T
hroughout high school,
my life revolved around
playing sports. Senior
year, I was the captain of both
the Varsity Soccer and Varsity
Basketball teams. When I gradu-
ated and committed to Michigan
State, I didn’t think I would have
the opportunity to play compet-
itive sports like that again, espe-
cially not representing the Green
and White.
Little did I know that was a
very wrong assumption to make.
During my sophomore year at
MSU, I received an email from a
past classmate. She was a student
at the University of Maryland
and asked me if Michigan State
wanted to join the National
Hillel Basketball Tournament
(NHBT). NHBT is an annual
basketball tournament for cam-
pus Hillels across the country to
come together to play basketball
and spend Shabbat at Maryland
Hillel. I jumped at the chance to
play competitive sports again.
I spread the word to my
friends about the tournament
and they were even more excit-
ed than I was. Playing general
intramural sports is fun, but this
time I got to not only play with
some of my best friends but also
to compete in Maryland against
different Jewish students from
universities across the country.
Developing and captaining
the team became one of my new
roles at MSU Hillel. Throughout
my junior and senior years at
MSU, this role expanded and
grew. During my senior year I
was able to have full control over
the planning. I conducted try-
outs, budgeted for travel to and
from the tournament, and was
the point person for the people
in Maryland when they needed
information from MSU.
Hillel provided me with a
great opportunity to develop my
leadership skills. Planning this
trip to Maryland required me
to coordinate schedules, tackle
logistics and motivate team
members, enhancing my orga-
nizational and communication
skills. Leading the group through
challenges and adjustments
during the trip honed my ability
to adapt, delegate and inspire
teamwork, fostering my growth
as a leader.
NHBT was one of the high-
lights of my time at Michigan
State. The tournament was
something that my friends and
I talked about all year long just
waiting to go back and compete
for a championship.
I got to meet Jewish students
from all over the country and
create relationships with them.
Each year as I came back to the
tournament, I got to spend time
with new friends I’
d made from
previous years. In fact, two guys
I went to Israel with back in the
summer of 2019 were partici-
pating on their respective Hillel
teams. It was such an awesome
opportunity to see them and
catch up after all that time not
seeing each other.
In hindsight, my journey from
high school sports captaincy to
leading Michigan State’s partic-
ipation in the National Hillel
Basketball Tournament at the
University of Maryland has been
a transformative experience.
From rekindling my competitive
spirit to refining my leadership
skills through trip planning and
team coordination, this oppor-
tunity not only allowed me to
compete alongside my friends
but also forge connections with
Jewish students nationwide.
As I reflect on the camara-
derie, challenges and cherished
memories created at NHBT
for the past three years, I never
thought I would be able to play
basketball with Michigan State
written across my jersey, but this
experience reminded me that
life often surprises us with unex-
pected opportunities for growth
and fulfillment, reaffirming that
the journey of self-discovery and
leadership knows no bounds. @
Will Bloomberg of Farmington Hills is
a graduating senior at Michigan State
University.
Will Bloomberg } jewish@edu writer
for college students by college students
May 23, 2024/ 15 Iyar 5784
Playing B-Ball for
the Green and White
My experience with the National Hillel
Basketball Tournament.
The MSU team at the National Hillel Basketball Tournament
Fun on
the court.
70 | MAY 23 • 2024