The winners of the Jewish National Fund’s (JNF) first annual Hoops Classic included teams known as “South Beach Talent,” “Sub Please” and “The Basket Cases” – not that it really mattered.
JNF Hoops Classic committee members get into the spirit. Seen here, from left, Danielle Rutenberg, Alex Hennick and Linoy Hazan.
While those teams may have earned themselves handsome trophies as well as bragging rights heading into next year, the day was all about a group of hoops lovers getting involved in the community while having some fun in support of Israel.
“The turnout we’ve received is phenomenal,” says Ari Dtikovsky, a director and committee member for the event. “It’s great to see so many people from the community raising money and contributing to a deserving cause.”
The event, billed as “100 per cent Israel,” saw approximately 200 men and women selected to one of 19 teams in three separate categories take part in a five-on-five tournament. All competitors entered the tournament having raised funds for the JNF, with proceeds going to the building of a playground and recreational area for children in Moshav Rehov, a disadvantaged region in northern Israel.
Perhaps the best known of the 200 participants to take to the court for the Nov. 28 event at Hoopdome in Downsview Park was ESPN play-by-play man and Thornhill native Dan Shulman.
An actuarial science major at the University of Western Ontario, Shulman found his love for sports broadcasting through the university radio station and later caught his break at what is now the Fan 590. After stints with the Blue Jays and at TSN, he made the jump to ESPN, where he has since risen to prominence as a play-by-play voice for NCAA basketball, NBA basketball and Major League Baseball.
Even as a high-profile sports personality, Shulman was eager to take part in the Classic.
“When my neighbour, Josh Cooper [JNF Toronto’s executive director and one of the event organizers], asked me to play, I jumped at the chance,” says Sports Illustrated’s play-by-play voice of the decade for the 2000’s. “I visited Israel with my family last year and am anxious to do my part in helping support it.”
Shulman’s trip to Israel – his first visit since 1980 and his first with his wife and three sons – came in celebration of his son Alex’s bar mitzvah.
Family is why Shulman continues to live in Thornhill despite having spent much of the last 15 years travelling throughout the United States and abroad as part of his broadcasting duties with ESPN.
“[Thornhill] is home,” Shulman says. “My wife and I are happy here, my kids grew up here and there’s no reason to uproot now.”
The 43-year old’s ties to the community run deep. Ask what Judaism means to him and he’ll likely tell you that it’s “deeply embedded” within him, and that he was named after a relative who died in the Holocaust.
It’s why he was undoubtedly proud to be a member of the Chai Fives, a team in the 40+ category that didn’t do much on court (they finished with a 1-2 record), but collectively raised $14,376 for Moshav Rehov to win a dinner personally catered by noted chef Rose Reisman. The team’s contributions went a long way helping the event reach its total of more than $65,000 raised, well over the target goal of $50,000.
This is particularly encouraging for Ditkovsky and the event’s organizers, who are already looking ahead to the future.
“We plan on making this the first of many to come,” says Ditkovsky. “I’m blown away by the support everyone’s showed and hopefully it’ll only get bigger and better moving forward.”
