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