Community Magazine April 2013

This month’s The B.A.C. LLP Sportsman of the Month is The Magen David Yeshiva Varsity Basketball Team The MDY Varsity Basketball team finished with an incredible 13-1 record, capturing first place in their division and earning a first-round playoff bye. We wanted to honor the top player of the MDY team as the Sportsman of the Month, so we contacted their head coach, Ike Dweck. When Ike was asked to nominate a player from his team, he responded as follows: “ Actually, I wouldn’t know where to start by choosing one player. If I was to nominate someone, I would nominate my whole team. I have been coaching the same boys since 6 th grade. I moved up each year to coach and mentor these boys, which included my own son. [That’s] seven years of being together almost every day. In that time, we have had three undefeated championships, three tournament championships and a host of great times together, and a record of 102 wins and only 16 losses. What a great group. Nope, I cannot choose one over the others. They are all part of this dynamic team.” After the regular season, MDY suffered a shocking defeat to TABC in the playoffs. This was a team that MDY had beaten earlier in the season without their starting center (Aaron Harari), who was sidelined due to an injury. This was a huge upset and a crushing defeat. The boys’ hopes and dreams of another championship together were over. Yet, the boys showed true sportsmanship. They promptly shook hands and congratulated the members of the opposing team. They showed their true character as they accepted defeat with civility and their devastating loss with dignity. They did not make excuses, and instead showed respect and took responsibility for all their actions. Despite their disappointing loss, assistant coach Jack Doueck was very proud of his players, saying, “The boys learned a great deal in their time working as a team. They understood that this is not merely about becoming great ballplayers. They understood that their role on the team was also about self-improvement and striving for excellence. They learned that what they do on the court, and how they behave in practices, and before and after games, says a lot about how they will fare in life.” All season long, the players played with great enthusiasm and optimism, following the “Three Commandments of MDY Basketball” instilled by coaches Ike and Jack. The three commandments are Sportsmanship, Teamwork, and Self-Improvement. MDY may have lost a playoff game, but in reality they are true winners in a much more important game – the game of life. It is with great honor that we present this month’s Sportsman of the Month award to their entire team. The graduating seniors on the team were: Amin Adjmi, Leon Betesh, Matthew Cohen, Morris Dweck, Benny Mann, Jeffrey Pardo, Mark Sayegh, Sammy Shamah, and Barry Sitt. The juniors: Dennis Dweck, Sammy Gabbay, Yoni Hadar, Aaron Harari and Jake Sutton. If you, or your league, would like to nominate a candidate who displays skill, sportsmanship, and community values that warrants recognition, simply send in the athlete’s name along with a photo and a brief summary, including statistics and accomplishments, to Sports@CommunityM.com. Athletes involved in any of our community’s sports leagues, events, tournaments, or other organized play are eligible. Please note that this honor is not necessarily awarded to the highest scorer or to the top rated player, but rather to the best all-around sportsman. A true sportsman is not interested in winning at all costs, but rather plays the game while demonstrating good values, teamwork, courteousness, self- discipline, and respect for all players. Sportsman of the Month The B.A.C. LLP Left to right Jack Doueck (Asst. Coach), Back Row: Jeff Pardo, Barry Sitt, Jake Sutton, Amin Adjmi, Yoni Hadar, Sammy Gabbay Middle Row:Leon Betesh, Morris Dweck, Sammy Shamah, Matthew Cohen, Coach Ike Dweck Front Row: Dennis Dweck, Mark Sayegh, Benny Mann (Aaron Harari was Injured) 46 COMMUNITY MAGAZINE