Wednesday, April 16, 2025

Good morning!

Mazel tov to the University of Florida on its NCAA national basketball championship, which made coach Todd Golden the first Jewish head coach to win March Madness since 1988. Florida’s team also featured sophomore guard and JCC Maccabi Games alum Cooper Josefsberg. He played only four minutes all season, but is a national champion nonetheless. Next year in Gainesville!

This weekend could feature another Jewishly relevant (inter)national championship — read on for more!

For Israeli basketball fans, Deni Avdija’s breakout was a long time coming

Deni Avdija drives to the basket against the Charlotte Hornets at Spectrum Center, Jan. 24, 2025, in Charlotte. (David Jensen/Getty Images)

He’s as tall as LeBron James. As famous as Lionel Messi. It may seem like hyperbole, but this is the status that NBA player Deni Avdija has attained in his home country of Israel.

“As an Israeli basketball player, he’s the best I’ve seen, and many people think he's going to be the greatest Israeli player of all time,” said Moshe Halickman, who covers basketball for the popular Sports Rabbi website.

Avdija has been a big deal in Israel since he broke onto the scene as a 16-year-old in Maccabi Tel Aviv’s youth program. But eight years later, in his first season with the Portland Trail Blazers, the 24-year-old small forward has truly broken out.

In his past 16 games alone, Avdija is averaging 24.9 points and 10.6 rebounds per game. This season, he has had eight 30+ point performances and his first two career triple-doubles. Overall, he’s averaging a career high of 16.9 points per game this year.

His star turn has been especially meaningful given the difficult reality his fans back in Israel have experienced in recent years.

“He is the story, and he's a much bigger story now as his numbers are much, much bigger,” said Oren Manor, an Israeli sportswriter who has lived in Portland for 15 years. “But he carries a very big weight on his shoulders, and his personal success with Israelis always translates to national pride. And when you're at war, you want pride.”

Click the button below for more on Avdija’s breakout season and its ripple effects in Israel.

Halftime report

YU CAN’T MAKE THIS UP. One of the top stories in sports this week came from none other than Yeshiva University, who reached a 100-game baseball losing streak before breaking it with a thrilling win, all in the same day. Y.U. and Lehman University, a pair of Division III schools, played a doubleheader on Wednesday, entering with 99- and 42-game losing streaks, respectively. Lehman won the first game, dropping Y.U. to 100 losses, before Yeshiva won the nightcap, with none other than Noah Steinmetz — brother of MLB prospect Jacob and son of Y.U. men’s basketball coach Elliot — on the mound. We look forward to the movie that will be made about this historic day.

CONSOLATION PRIZE? Auburn University fell short in its quest for March Madness glory, but coach Bruce Pearl did not go without recognition, earning the Associated Press’s coach of the year honors, alongside St. John’s coach Rick Pitino. It was the first tie in the 58 years the AP has bestowed the award. Pearl led Auburn to a No. 1 seed and Final Four appearance in the tournament after a school-record 32 wins and an eight-week stretch atop the AP’s men’s rankings.

MAX EFFORT. New York Yankees pitcher Max Fried tossed an 11-strikeout gem for his new club on Wednesday against the Detroit Tigers, and in the process, did something no Yankee had done in nearly 40 years: Fried became the first Yankees left-hander to strike out 10+ batters on the road without giving up a run or a walk since John Candelaria in 1988. Not too shabby.

NOW BATTING, THE FIRST SON OF NEW MEXICO? Red Sox third baseman Alex Bregman got a new job this winter, and now his father, Sam, is vying for a new role of his own. The elder Bregman, a district attorney in Albuquerque, is planning a run for governor of New Mexico, Axios reported. Bregman would be the state’s second Jewish governor, and first since Arthur Seligman was elected in 1930.

RUNNING IT BACK. The field for the 2026 World Baseball Classic has been finalized. Team Israel, which will compete in Pool D in Miami when the tournament commences next March, will face the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, the Netherlands and Nicaragua. With the exception of the Netherlands, Israel faced all of those teams in 2023, to varying results. Israel beat Nicaragua for its lone tournament win, but lost against the other two. While the D.R., a baseball mecca, handily beat Israel on the field, the teams formalized their friendship off the diamond.

REMEMBERING A LEGEND. Speaking of Team Israel, the organization is commemorating the first yahrzeit of former big leaguer Ken Holtzman, who died last April at 78 years old. Holtzman, the winningest Jewish pitcher in MLB history, threw two no-hitters, won four World Series rings and beat Sandy Koufax head-to-head during his 15-year career in the 1960s and 1970s.

Jews in sports to watch this weekend (all times ET)

🏀 IN BASKETBALL...

The Israeli basketball team Hapoel Tel Aviv is one win away from the EuroCup Basketball title. After winning the first game of the finals on Tuesday, Hapoel plays the Spanish club Gran Canaria this afternoon at 3 p.m. and would clinch the title with a victory. If necessary, a decisive Game 3 would be on Wednesday. In the NBA, Deni Avdija and the Portland Trail Blazers host the Golden State Warriors tonight at 10 p.m. and the Los Angeles Lakers Sunday at 3:30 p.m. Domantas Sabonis, who is converting to Judaism, and the Sacramento Kings, host the L.A. Clippers tonight at 10 p.m. and the Phoenix Suns Sunday at 3:30 p.m.

⚾ IN BASEBALL...

Rowdy Tellez and the Seattle Mariners host Joc Pederson, Kevin Pillar and the Texas Rangers in a three game series beginning today. Matt Mervis and the Miami Marlins host the Washington Nationals in a three-game set, while Harrison Bader and the Minnesota Twins host the Detroit Tigers.

⚽ IN SOCCER...

In European soccer, Manor Solomon and Leeds United — which reclaimed first place in the English championship — host Preston Saturday at 7:30 a.m. In the Premier League, Matt Turner and Crystal Palace face Man City at the same time. In the MLS, Ilay Feingold and the New England Revolution take on Atlanta United Saturday at 2:45 p.m. Daniel Edelman and the New York Red Bulls play Orlando City Saturday at 4:30 p.m. At 7:30 p.m., Tai Baribo and the Philadelphia Union play New York City, while Liel Abada and Charlotte F.C. face Montreal and DeAndre Yedlin’s F.C. Cincinnati plays D.C. United.

🏒 IN HOCKEY...

Zach Hyman, Jake Walman and the Edmonton Oilers host Walman’s former team, the San Jose Sharks, tonight at 9:30 p.m. Luke Kunin, Jordan Harris and the Columbus Blue Jackets host Jakob Chychrun and the Washington Capitals Saturday at 12:30, and the Caps host the Blue Jackets Sunday at 6 p.m. Adam Fox and the New York Rangers face the Carolina Hurricanes Saturday at 3 p.m. Jason Zucker and the Buffalo Sabres play the Tampa Bay Lightning Sunday at 6 p.m.

⛳ IN GOLF...

Max Homa, Max Greyserman and Daniel Berger are competing at the Masters Tournament this weekend in Augusta, Georgia.

🏎 IN RACING...

Aston Martin driver Lance Stroll races in the Formula One Bahrain Grand Prix Sunday at 11 a.m.