34 | SEPTEMBER 19 • 2024 
J
N

G

lenn Bednarsh played 
basketball for Detroit in 
the inaugural JCC Maccabi 
Games, held in Memphis in 1982.
His son Shay Bednarsh played on 
the Los Angeles 14U basketball team 
in the 2019 Maccabi Games, hosted by 
Detroit. Glenn was there as a fan.
Neither father nor son won a medal 
when they played in the Maccabi 
Games as teenagers. And they didn’t 
win a medal in the Maccabi Games 
hosted by Detroit this year. Glenn was 
the coach, and Shay was the assistant 
coach of the Detroit 16U basketball 
team.
But the Maccabi Games are more 
than just a quest for a medal. They’re 
also about people and relationships set 
against the background of the love of 
sports in the Jewish community.
“My father and I are closer than 

peanut butter and jelly. He’s my best 
friend. So being able to coach with him 
was truly something special,
” Shay said.
“We may be the first father-son 
coaching duo in Maccabi Games 
history, and both of us played in the 
Maccabi Games, too. Firsts always 
make for a good story.
”
Officially, Glenn was the coach and 
19-year-old Shay was the assistant 
coach of their team because Shay isn’t 
old enough to be a Maccabi Games 
coach. In reality, they were co-coaches.
“Shay ran the practices and drills, 
designed our offenses and defenses, 
and was the coach in more than half of 
our games,
” Glenn said. “Because he’s 
19 and because of his knowledge of the 
game, Shay related well to our players. 
The kids really took to him.
“We had a great group of kids. 
They’re intelligent and hard-working. 

BAILA JASGUR
AVA ASHMANN

The father-and-son coaches of the Detroit 
16U basketball team at the JCC Maccabi 
Games played basketball in the Maccabi 
Games when they were teenagers.

Full Circle

STEVE STEIN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

quick hits

BY STEVE STEIN 

SPORTS HIGHLIGHTS
Detroit’s Lance 
Kukes ponders 
his next move 
vs. an Israeli 
player.

Hudson Rosner (left), Jack Soble and Jake Pitler 
wait to enter Detroit’s game vs. Los Angeles.

Riley Agrest 
looks to pass 
to a teammate 
during Detroit’s 
game vs. Israel.

Detroit Hockey Team 
Was ‘Competitive’ 
at the JCC Maccabi 
Games

The Detroit hockey team 
didn’t win a medal at the JCC 
Maccabi Games hosted by 
Detroit earlier this summer, but 
it finished strong in the 12-team 
competition, making it to the 
bronze-medal game. After 
going 1-3 in pool play, the team 
was 2-2 in bracket play over 
the four-day competition. It lost 
to Philadelphia in the bronze- 

medal game.
“We were competitive,” said 
Coach Mark Weiss.
Perennial power Toronto won 
the gold medal. Montreal won 
the silver medal. All the games 
were played at the Detroit 
Skating Club in Bloomfield 
Hills.
Weiss’ assistant coaches 

were father and son Ryan 
and Noah Tracht. The Detroit 
players were Anthony Pipia, 
Ari Kheynson, Brad Bellinger, 
Dylan Levin, Ethan Goel, Gavin 
Schwartzberg, Isaac Hosfield, 
Issac Smolitsky, Jack Shenkan, 
Jake Farber, Jayce Roth, Logan 
Newman, Micah Zachs, Quentin 
Schwartz and Ryan Diskin.

SUBMITTED PHOTO

Meet the Detroit hockey team that competed in the JCC Maccabi Games.

Brooke Soper is on the Run 
and Back in the Classroom at 
Western Michigan

Brooke Soper is back run-
ning for the Western Michigan 
University women’s cross 
country team, taking advan-
tage of an extra year of eligi-
bility NCAA athletes received 
because of the COVID-19 pan-
demic.
Soper is attending Western 
Michigan during the fall semester to complete 
her graduation requirements. The multiple-time 
Academic All-MAC Team honoree’s major is 
digital media and journalism.
Soper finished 25th in 18:50 in the Winrow-
Valparaiso Open, the Broncos’ first meet this 
season, held Aug. 31 in Valparaiso, Ind.

Brooke Soper 

WESTERN MICHIGAN 
UNIVERSITY