The Frisch girls’ varsity basketball team, in its first out-of-town competition, finished second in the Steve Glouberman Basketball Tournament sponsored by the Shalhevet School in Los Angeles, California. Shalhevet won, 58-41. “It was a fantastic experience overall,” said Frisch Girls’ Coach Ariela Herman. “The girls played very hard. They made it to the championship game. It’s the first tournament they’ve gone to, the first trip they’ve taken. It was a very positive experience on and off the court.”
Coach Herman, who joined Frisch this year, said the girls had been advocating playing in a tournament and she is happy the school supported them. “It’s very meaningful; it shows the girls they are important.”
Shalhevet sponsored the tournament to honor Steve Glouberman, a beloved member of the community and parent of three alumni, who passed away last January. The head of school, Rabbi Ari Segal, said it was also aimed at building connections with Jewish communities throughout the country.
Eight boys’ teams and six girls’ teams participated in the tournament. New Jersey and New York teams included The Frisch School, boys and girls; SAR; TABC; and Heschel. On the final day, SAR beat TABC, 65-52 and Shalhevet beat Frisch, 72-44. Heschel beat California’s YULA, 61-39, to win the boys’ championship.
Frisch Boys’ Varsity Coach Eli Davidoff said before the team left that he looked forward to playing top teams and giving the boys and girls an opportunity to socialize with other players. The boys have competed in previous out-of-town tournaments. “It’s all about camaraderie, making new friends,” he said. “It’s social, there’s lots of ruach and achdus over Shabbos.”
The students were housed with local families and participated in a full schedule of Shabbos activities. Friday night davening and dinner took place at the Bnai David Judea shul, with a dessert reception open to the community. Shabbos day davening and lunch took place at the Beth Jacob Congregation with a se’uda shelishit at the home of two Shalhevet students. Shabbat ended at 5:30 p.m. and the tournament resumed an hour later.
Frisch Assistant Girls’ Varsity Coach Shaina Stiefel (Frisch class of ‘08) said the girls had a great time being there and were proud to represent their school. Although they won the Saturday night match against the Berman Hebrew Academy from Rockville, Maryland, by a 54-42 margin, the championship game against Shalhevet was a different story. “The game was tough. The girls fought hard to the end. We are proud of what they brought to this tournament.”
By Bracha Schwartz
