40 | SEPTEMBER 21 • 2023 

SPORTS

T

he Vieder brothers 
— Adam and Ryan 
— won the team 
championship in the B’nai 
B’rith Golf League. And they 
did it by taking advantage of 
the league’s new setup for the 
team competition.
For the first time in 
the weekly nine-hole 
league’s 11-year history, a 
two-half system was used 
to determine the team 
champion. The first-place 
teams in the first and second 
halves of the season met 
to determine who earned 
bragging rights.
The Vieders finished in 
first place in the 12-team 
league during the first half 
of the season. But they fell to 
11th place in the second-half 
standings while Gary Klinger 

and Dale Taub placed atop 
the leader board.
In a rain-delayed team 
championship match played 
Aug. 31, the Vieders rallied 
to defeat Klinger and Taub at 
the Links of Novi and won 
their second league team 
championship. The first was 
five years ago, in their first 
year in the league.
“We didn’t do so great 
in the second half of the 
season, but we played 
well in the championship 
match,
” said Ryan Vieder, 
42, who lives in Farmington 
Hills. His younger brother 
Adam Vieder, 37, is a West 
Bloomfield resident.
The team championship 
match started with three of 
the four golfers (Ryan and 
Adam Vieder and Klinger) 

each getting a birdie on the 
first hole. 
Ryan Vieder said Klinger 
and Taub led by a couple 
of strokes before he and 
his brother turned things 
around.
It wasn’t surprising to 
hear that Ryan Vieder 
likes the league’s new team 
championship setup.
“It gives everyone an 
opportunity to play for the 
team title if they don’t have a 
great first half,
” he said.
But then there’s the flip 
side of the coin. Mitch 
Lefton and Stu Zorn 
would have won the team 
championship this season 
under the former full-season 
format.
They finished in first 
place in the full-season team 

Adam and Ryan Vieder take a different 
route to their second B’nai B’rith Golf 
League team championship.

Oh, Brother

STEVE STEIN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

quick hits
BY STEVE STEIN 
Detroit’s Summer Jewish 
Basketball League Expands 
to its First Fall Season 

The weekly Detroit Jewish Basketball League 
had a successful second summer season. So 
successful, in fact, that a weekly fall league was 
offered for the first time. And it quickly filled up to 
capacity.
“We had about 80 players this summer. We 
needed to cap the league at 60 players this fall 
because of court time availability and logistics,” 
said league founder and organizer Daniel 
Shamayev.
Shamayev has returned to college in New 
York City, so league referee Heather Meyers 
is overseeing the fall competition as the site 
manager at Beech Woods Recreation Center in 

Southfield, the league’s home. 
Fall league games began Sept. 13 and will 
continue through Nov. 8.
“I really enjoy being a referee in this league,” 
Meyers said. “It’s competitive, but friendly because 
Daniel has put together the right mix of people, 
and the league is focused around being Jewish.”
Fall league players received reversible lifetime 
jerseys that they can wear every season they’re in 
the league.
Sidney Katz Law Firm won the summer league 
championship. Players on the team were captain 
Avi Katz, Ruslan Shamayev, Alex Gross, Steven 
Hertzberg, Sender Friedman and Shmuli Wolf.
Avi Katz was the league leader in points. He 
averaged 20.8 per game. Other league statistical 
leaders were Zach Cohen in rebounds (15.3 per 
game) and Daniel Shamayev in assists (5.6 per 
game) and steals (2.1 per game).

LEFT: Meet the Detroit Jewish Basketball League champions. From left are Avi Katz, Alex Gross, 
Steven Hertzberg, Sender Friedman and Ruslan Shamayev.

DANIEL SHAMAYEV

Adam and 
Ryan Vieder.

GARY KLINGER

