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