Dudi Sela Advances to Fourth Round of Wimbledon Play
Israel tennis player Dudi Sela beat 15th seeded Tommy Robredo of Spain 7-6 (8), 7-5, 2-6, 7-5 to advance to the fourth round of Wimbledon, where he faces world no. 4 ranked Novak Djokovic. For Sela, this is the first time in his career to reach the 4th round of a Grand Slam event - As the Jerusalem Post noted, Sela credited both the crowd which gave him a good deal of support, and former Israeli great Amos Mansdorf for his help. "Last week Mansdorf gave me a lot of tips - like take the ball early, come in more. I think I came in to the net a lot and that was the key to the win."
Mazel Tov, Omri!
	Omri Casspi, Maccabi Tel Aviv’s young forward, made history when he became the first Israeli ever selected in the first round of the NBA draft, thus guaranteeing him a contract. Casspi, who turned 21 just three days earlier, was selected with the 23rd pick by the Sacramento Kings...                                                                                            Entire Article »
Holding “court” with Bruce Pearl
University of Tennessee head men’s basketball coach Bruce Pearl is finally going to fulfill his dream of visiting Israel, when Pearl will coach the U.S. men’s team in the upcoming Maccabiah Games, which will take place in mid-July. “I had always planned after high school to go to Israel,” Pearl told JewishSport.org...     Entire Article »
An Israeli in the NBA ... Finally???
When the NBA holds its annual draft on Thursday night June 25, one more Israeli player wonders if he might be the first Israeli to actually play in the NBA. Doron Sheffer, Lior Eliyahu and Yotam Halperin have all been drafted, but to date, no player has ever worn an NBA uniform. Jerusalem Post writer Allon Sinai explores the possibilities that Omri Casspi might be the first.  Click here.
Israelis Help UCLA Men to NCAA Tennis Quarterfinals
Israelis Amit Inbar and Har'el Srugo teamed up on the no. 2 doubles court to defeat their counterparts from the University of Miami helping the #7 seeded UCLA men win the doubles point. Then Srugo won his singles match to help UCLA to a 4-1 win in opening round play of the top 16 Division 1 men's tennis teams. UCLA advances to the quarterfinals for the 33rd consecutive year. As a doubles team, Srugo and Inbar are 14-0 for the year. UCLA will face second-seeded Mississippi on May 16.
Seth Davis: The Rashi of College Basketball
		Rashi (aka Rabbi Shlomo Yitzhaki, 1040-1105) was the foremost Biblical commentator of medieval times. Known for his commentating on the college hoop scene, Seth Davis is similarly adept at exploring and explaining the nuances of the annual quest for that “one magic moment” known as the Final Four. Fresh from his TV duties, and having recently completed his book, When March Went Mad: The Game That Transformed Basketball, about the 1979 pairing of Larry Bird and Magic Johnson, Seth took time to talk with JewishSport.org. Here is what he had to say...
Gail Brodsky: Tennis Up-and-Comer
			While most 17-year-olds are busy making spring plans for their prom, Gail Brodsky was pursuing a spot in the upcoming French Open. By mutual agreement with the United States Tennis Association and the U.S. Open, one wildcard spot for an American player who otherwise does not qualify for the main men’s and women’s draw was made available through a playoff, which was held at the end of April in Boca Raton, Florida. Brodsky was one of 11 young women seeking the wildcard spot.   Entire Article »
Mazel Tov, Josh Pastner
The Center for Sport and Jewish Life extends best wishes to Josh Pastner, a member of our National Advisory Board, on his recent appointment as Head Men's Basketball Coach at the University of Memphis. Pastner, who spent the past year as an assistant to head coach John Calipari at Memphis after 6 years as an assistant to Coach Lute Olson at Arizona, was named to the position by the Memphis athletic director within days of the departure of Calipari, who has been named the new head coach at Kentucky. For the skinny on the making of the newest Jewish coach to join the head coaching ranks, click here.
The Afikoman Goes To ... Andy Ram
Israel tennis player Andy Ram found the Afikoman a few days before Passover - winning the Sony Ericsson Open Tennis Tournament men's doubles championship in Miami with partner Max Mirnyi of Belarus. Mirnyi won this event three times previously: with Roger Federer in 2003 and with Jonah Bjorkman in 2005 and 2006. For Ram, this was his first trophy won on U.S. soil. Ram and Mirnyi were runners-up in Indian Wells three weeks ago. Ram returns to Israel with a trophy, a check, and ... a new baby! Mazel tov, Andy!!!
Coach K and the Meaning of Passover
It was April 3, 2001, with Passover just a week away. The night before, Duke had won the NCAA Championship, beating Arizona following a semi-final game against Maryland where they had been down 22 points in the first half. Coming a few years after the back-to-back titles in the Christian Laettner-Bobby Hurley-Grant Hill era, this was Duke’s – and Coach Mike Krzyzewski’s – third championship.   Entire Article »
Israeli Tennis Players Take Center Court in California
		March 21, 2009. Indian Wells, CA - Israel was represented at the championship finals in both men’s and women’s doubles play at the Indian Wells BNP Paribas Open, which was winding up as March Madness was just getting underway elsewhere around the country.        Entire Article »
Derek Glasser's Spectacular Play Helps Arizona State Past NCAA 1st Round Play
	It was his first time at the Big Dance, and he stepped up with a huge performance. Junior guard Derek Glasser’s 22 points went a big way toward helping Arizona State					advance to beat Temple and advance to second round play in the 2009 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. More »	Photos by Bruce Yeung, Yeung Photography
Israel-Sweden Davis Cup Play: Down to the Wire
				Malmo, Sweden --- It was March Madness – after a fashion. After the second day of Davis Cup play, Israel trailed host Sweden 2 matches to 3. On the last day of play (3/8/09) Israel’s big gun, Dudi Sela, won his second match of the series, but it took him five sets to do it, after two of the three previous matches also went down to the fifth set. Now Israel was tied, and Har’el Levy, who had lost on Friday, faced Andreas Vinciguerra. Whoever won would present their team with a ticket to Davis Cup quarter-final play.    More »
This Andy Went to Dubai, That Andy Stayed Home
				Israeli tennis player Andy Ram got to Dubai after all. Following all the fuss with Shahar Pe’er, who was barred from entering the country and thus kept out of the women’s draw one week earlier, (and having been denied entrance along with his regular doubles partner and fellow Israeli Yoni Erlich in 2008), the UAE authorities granted Ram a visa at the last minute. Meanwhile, another Andy made history of his own by NOT showing up in Dubai.  More »
Israeli Davis Cup Team Faces Sweden in Empty Arena
				March 4, 2009 – Superman had his Fortress of Solitude. The Israeli Davis Cup team may have their own version in frigid Sweden when they meet the Swedes this weekend in the southern Swedish town of Malmo which is hosting the matches.    More »
Israeli Tennis Star Dudi Sela: Making A Racquet
				Dudi Sela is currently ranked no. 65 in the world on the ATP tour. He was in south Florida recently to compete in the Delray Beach International Tennis Championships, and took time out to talk with the Center for Sport and Jewish Life.                                                                                                              More »
MATZO MATZO MAN - I WANT TO ASK THE MATZO MAN!
With apologies to the Village People... here's your chance to ask the experts. The Center for Sport and Jewish Life invites you to ask your sports-related questions, and we will do our best to obtain a knowledgeable response from selected athletes, coaches, sportswriters, sports physicians, trainers, nutritionists and others. Submit your question to info@jewishsport.org, and include your name (questions will be published using first names only), location, and if you play or are a fan of any particular sport(s).
Toledo's Kosher Point Guard
				Israeli Naama Shafir, starting point guard for the University of Toledo women's basketball team, is presumed to be the first orthodox Jewish woman to play Division 1 basketball, and is helping her team to surpass this season's expectations.    More...
Shahar Pe’er denied participation in Dubai Tennis Championships
				Responding to the denial by the United Arab Emirates to grant a visa to Israeli tennis player Shahar Pe’er to participate in this week’s Dubai Tennis Championships, Jewish leaders and Israeli officials have called upon the Women’s Tennis Association, under whose auspices the event takes place, to remove it from its 2010 calendar.                                              Entire Article »
Ani V'Ata - An Athlete-led Initiative Reaching out to Ourselves and Others - CLICK HERE
Across the country, hundreds and thousands of people are stepping up in a new spirit of volunteerism, a kind of re-incarnation of President Kennedy’s inaugural exhortation that we ask not what our country can do for us, but what we can do for others.  The Center for Sport and Jewish Life is issuing the call to athletes and others to join our Obama-inspired initiative!
Garrett Weber-Gale: Swimming to Olympic History
Garrett  Weber-Gale, Michael Phelps celebrate				Thrilling – amazing – a dream come true. That is how Olympic swimmer Garrett Weber-Gale described his summer at the Beijing Olympics. As it happened, he won a couple of gold medals in the process – and helped Michael Phelps win his history-making eight gold medals. Weber-Gale spoke with the Center for Sport and Jewish Life recently; this is what he had to say...
"SPORT and JEWISH LIFE” Winning Essay
				Earlier this year, the Center for Sport and Jewish Life held its 4th “Sport and Jewish Life” essay contest. This year’s theme – “What does it take to succeed in sports?” - was timed with the Summer Olympic Games. Click here to read one of the winning essays: The Attribute that Most Guarantees Success in Sports and in Life, by Adina Erdfarb. Check back soon for details of the next essay contest.

Blue (and White) Devil Jon Scheyer
	Some years ago, St. Joseph’s University’s men’s basketball team was scheduled to play Lute Olson’s Wildcats in Tucson. A snowstorm prevented the St. Joe’s team from getting to Arizona, and as a result they had to forfeit the game. To gain sympathy, St. Joe’s coach Phil Martelli (this was in the pre-Jameer Nelson glory days) commented that whereas Arizona had players that were McDonald’s All-Americans, St. Joe’s had players that ate at McDonalds. The point being, of course, that McDonald’s All-Americans signed to play at top programs. With 14 Final Four appearances (3rd behind UCLA and North Carolina) and three NCAA championships, Duke basketball is certainly one of those top teams, with its fair share of high school McDonald’s All-Americans. One member of the current Duke team holds the record as the only Jewish McDonald’s All-American to date. Sophomore guard Jon Scheyer recently spoke with our reporter. Here is what he had to say:   Entire Article »
Jon Scheyer

In Memoriam: Legendary Israeli Coach Ralph Klein, 1931-2008 It is with great sadness that the Center for Sport and Jewish Life shares with our readers the news that legendary Israeli basketball coach Ralph Klein has passed away at the age of 77. Klein served as one of two Honorary Presidents of the Center, along with MLB Commissioner Bud Selig. Klein had spent the past week in the hospital with health complications. Three years ago he battled cancer, and had subsequently been in remission. Klein has been recognized on numerous occasions for his many accomplishments. In 1998, he was chosen as Israeli Coach of the Half-Century. In 2006 he received the prestigious Israel Prize (something like the Congressional Medal of Honor), which is awarded each year on Yom HaAtzma’ut (Israeli Independence Day) to a dozen or so individuals from the arts, education, industry and other realms.  Entire Article » The Jewish Boys of Springtime On the Jewish calendar, March means Purim, and recalling the time that lots were cast to determine the fate of Persian Jews. For aspiring minor league baseball players, March means spring training, at the end of which ones fate is determined – as far as season assignments in the hierarchy of the clubs farm teams. Two Jewish minor leaguers, both pitchers, both in their third season of professional play, spoke recently to the Center for Sport and Jewish Life. Here’s what Avi Rasowsky and Josh Appell had to say about life in the minor leagues.   Avi Rasowsky                                                                                                                                             Josh Appell
Jewish Sports Center, HaKo'Ach, Re-opens in Vienna
	On March 11, 2008, the Associated Press reported that the Jewish sports club,  HaKo’akh of Vienna was being re-dedicated in its new home in the city’s Prater Park.  Almost 70 years to the day, on March 12, 1938, one million Austrians had gathered in Heroes’ Square to cheer on the arrival of the Nazis.        Entire Article »
HaKo'Ach's soccer team won the Austrian National Championship in 1924-25.

Duke soph Jon Scheyer scores career high 27 points in 96-95 loss to Miami

Trailing Miami by 20 points nearly 3/4 of the way through the game, Duke mounted a late second-half rally, only to see victory elude them in the final seconds of play. Leading the comeback effort was Jon Scheyer, who played like a man on a mission. After shooting 2-for-6 in the first half, Scheyer connected on 5 of his 7 second-half shots, including 4-for-5 from behind the arc. He sank 8 of his 9 foul shots to finish the night as the game’s high scorer. Jon Scheyer                                                                                                                              Entire Article »