|
|
12-14-2009 | Meet the Heschel School HEAT of
New York City, New York - The Cooper Invitational's No. 4 Seed
The Heschel High School is
located on the west side of Manhattan in NYC and most of the players are from Manhattan. The Varsity Heat has a 5-2 record
thus far in the predominantly Brooklyn based Central Division of the New York Yeshiva League. They are led by tri-captains:
Daniel Kasman, Ezra Ellenberg and Jack Liechtung, all of whom were starters on last years playoff team. Heschel, which offers K-12 education, opened its doors
for the first time in 1983 to twenty eight students. It has since grown to over 800. Being a community school it
attracts students from a variety of religious communities (Orthodox, Conservative and Reform).
12-14-2009 | Meet the Shalhevet FIREHAWKS of
Los Angeles, California - The Cooper Invitational's No. 11 Seed Shalhevet
School is the only Modern Orthodox, Co-Educational K-12 Jewish Day School in Los Angeles. A dual college preparatory
curriculum school, Shalhevet was founded in 1992 with the belief that learning, personal development and empowerment are all
foundations for success. Shalhevet equips its students with the tools to become responsible, moral and observant Jews
empowered to be leaders in their community and in society at large. The Shalhevet Firehawks are entering
their 2nd season in the Mulholland League in the Southern Section of the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF). Placing
fifth in the league, the Firehawks went on a playoff run where they lost to eventual champion Beasant Hill. Last
season, they earned the title of Tier IV Champions at YU's Sarachek Tournament in the first year with the tournament's extended
bracket. Most recently, Shalhevet placed 4th in the 12th annual Milken Classic Tournament in Los Angeles. Led
by seniors Joey Chowaiki and Shay Alkoby, the Firehawks look to make a good showing at the Cooper Invitational in their
first invitation to the tournament.
12-11-2009 | Meet the Stern Hebrew High School BLUE
STORM of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - The Cooper Invitational's No. 13 Seed
Stern Hebrew High School is a Centrist Orthodox institution
and the only Orthodox high school for boys and girls in the Greater Philadelphia Region. In its 10th
year of existence, Stern attracts students from Philadelphia, its large suburban area, and Southern New Jersey.
Stern’s enrollment will exceed 100 students for the first time in September 2010 when it moves to a new campus
located in the Western suburbs of Philly. Despite its
size (currently 93 students), Stern has achieved national prominence in basketball. The Blue Storm broke
into the Jewish Hoops America Top 25 two years ago and reached #12 with a senior-laden squad last season. The 2008-09 team finished 16-5 and nearly knocked off top seed Valley Torah
(LA) in the prestigious Yeshiva University Red Sarachek Tournament. SHHS fell 69-61 in overtime, but Coach
Ira Stern and the team had the entire sell-out crowd pulling for the underdogs. With seven seniors having graduated – including 6-7 center Yoni Eckmann, point
guard Josh Halpern and forward Chason Danzig, this year’s Blue Storm team will show a much different look.
Stern will be smaller, but quicker. Senior sharpshooters
Benji Toaff and Aron Kallush return to lead the outside attack, and junior Jake Marcus assumes a leadership role while bringing
his full-court intensity to bear in every game. Senior Netanel Spero provides strong rebounding and will
look to score more often. Junior Leon Aboudi takes over point guard duties this year, and he can also use
his quickness to produce points. We will integrate six new
players into the mix this year including guard Rocky Seftel and center Leibel Greenberg. Seftel moved to
South Jersey from Cleveland where he played for Fuchs Mizrachi, and Greenberg provides some height and inside presence. The Blue Storm
will have played five games prior to the Cooper Invitational including the first of two versus cross-town rival Barrack Hebrew
Academy (formerly Akiba). To date, Toaff leads Stern in scoring with strong contributions from Aboudi,
Kallush, Marcus, and Spero.
12-10-2009 | Meet
the host Cooper Yeshiva High School MACS of Memphis, Tennessee - The Cooper Invitational's No. 12
Seed Cooper Yeshiva High
School for Boys (CYHSB) was established in 1964 as an extension of the former Memphis Hebrew Academy. Created in response
to a community and regional need for an Orthodox Jewish high school for boys, the school is committed to academic excellence
in Torah and general studies, the State of Israel and providing a warm, safe and nurturing environment for learning.
Our enrollment is 39 students and we are in our 45th year of existence. Permeated with an unrivaled
sense of community and camaraderie, CYHSB is home to boys from Memphis and from communities across the country who seek its
unique blend of rigorous college preparatory classes and serious text-based Judaic Studies classes, in a small and embracing
environment. The Cooper Yeshiva Macs are in their first
year under new coach Richard Lewis and are members of the Memphis City Park Services Commission. The team is lead
by a strong senior class which includes Ariel Cooper, Issac Krupp, Mendel Lazaros, and Ilya Katz. This year the Cooper
Macs are 2-0 in league play and finished second in a regional preseason tournament for a combined record to date of 5-1.
Last year in only the second year of the Cooper Invitational our boys finished 1st place beating the R.ASG Warriors
54-49 in the Tier 1 Championship. The team is looking forward to the challenge of defending their title and once again
bringing home the Cooper Invitational championship.
12-10-2009 | Meet
the Columbus Torah Academy LIONS of Columbus, Ohio - The Cooper Invitational's No. 16 Seed
The Columbus Torah Academy Varsity Boys Basketball
team will have a new look this year. 1st year head coach Matt Bailey brings an upbeat style
of offense and defense to CTA. The Lions finished the season 8-18 in 2008-2009 with a 7th place
finish in the Memphis Tournament and an 18th place finish in the YU Red Sarachek Tournament in NYC. The Lions will be looking to replace their entire frontcourt.
Starting Center Yaniv Levi, starting power forward Jacob Portman, and starting small forward Ben Winter are all gone
with graduation. The Lions will call upon Seniors Nathan Meese and Ilya Vaisberg, Junior Nitzan Levi and
Sophomore Joey Cassell to fill the vacancy. But
that doesn't mean the Lions will be devoid of talent this season, as they do add a potential star, to a group of proven role
players. The biggest addition is guard
Leibel Mangel, a move-in from the Cincinatti area. Mangel should fit in perfectly with this CTA squad as he is a tough defender
and an athletic slasher. The rest of
the Lion backcourt consists of names that you should recognize. Senior Point Guard Josh Cohen and Junior Shooting Guard Danny
Lebowitz, seem like they have been Lions forever. With the help of Mangel, they will need to carry the
team in scoring if the Lions are looking to be successful. The Lions will also call upon Sophomore Shooting Guard Jared Stavsky.
Stavsky came on strong at the end of last season with his outside shooting and the Lions hope it continues this season.
Sophomore shooting guard Keenan Sobol should also get to see valuable minutes off of the bench. If CTA wants a clean sweep of the COBC Conference Championship and the
COBC Tournament Championship, they are going to need a big year out of Josh Cohen at the point. There isn't
really a big time scorer on this team like there has been the last few years. For the Lions to be successful, Cohen is going
to have to be able to get in the lane, create, and take care of the basketball.
12-10-2009 | Meet
the Hebrew Academy of Nassau County HURRICANES of Uniondale, New York - The Cooper Invitational's
No. 3 Seed The Hebrew Academy of Nassau County (HANC) is located in Uniondale, NY right next to Hofstra University.
There are about 275 students enrolled in HANC, a co-educational high school since 1953. HANC draws its students mostly
from surrounding Long Island communities such as West Hempstead, Merrick, Great Neck and the Five Towns as well as from Queens. The HANC Hurricanes compete in the Metropolitan Yeshiva High School Basketball
League (MYHSBL a.k.a. the Yeshiva League). Over the last three seasons, HANC has compiled a win-loss record of 61-12 and has
been a regular in the Jewish Hoops America Top 25. In 2007-2008, HANC finished 32-2 with its two losses coming in the MYHSBL
finals and the Yeshiva University Sarachek Tournament finals. In 2008-2009, after surviving a major injury early
in the season, HANC won the MYHSBL finals as the #9 seed going on the road throughout its playoff run and was voted
the #1 team in the final Jewish Hoops America National Top 25 poll. For 2009-2010, HANC returns its championship backcourt of Daniel Kirshblum and Benjy Ritholtz
along with seniors Dov Levine, Sammy Banilivy, Jonah Steinmetz and Josh Fellus. With the addition of a strong junior class,
the Hurricanes sit at 8-3 (4-2 MYHSBL) so far this season. A few early injuries and some growing pains have led to a
slower than expected start in MYHSBL play this year. HANC expects to once again compete for the league championship as they
continue to improve from game to game.
12-9-2009 | Meet the Yeshivat
Derech HaTorah BULLDOGS of Brooklyn, New York - The Cooper Invitational's No. 6 Seed A dream becomes a reality. Derech Hatorah High School opened in 2006 with 15 students. Now, going strong with over 90 students. Slowly with
continued excellence with in both Secular and Judaic studies Derech Hatorah made its mark in Brooklyn. Derech Hatorah offer’s
a full day of many extracurricular activities, basketball, of course, being the most important. Derech Hatorah started its freshman year as a JV team going 2-8. Sophomore year
the team finished 4-6. Lost two games on buzzer beater and made the playoffs. Last year the
Bulldogs were 7-3 and made it to the second round of the playoffs losing by two points. This
year Derech Hatorah is fighting hard to become a force in the league. Led by Gavriel
and Harry Velenski and Avrumi Katz.
12-8-2009 | Meet the American
Hebrew Academy EAGLES of Greensboro, North Carolina - The Cooper Invitational's No. 8 Seed The
AHA Eagles are in their 4th year in the Triad Athletic Conference and are members of the North Carolina
Independent School Athletic Association (NCISAA 2A). AHA's
enrollment is just over 150 students and is in its 9th year of existence as the only Jewish Pluralistic,
College Prep boarding school in the World. AHA Students represent over 15 Countries (including: Israel, Mexico, Brazil,
Argentina, Russia, Mongolia, Thailand, Spain, Costa Rica, Chile, Hungary, and others)and over 40 States in the US. This is only the second year AHA
has competed in Jewish school tournaments. League competition in NC is very tough (ACC Country). AHA
has been fortunate this year to have several Israeli players, including two that played on the Israeli National club
teams in their age groups - Guard Amit Borsok, and forward Ofer Atishkin. They both have aspirations of playing basketball
in American Universities next year. AHA fields a competitive team with the return of
MVP junior point guard Jarrod Cardona from Miami, Fla., Sophomore (F) Yoni Tubul from Israel and Junior guard Alex Muss rounding out the starting
5.
12-6-2009 | 3rd Annual Cooper Invitational Seeding Released - Ramaz RAMS of New York City Lead
Pack The Ramaz RAMS will open the 3rd Annual Cooper Invitational as the Number 1 overall
seed. The RAMS began the season as Jewish Hoop America's pre-season National Top 25 Number 1 and have held that
position each week through the first quarter of the season. The upper portion of the Invitational bracket features a number of other
National Top 25 teams: 2-Tarbut V' Torah (National Top 25 No. 3); 3-Hanc (8); 4- Heschel (10); 5-Northshore (22); 6-
Derech Hatorah (19); 7-Ben Lipson Hillel of Miami (20); and 8- American Hebrew Academy. Rounding out the
full bracket are a competitive group of nationally recognized programs: 9- Weinbaum Boca (23); 10-Yeshiva Atlanta;
11-Shalhevet; 12-Cooper Yeshiva (the Invitational's host team and defending Tier Champion); 13-Stern Hebrew H.S.; 14-
Rabbi Alexander S. Gross Hebrew Academy; 15-Moshe Aaron Yeshiva High School; and 16-Columbus Torah Academy. Information on all tournament teams can be viewed on the "Particiapting Teams" page of the Web-HQ.
Round 1 match-ups and game times can be viewed on the "Event Schedule" page.
Stay tuned to all the action beginning with tip-off at 2:00 pm on Thursday, December 17, 2009.
11-13-2009 | 3rd Annual Cooper
Invitational Bracket-CHALLENEGE Announced: Headlines Jewish Hoops America website Bringing the excitement of Memphis’ 3rd Annual Cooper Yeshiva High School
Invitational into the homes of people across the nation, this year’s event will offer a 16 team Bracket-CHALLENGE. Similar to the NCAA Braceketology that captivates
college basketball fans during the month of March, the 2009 Bracket-CHALLENGE will allow bracket-eers to select the Tier I Championship game; Tier I Champion; Tier I Championship
Game total points scored; Tier II Championship game; Tier II Champion; and Tier II Championship Game total points scored;
from one of the most competitive invitational fields in the country. A full description of the Tournament format and scoring system is posted on the Cooper
Invitational Web-HQ’s Bracket-CHALLENGE
page. Tournament seeding and the
release of the bracket will take place the first week of December. All brackets must be submitted by 12:00
noon on Thursday, December 17, 2009. After tip-off on December 17, reports indicating the leading brackets with best
point totals will be updated on the Web-HQ nightly. There is no fee to enter and prizes will be awarded
to the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Place brackets. The excitement
has been picked up by JewishHoopsAmerica.com, a website run out
of the New York metropolitan area, that provides a national forum for discussions and rankings of Jewish
high school basketball teams and players. View
the full headline article about the Bracket-CHALLENGE at JewishHoopsAmerica.com
or by opening the link below.
Jewish Hoops America
----------------------------------------
10-20-2009 | 3rd Annual Cooper Invitational 16 Team Field
Set! The field for the 3rd Annual Cooper Yeshiva
High School Invitational is SET. With 16 teams representing
12 states, the event will crown a National Champion and a Tier II Champion from one of the most competitive invitational fields
in the country. Metropolitan Yeshiva High School League powerhouses Ramaz (Preseason Rank 1), Heschel (2); HANC (6),
and Northshore (8) will join perennial National Top 25’ers Tarbut v’Torah (4), Stern Hebrew High
School (17) and Cooper Yeshiva (25) in a two–tiered tournament. With veteran Cooper Invitational participants
Columbus Torah Academy, Rabbi Alexander S. Gross Hebrew Academy, and Yeshiva Atlanta once again participating and the addition
of new highly skilled squads in Shalhevet – Los Angeles, Hillel of Miami, American Hebrew Academy, Moshe Aaron Yeshiva
High School, Yeshivat Derech HaTorah, and Weinbaum Boca, spectators and fans in the mid-south are in for a Jewish athletic
event like none other. COOPER INVITATIONAL FIELD OF 16 | Cooper Yeshiva MACABBEES | Memphis, TN | | American Hebrew Academy EAGLES | Greensboro, NC | | Ben Lipson Hillel HURRICANES | Miami, FL | | Columbus Torah Acad. LIONS | Columbus, OH | | Hanc HURRICANES | Uniondale, NY | | Heschel School HEAT | New York, NY | | Moshe Aaron Yeshiva H.S. JAGUARS | South River, NJ | | North Shore Hebrew Acad. STARS | Great Neck, NY | | Rabbi Alexander S. Gross WARRIORS | North Miami Beach, FL
| | Ramaz RAMS | New York, NY | | Shalhevet FIREHAWKS | Los Angeles, CA
| | Stern Hebrew HS BLUE STORM | Philadelphia. PA | | Tarbut V'Torah LIONS | Irvine, CA | | Weinbaum Yeshiva STORM | Boca Raton, FL | | Yeshiva Atlanta LIONS | Atlanta, GA | | Yeshivat Derech HaTorah BULLDOGS | Brooklyn, NY |
10-13-2009 | 3rd Annual Cooper Invitational Headlines NEW Jewish Hoops America website JewishHoopsAmerica.com, a website
run out of the New York metropolitan area, provides a national forum for discussions and rankings
of Jewish high school basketball teams and players. The website features weekly rankings of the Top 25 teams nationally,
daily updates of scores and records, scoring leaders, previews of big games, coverage of Jewish tournaments and an active discussion
forum. Launched the week of October 5, 2009, the site headlined "Memphis to Host 16 Team Yeshiva High School Invitational" and has added a forum TOPIC for discussion of
the event. Please check out the front page article on the Cooper Invitational and add JewishHoopsAmerica.com
to your online favorites list.
Jewish Hoops America
................................................................
10-08-2009 | Shake-Ups in the 2009 Participant Field: 2 Teams Withdraw...2 New Teams Accept With
the academic year in full swing, and budgetary and scheduling issues emerging, two teams previously committed were
forced to withdraw from the 2009 Invitational. The HAWKS of the Hebrew Academy of the Five Towns & Rockaway (HAFTR),
and Invitational anchor, the Torah Academy of Bergen County (TABC) STORM, have submitted notices of withdrawal from this
year's event. But with excitement and interest across North America never higher, both spots have already filled!
The Heschel School HEAT of New York City, preseason #2 in the nation, and the highly skilled American Hebrew Academy
EAGLES of Greensboro, NC, have accepted invitations
to participate in the 3rd Annual Cooper Yeshiva High School Invitational. Only one participating team spot
remains.
09-15-2009
| North Shore Hebrew Academy High School fills the 15th Participating Team Spot Today, North
Shore Hebrew Academy High School of Great Neck, NY, accepted its invitation to participate in the 3rd Annual
Cooper Yeshiva High School Invitational. The STARS secure the 15th participating team spot leaving but
one spot remaining.
09-3-2009
| Tarbut V'Torah Community Day School of Irvine, California, fills the 14th Participating Team Spot
National basketball powerhouse, Tarbut V'Torah, accepted its invitation
to participate in the 3rd Annual Cooper Yeshiva High School Invitational. The Lions secure the 14th participating
team spot and are the second west coast participant in this year's event.
07-29-2009 | Yeshiva of St. Louis Snags the 13th Participating Team
Spot
Earlier this morning, The
Yeshiva of St. Louis, accepted its invitation to participate in the Third Annual Cooper Yeshiva High School Invitational. St.
Louis's acceptance fills the 13th participating team spot. With e-mails flying between Cooper Invitational officials
and Athletic Directors across the country, there is no doubt that the final three participating spots will be filled
in the very near future.
07-23-2009 | MTA withdraws from 3rd Annual Invitational
This afternoon, Invitational Officials received an e-mail indicating that
The Marsha Stern Talmudical Academy (also known as MTA) would be withdrawing from the 3rd Annual Cooper Invitational.
The Invitational office has already been contacted by three other, top tier, metro area NY schools seeking to fill the
now vacant MTA spot. Stay tuned for release of further information.
05-28-2009 | The Ben Lipson Hillel of Miami Grabs the 13th
Participating Team Spot
Today,
The Ben Lipson Hillel of Miami, Florida, accepted its invitation to participate in the Third Annual Cooper Yeshiva
High School Invitational. The HURRICANES acceptance leaves only three participating spots remaining.
04-29-2009 | The Shalhevet School of Los Angeles Snags the
12th Participating Team Spot
Today, The Shalhevet School of Los Angeles,
California, accepted its invitation to participate in the Third Annual Cooper Yeshiva High School Invitational. The FIREHAWKS will be the first west coast team in Invitational history and round
out what is a truly national competition. Only four participating spots remain.
08 - 18 -2008 • 2008 Cooper
Yeshiva High School Invitational Tournament hits the Web.
04-03-2009 | The Hebrew Academy of the Five Towns and Rockaway of New
York and Columbus Torah Academy, fill the 10th and 11th Participating Team Spots
Earlier this morning, HAFTR and CTA accepted invitations
to particpate in the Third Annual Cooper Yeshiva High School Invitational. The HAFTR HAWKS join the
Inviatational for the first time this year while the CTA LIONS return after a competitve Tier II run in last year's event.
08 - 18 -2008 • 2008 Cooper
Yeshiva High School Invitational Tournament hits the Web.
03-13-2009 | The Ramaz School of New York, fills the 10th Participating Team
Spot
Late this afternoon, The Ramaz School accepted an invitation to particpate in the Third Annual Cooper Yeshiva
High School Invitational. The Ramaz RAMS fill the tenth participating team slot, leaving only six team spots remaining in the 2009 Invitational.
03 - 13 -2009 • 2009 Cooper Yeshiva High School Invitational Tournament hits the
Web.
03-13-2009 | 2009 Cooper Yeshiva High School Invitational Tournament
Web Headquarters hits the Internet
At approximately 11:32 CST, the 2009 Cooper Yeshiva High School Invitational Web Headquarters hit the internet.
The Web-HQ will provide pre-tournament information regarding the participating teams, hotel accommodations, and tournament
event schedule. During the Tournament, the Web-HQ will be the internet source for game results, up-tpthe-minute
stats, news release and live audio web casts.
|
|
|
