being fined $25,000 the 
next day by the NBA for “improp-
er contact with a spectator sitting 
courtside.”
The 6-foot-11, 284-pound 
Jokic could have been suspend-
ed for elbowing Ishbia, a 5-10, 
175-pound former Michigan 
State University (1999-2002) 
and Birmingham Seaholm High 
School point guard.

Jokic elbowed Ishbia in the 
chest and sent him tumbling 
back into his seat while taking 
the game basketball away from 
him. Ishbia grabbed the ball after 
it went out of bounds.
Ishbia didn’t lobby for a sus-
pension.
“Great win for the Suns last 
night in an amazing series so far! 
That should be and is the only 
story,” Ishbia said in a Twitter 
post. “Suspending or fining any-
one over last night’s incident 
would not be right. I have a lot of 
respect for Jokic and don’t want 
to see anything like that.”

The incident was the talk of 
the sports world. Outspoken 
ESPN commentator Stephen 
A. Smith mocked Ishbia for his 
“flop” on Jokic’s shove and said 
Jokic should not be suspended.
Before the next Nuggets-Suns 
playoff game, Nikola handed 
Ishbia a basketball and the two 
shook hands.
Ishbia, 43, the billionaire 
CEO and chairman of Pontiac-
based mortgage lender United 
Wholesale Mortgage, became 
the Suns’ majority owner Feb. 6. 
He’s one of 14 Jewish owners of 
NBA teams.

Mat Ishbia vs. Nikola Jokic Ends Peacefully

UNITED WHOLESALE MORTGAGE

Mat 
Ishbia

Mikaela Schultz has announced 
she’ll return to the University 
of Michigan women’s golf team 
for the 2023-24 season, taking 
advantage of an extra year of 
eligibility granted to college 
athletes whose 2020 season was 
halted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
In the classroom, Schulz will 
begin a master’s program in social 
work after graduating this spring 
with a degree in biopsychology, 
cognition and neuroscience. She’s 
a two-time Women’s Golf Coaches 
Association All-America Scholar (2020, 2021) 
and a two-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree 
(2021, 2022).
Returning to U-M was an easy decision 
for Schulz, 21, a Bloomfield Hills High School 

graduate from West Bloomfield.
“These past four years have been 
incredible. I’ve grown in so many ways 
in all areas of my life,” Schulz said. “I 
didn’t even think of passing up the 
opportunity to play another year. U-M is 
truly my home away from home.”
Schultz has helped the U-M women’s 
golf team reach unprecedented 
heights during her career there. The 
Wolverines won their first-ever Big Ten 
tournament championship in 2022 
after being the runner-up in 2021. They 
played in the NCAA tournament in 2021 
and 2022, finishing 20th each time, and are in 
the postseason again this spring.
Schultz has been in the U-M lineup in 27 of 
31 career events, averaging 75.68 per round. 
She has had four top-10 tournament finishes 

individually and nine sub-par rounds, including 
a career-low 5-under-par 67 in the second 
round of the 2021 Landfall Tradition.
She won the 2019 Shirley Spork Invitational 
and the 2021 Wolverine Invitational at the U-M 
Golf Course.
U-M women’s golf coach Jan Dowling is 
thrilled to have Schulz back.
“She’ll bring a wealth of knowledge, 
experience, maturity and work ethic to our 
young team,” she said.
Last summer, Schulz led the U.S. women’s 
golf team to a gold medal at the Maccabiah 
Games in Israel. She also was the individual golf 
medalist.
Schulz is the daughter of former U-M 
women’s golfer Rachel Krickstein and is a 
cousin to pro golfers Morgan and Madison 
Pressel.

Mikaela Schulz Returning to U-M Women’s Golf Team

UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN

Mikaela Schulz

of about 140 schools that 
connected with Canfield.
“I honestly can’t remember 
if CMU contacted us or we 
contacted CMU,
” Canfield said. 
“There were so many schools 
we dealt with.
”
Central Michigan coach Tony 
Barbee saw Adamczyk play in 
a game vs. Farmington on Jan. 
31. Adamczyk knew he was 
coming.
“Noah thought he could 
have done better that night, but 
anyone who watched the game 
could see that Noah can play,
” 
Canfield said.
Canfield said Central 
Michigan is a good fit and the 

right choice for Adamczyk.
“He could play for a lot 
of programs,
” he said. “The 
coaching staff and players at 
Central Michigan will notice 
right away in practice that he 
can score and defend.
“Central Michigan is in a 
rebuilding mode. He’ll have an 
opportunity to play. The door 
is open.
”
Adamczyk played in the 
Detroit Jewish Basketball 
League last summer in 
Southfield and impressed league 
founder and basketball fanatic 
Daniel Shamayev.
“Noah was the youngest 
player in the league, but 

he easily blew away the 
competition the moment 
he stepped on the court,
” 
Shamayev said. “The first time 
he touched the ball, he instantly 
showed the entire league that 
despite his age, he was going to 
dominate.
”
Adamczyk joins the small list 
of Jewish players and coaches 
scattered throughout Division I 
men’s basketball.
Yarin Hasson, a 6-foot-9 
freshman forward, was on 
the 2023 NCAA champion 
Connecticut team. He didn’t 
get much playing time this past 
season but is expected to see the 
court more often next season.

There are 10 Jewish coaches 
among the 363 Division I men’s 
basketball teams, according to 
the Coaches Database.
Perhaps the most prominent 
is Jon Scheyer, 35, who took 
over at Duke last season after 
the 42-year run of legendary 
coach Mike Krzyzewski.
Duke finished 27-9 and 
won the ACC tournament in 
Scheyer’s first season.
Scheyer played for Duke from 
2007-10 and was the captain 
of the 2010 team that won the 
NCAA tournament. 

Send sports news to stevestein502004@

yahoo.com.

SPORTS continued from page 83

quick hits
BY STEVE STEIN 

