FEBRUARY 29 • 2024 | 13
J
N

R

yan Turell always has 
a smile on his face. 
He could be doing 
the most mundane basketball 
drill, and he’d be thrilled to 
be in the moment. It doesn’t 
matter if it’s Madison Square 
Garden or like Jan. 6, 2024, 
a regular season G-League 
game in suburban Dallas.
“I love playing this game,” 
said Turell, a 6-foot-7, 190-
pound forward for the Motor 
City Cruise, the G-League 
affiliate of the Detroit 
Pistons. “Every time I step 
on the floor, I really have 
fun.”
One of the reasons for 
Turell’s joy is simple — he’s 
playing for God and the 
Jewish people.
The 24-year-old California 
native is trying to become 
the first Orthodox player to 
make the National Basketball 
Association.
“Making the NBA would 
be a dream come true to me,” 
Turell said. “It’s something 
most people thought wasn’t 
possible. To break that 
barrier would be amazing for 
me but also for the Jewish 
community as a whole. It 
shows people that you don’t 
have to let your religion and 
what you believe in hold you 
back [from your dreams].”
For that Jan. 6 game in 
Dallas, 200 members of the 
Dallas Orthodox community 
made the short drive north 
to the Comerica Center 
in Frisco to watch Turell 
and the Cruise take on the 
Texas Legends (the Dallas 
Mavericks’ affiliate).
“I definitely appreciate the 
fans, and it motivates me 
to work hard to get to the 
NBA,” Turell said. “It’s a true 
blessing to be able to inspire 
the next generation.”
Turell, who’s in his second 

season with the Cruise out of 
Yeshiva University, said the 
Legends game included one 
of the largest contingent of 
his fans this season.
Turell wears a custom-
made teal yarmulke with his 
initials that looks small, yet 
prominent, amidst his large 
mop of curly blonde hair.
His fans support him 
with enthusiastic chants 
throughout the game, in 
English and Hebrew. They 
erupted in joy when Cruise 
head coach Jamelle McMillan 
sent Turell on to the court 
late in the third quarter. 
He stayed into the fourth 
quarter, thrilling his fans 
with a three-pointer that 
served as the exclamation 
point on his eight minutes 

of action. His line score also 
included three steals and a 
rebound. 

WALKING TO GAMES 
AND PRACTICES
When it comes to observant 
and/or Orthodox athletes, 
the obvious first question 
is if or how they handle 
competing on Shabbat.
Turell does play on 
Shabbat, but he walks to 
games or practices during 
the Sabbath.
Turell attends various 
synagogues in the Detroit 
area. His Detroit apartment 
is approximately two miles 
away from the Wayne State 
Fieldhouse, which the 
Cruise share with the NCAA 
Division II university. 

When playing on the road, 
the length of the walk can 
vary from across the street, 
to a lengthy trek. Earlier this 
season, Turell walked four 
miles in the nation’s capital 
when the Cruise visited 
the Capital City Go-Go, 
the Washington Wizards’ 
G-League affiliate. If the 
game’s on a Saturday night, 
he’ll ride back to the hotel 
with his teammates.
“I use those walks, and 
Shabbat in general, as a 
meditation-type thing,” 
Turell said. “Shabbat is a 
great pause. I get to do that 
on these walks. It’s really 
cool to be able to do.”
The walk in Frisco took 
about 20 minutes. The tipoff 
was 7:30 p.m. on a Saturday 
— about two hours after 
sunset. But what the average 
fan doesn’t understand is 
players must arrive at the 
arena around four or five 
hours before the game starts.
Turell said he’s grateful to 
have supportive teammates 
who respect his cultural and 
religious background.
Among Turell’s Cruise 
teammates are Jared Rhoden, 
who played at Seton Hall, 
and Buddy Boeheim, a 
former Syracuse standout 
and son of legendary coach 
Jim Boeheim.
“It’s really cool to have a 
locker room where we can 
share so many different 
cultures and backgrounds 
with each other — we’re all 
people,” Turell said.

ISRAEL CONNECTION
Turell has visited Israel three 
times, and the most recent 
trip was last summer when 
he was part of a team called 
Athletes for Israel.
College teams go on tours 
overseas and the only way 

continued on page 14

Before he was with 
the Cruise, Turell led 
the Yeshiva University 
Maccabees to a 
50-game Division III 
winning streak.

