On Thursday May 3 the Yeshiva High School Alumni Basketball Association will pay tribute to this year’s honorees. Among them is Jack Rosenbaum, JEC class of 1971.
Like 2017 inductees, Ray Aboff, Gary Aboff and Pete Kessel, Rosenbaum grew up in Elizabeth. He and Kessel learned about competition on the playgrounds of Elizabeth from some future NBA players, like John Shumate. Rosenbaum and Kessel went to Camp Eton, under the tutelage of legendary yeshiva league coach, Jack Aboff, for a number of years, as well as spending an intense week at Billy Cunningham’s basketball camp. This was the summer before the 1970-71 season, in which the JEC won its first MJHSL championship. Rosenbaum also attended Kutscher’s basketball camp, along with his brother Maury. His greatest basketball mentor was Coach Cordell “Rap” Reinhardt who taught him perseverance and sportsmanship.
In the fall of 1967 Rosenbaum began his varsity career as a freshman starter, playing on the same team as his brother Maury, then a senior and among the best players in the MJHSL and New Jersey Private School league. Jack played in the MJHSL all-star game his sophomore, junior and senior years achieving All League status all three years. Rosenbaum captained the JEC varsity in his junior and senior years. His senior year team was the #3 seed in the New Jersey State private school tournament, and because of the small size of the high school (99 boys in 9th-12th grades), there was a lot of press coverage.
Rosenbaum had many gratifying accomplishments in his basketball career, including winning the yeshiva league crown with the great `70-`71 team. He still marvels that he, Kessel and Aboff had the opportunity to play on that great team: two 2000+ career scorers and his own accomplishment of scoring 1,224 points in his four year career from the point guard position. But even more so, he is proud that Ray Aboff (1,740 points) and fellow 2018 inductee, his brother Maury (1,510 points), began the high scoring exploits of JEC’s early days—way before there was a 3-point shot.
In the fall of 1971, Rosenbaum took his skills to the college level as point guard for the Fairleigh Dickinson (Madison) freshman team and then played on varsity his sophomore year.
Finally, Rosenbaum is thankful for his great coaches, Jack Aboff and Cordell Reinhardt, for instilling competitiveness and sportsmanship in him and in all the JEC hoopsters they coached. His experience at JEC, surrounded by Torah values and support for basketball, as well as the values he gained from his family, launched Rosenbaum into a lasting career in formal and informal Jewish education. Rosenbaum currently leads the southern states contingent to the March of the Living in Poland and Israel. He extends his appreciation to YABA for the opportunity to be part of the Hall of Fame.
To purchase tickets and get more information about YABA, please go to http://www.yabausa.org/
