The Jewish Link and The Humble Toast would like to recognize coach David Brickman as this week’s Sportstar of the Week. Brickman has coached his daughter Laila’s soccer team, and his son Eitan’s baseball and soccer teams. His most recent success was coaching the fourth/fifth grade Hapoel Holon team in the JCC on the Palisades Premier Basketball League.

When asked about “Coach Dave,” Josh Tenzer, a parent of one of Brickman’s players shared,  “Coach Dave Brickman is the epitome of cool under pressure. He has a healthy level of competitiveness, his eyes—not so sheepishly—on victory, but, he is the first to say, there is no ‘I’ in team.” Undoubtedly, Coach Dave’s biggest contribution as a coach stems from his ability to take a step back and maintain perspective. Not just on the game at hand, but on his players—on their development as skilled athletes and moreover as team players who will surely bring Coach Dave’s lessons with them when they are off the field: confidence building, communication, hard work, accountability. ‘Team work makes the dream work,’ Coach Dave is fond of saying. If you press Dave, or even if you don’t, you may learn he is quite the all-around athlete himself—in fact a champion swimmer in his young heyday, excelling at breaststroke, and now may be, pound for pound, one of the best golfers in Bergen County. Coaching youth athletics can be a thankless task at times, particularly managing the dynamics of many children at various skill levels, interest levels, attentiveness and behavioral levels; some who may be your kid, your kids’ friends etc.  Dave maintains composure, grace and a healthy attitude. He is not only a coach but a role model to countless children. Kudos to Coach Dave and, of course, to his wife Yardena, who supports Dave and his coaching commitments, and, I can assure you, is always the loudest fan on the sidelines, cheering for Coach Dave and his team.”

Two of  Coach Dave’s players added the following: Zev Saposh said, “He’s kind. He’s focused on making us better players. He’s good at motivating us and making us a team. Other coaches are mean sometimes, but Dave is always nice, even when we lose, and that motivates us for other games because we want to win for Dave. And I like that I know him.” Noam Apter said, “Dave was an amazing coach. He made sure that everyone got an equal chance to play and also made sure we each got better throughout the season. He taught us good defensive plays and also kept his cool during stressful games so we also were able to keep our cool.”

Coach Dave, happy birthday and congrats on your many coaching successes, including your recent JCC championship and being recognized as this week’s Humble Toast Sportstar of the week. We asked Leila and Eitan a few questions about what it is like to have a Sportstar dad.

What is your dad’s favorite sport?

Eitan: My dad’s favorite sport is basketball because he likes all the action.

Why is your dad’s favorite athlete?

Lilah: My dad’s favorite athlete is Derrick White on the Celtics because he’s really good at defense, he hustles on offense, he’s a good teammate and he makes smart passes.

What is your dad’s biggest sports accomplishment?

Eitan: My dad’s biggest sports accomplishment is when he got a hole in one.

What is your dad’s pregame routine?

Eitan: My dad hypes up the players before the game by saying “LETS GO!!”

What is your earliest sports memory with your dad?

Eitan: My earliest sports memory with my dad is playing golf with him in the backyard.

What is your favorite sports memory with your dad?

Eitan: My best sports memory with my dad is when we won the baseball championship and my dad ran to the mound, grabbed me and swung me around.

What is your dad’s favorite thing to do when not coaching sports?

Eitan: My dad’s favorite thing to do when he is not coaching, is watching sports.

What is the best thing about having a dad who is a Sportstar?

Lilah: The best thing about having a dad being a sports star is that he is famous, so we are famous.

The Humble Toast Star of the week will receive a $25 gift card to The Humble Toast. Please send nominees for an upcoming The Humble Toast Jewish Link Stars of the Week to [email protected].