Chicagoland Jewish Basketball Showcase Raises Over $2K In High-Scoring Affair

NORTH SHORE, IL — The third annual Chicagoland Jewish Basketball Showcase ended with Team Tel Aviv pulling away late for a 96-82 win over Team Jerusalem in the highest-scoring game in the event’s history.

The game, held on April 26 at Ida Crown Jewish Academy in Skokie, featured 17 Jewish high school senior players from across the area, including two All-State players and five who will play in college next year.

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Players came from public and private schools ranging from 1A to 4A, including Latin School in Chicago, Glenbrook North, Stevenson, De La Salle, Deerfield, Tuscola, Highland Park, and New Trier. The showcase also included players from local Jewish high schools Rochelle Zell, Ida Crown, and Fasman Yeshiva.

The game also raised more than $2,000 for the Hadassah Medical Organization’s hospitals in Israel, nearly double the amount raised the year before, according to Mike Kamin, showcase director.

“The level of Jewish basketball talent in the area is deep, far deeper than some people may realize.” Kamin told Patch last month. “We have All-State and All-Area players who can match up with players from any high school all-star game. They truly enjoy the opportunity to showcase their abilities in front of family, friends, teammates, and coaches. More importantly, these kids are eager to see how they measure up to their peers, who they may or may not know about. It’s a lot of fun to see them all come together.”

The first half stayed close throughout. Team Tel Aviv got early 3-point scoring from Stevenson’s Atticus Richmond and Highland Park’s David Isaacson, who each hit multiple 3-pointers before halftime. Team Jerusalem answered with a strong backcourt performance from Deerfield’s Evan Nagler, who is headed to Case Western Reserve, and Tuscola’s Logan Kurtz, who will play at Eastern Illinois. The pair combined for 32 of Team Jerusalem’s 42 first-half points, and Team Jerusalem led 42-41 at the break.

The second half remained tight, with neither side creating much separation. Fasman Yeshiva forward Srulie Lebedinsky scored 9 of his 13 points after halftime for Team Jerusalem, while Glenbrook North’s Bryson Rome scored 8 of his 13 points in the final 16 minutes. Team Jerusalem held a one-point lead entering the final quarter.

In the closing stretch, Ida Crown’s Judah Well and Latin School’s Mitchell Leavitt turned the game. They combined for five 3-pointers in the fourth quarter as Team Tel Aviv turned the deficit into a 14-point win. Richmond, who will play at Columbia next year, finished with a game-high 26 points. Well added 21, Leavitt scored 19, including 16 in the second half, and Isaacson had 14.

For Team Jerusalem, Kurtz led the way with 24 points and Nagler added 22. Lebedinsky and Rome each scored 13. Participants also included Ronen Ousley, Frankie Greenberg, Gordon Granat, Josh Solovy, Chase Arenberg, Jake Pollack, Chayim Zahtz, William Levy and Evan Mintzer. Coaches were Jacob Goldstein, Sid Singer, Marty Dello and JJ Pearl. Sponsors and individual supporters helped make the event possible, according to the event information.