As a former college standout and a current player in the Israeli League, Zack Rosen knows a thing or two about basketball. And now he’s taking his knowledge and passing it on to the next generation.
The Zack Rosen Basketball Camp is back after last summer’s inaugural session, which Rosen himself called “dynamic, uplifting, and all-around unbelievable.” The camp, which has moved from Camp Mesorah to Yeshivat Noam in Paramus, is for boys entering Grades 5 through 12, and will run for two sessions, the first from August 23 through 26, and the second from August 29 through September 1.
Campers will have the privilege of training under a basketball great. Rosen excelled on the court at University of Pennsylvania. There he was named captain three times, and in his senior year in 2012 he was named both the Ivy League Player of the Year, as well as the Big 5 Player of the Year, an award given to the best player of five Philadelphia schools. In addition, he was named an Associated Press honorable mention All-American, and graduated as the program’s all-time leader in assists, games started and minutes played, while also being the third overall point-scorer in program history. After his collegiate career, he went overseas to play in the Israeli Super League, where he has played for Hapoel Holon, Hapoel Jeruslaem and his current team, Maccabi Ashdod.
Rosen did not grow up as a religious Jew, but his interest was piqued when he became friendly with two Orthodox Jews. Now, he learns at Ohr Somayach in Jerusalem, while still having time for basketball, and thinks that there are ways that Judaism and Jewish values can apply to basketball.
“If you want to know about yourself, pay attention when one of your teammates does something you don’t like. What goes on for you at that moment?” he said. “You can be in a shiur or a class, and that’s beautiful, but on a court, you can experience those things. And if you have somebody coaching you on what’s happening, then you can really make changes. All the things that we know to be true to the text can be brought out through the sport.”
Rosen believes that basketball has shaped him as a person. “I’ve learned how to work hard and deal with different kinds of people. I learned about my own strengths and weaknesses as a person,” he said “Basketball is my arena for self-development and self-growth.”
Rosen pointed out that learning the game from someone with experience is a valuable experience for kids and teens.
“For them to experience basketball from the lens of someone who knows and has lived it is a powerful thing that you can’t experience in many other areas in life at that age,” he said.
Rosen’s camp promises a fun and memorable experience where the lessons that campers learn on the court can be translated into important life lessons for off the court.
Rosen can be contacted at [email protected]. Camp registration is at zackrosenbasketballcamp.com.
