In modern sports, which began with the revival of the Olympic Games in Athens in 1896, Israelis and Jews have occasionally risen to become top names in their fields - Agnes Keleti in artistic gymnastics, Mark Spitz in swimming, Sandy Koufax in baseball - legends who truly existed and blazed trails in their fields.
In basketball, the story is slightly different. The most influential Jewish figure in the sport was Julius Goldman, a member of the game's rules committee. In 1936, he proposed changing the rule that mandated a jump ball after every basket, making the game more dynamic and watchable. That proposal has since been called the most important in basketball history. Among players, Dolph Schayes and Sue Bird are seen as global Jewish icons, and Miki Berkovich stands out from a continental perspective - but the real Jewish strength has been in coaching.
Since Red Auerbach (the legendary Boston Celtics coach of the 1960s), Larry Brown (the only coach to win both an NBA title and an NCAA championship), and Eddie Gottlieb (the first coach of the Warriors, after whom the NBA Rookie of the Year award was named until two years ago), few Jewish coaches have found major success in American basketball. Figures like David Blatt, who reached the NBA Finals, have become increasingly rare in the US basketball landscape- until recently.
This year's NCAA Tournament, which began Thursday, features three Jewish head coaches leading top-ranked college basketball programs: Jon Scheyer at Duke, Todd Golden at Florida, and Bruce Pearl at Auburn. All three topped their respective conference standings, won their opening-round games, and are among the favorites to win the national title, according to pre-tournament predictions. Jewish representation is also strong in the women's tournament, where Lindsay Gottlieb - formerly an assistant coach with the Cleveland Cavaliers - is now head coach of top-seeded USC.
Strong ties to Israel
All three coaches have close connections to Israel. Scheyer, once dubbed "the Jewish Michael Jordan," had a short and less successful stint playing for Maccabi Tel Aviv before retiring and taking on an even more daunting role: succeeding Mike Krzyzewski as Duke's head coach. Golden played in the Maccabiah Games and spent two seasons (2008–2010) with Maccabi Haifa. Pearl, the most veteran of the trio, is a vocal supporter of Israel and even brought his team to the country in the summer of 2022 for a series of exhibition games.
"It's an amazing stat," says Matt Elkin, CEO of the Jewish Coaches Association, which was founded to open doors for Jews in American basketball from youth levels to college. "There are 351 Division I teams, and only about 15 have Jewish head coaches, so this is very special. We followed it throughout the season, and at one point, all three were ranked at the top. They have a real shot at the title."
While Scheyer was groomed for the job - playing four years at Duke, then becoming Coach K's lead assistant before taking over - Pearl and Golden revitalized their respective programs. "What they've done is very impressive," Elkin says. "Scheyer has carried on Duke's storied tradition and is extremely effective at recruiting.
"Auburn was known mostly for football before Pearl arrived, but he transformed its basketball program into a powerhouse. Golden is the youngest of the group, and many questioned Florida's decision to hire him, but he quickly elevated the team into a title contender."
'An escape From reality'
After years in which only a handful stood out, Jewish and Israeli basketball is beginning to bloom. Deni Avdija is becoming a key player in the NBA, and prospects Ben Sharaf and Dani Wolf are expected to join him soon in the world's best league, with Sean Avivev and Emanuel Sharp potentially following. These players, along with the college coaches, signal a new era.
"The success of these coaches, both in the NBA and in college, is fantastic for the Jewish community," Elkin concludes. "Now, when times are hard for Israel and for Jews around the world, this gives us a way to escape that reality and rally behind Jewish players and coaches."
