In February 1999, Sports Illustrated magazine featured a Jewish player who shone in high school (35.4 point average) on the cover and dubbed him the “Jewish Jordan”. But in reality, no one ever took it seriously, perhaps because of the bombastic title and Tamir Goodman played for Macabbi Tel Aviv, the European power and Israel’s biggest club, but he was left wanting to make the NBA after failing to adapt to the University of Maryland for religious reasons. Today, 23 years later, no media has yet encouraged this title, but it doesn’t seem to take long because the situation repeats itself, albeit with a much more favorable context for the basketball player who dreams of breaking a barrier.

This is Ryan Turrell, a player who shines in college basketball to the point of being the leading scorer (with 27.1 points) among the 1220 colleges that make up the three divisions of the NCAA, and has just made the decision not to return for his senior year at Yeshiva University in New York, and declare himself eligible for the draft of NBA to be held on June 23. Of course, this 2’01, 21-year-old guard plays in the third and final division, raising some doubts as to whether his level and potential can be transferred to professionalism, but these days everyone is looked at and scrutinized by the vast number of NBA scouts. They say that, although it is not easy today, there are teams that follow him so that the boy can perform “the dream of making history and being the first orthodox Jew to play in the NBA” as he stated a few days ago when he made the announcement. Of course, Ryan is determined and clear that, unlike Goodman, he will make the decision not to rest on Saturday, the day set aside for Shabbat.

Turrell comes from a well-educated family who converted to Orthodox Judaism. The boy, seeking to transcend in his chosen sport, had doubts at first. “I, for example, didn’t want to use the kipa in the stings with friends, because I was a little embarrassed. Being white and, on top of that, using the kipa were like two shots together on the courts where I played. But it happened to me, actually, because I didn’t understand the importance and I wasn’t proud to wear it. Today is different,” he recently admitted. At 15, Ryan had talent, virtues for playing, especially shooting, but he barely weighed 65 kilos. That’s when he decided to enroll at Valley Toray High School in California and successfully tried himself in the Earl Watson Elite, the premier competition in the western part of the USA. So, little by little, the scouts began to follow him into that little collective high school. Suddenly, he was no longer a “thin and short”. He grew up, got stronger and started to be an offensive power, with a big shot and even shocking dunks.

Turrell averaged a triple-double in his last two years of high school. and several universities looked to him, offering him a scholarship. Stanford was the most prestigious, but not the only one. The Air Force, UC Irvine and Cal State Northridge also made their proposals. Turrell chose the Air Force, knowing that nearby there was a rabbi and a kosher restaurant that shipped food, he admitted. But he quickly realized that he had made a mistake. As with Goodman in Maryland, religious themes came to the fore, such as the training the team did on Saturdays during Shabbat. Ryan took the background and chose another faculty to study and play with. But none of them had ever demanded his services: he asked to go to Yeshiva, a Jewish university in NY that doesn’t offer scholarships, which surprised his father. “We made the effort before, let’s do it now,” Brad replied, after learning the reasons his son had had for choosing that university that brought him further from his dreams (he plays Division III) but closer to home. your beliefs.

The boy was seduced, first, that coach Elliott Steinmetz was looking to create a Jewish culture of excellence in sport. “That was important, but also what I felt and thought. I went to Jewish schools all my life. I grew up religious and I’m kosher – which respects the ritual prescriptions of Judaism. My parents were shocked because they knew I wanted to play in Division I, but I said to them: ‘I want to be an idol of the Jews.’ I love the decision I made and I don’t regret it. I hope a lot of guys make the same decision: choose religion and stay on that path. A path that I am convinced that my dreams can also be achieved,” Ryan told the newspaper. New York Times in interview. Turrell shows an incredible determination to do what he feels like, seeking to achieve equal to his dreams, even if the road is longer. “I’ve talked to a lot of Jewish players, who feel demolished when they’re overworked or mistreated because they’re Jewish, but I don’t feel that way. I love wearing my kipa, I’m proud and when he says ‘jewboy’ to me it doesn’t bother me and I just show them that they can’t beat me,” he explained.

Turrell comes from the 27-point average with high percentages: 57% on the field and 47% in triples. His team, usually from the stack, won 25 of 28 matches and won the Skyline Conference, achieving a 50-game winning streak between November 2019 and December 2021. At one point, it was ranked first among the 355 universities that make up the Division III. It’s a shame that the current campaign didn’t end as everyone wanted: the Maccabees, however, were eliminated from the first round of the playoffs, on March 3, against John Hopkins. The player comes from being the Best Player in the Conference for the past two years, as well as the all-time top scorer on the faculty, with over 2000 points, despite two of the seasons having been shortened by the pandemic. In fact, in March 2020, when the tournament was cancelled, he scored 71 points in two games…

His scoring skill piqued the interest of several NBA scouts. Owners, executives and former players came to watch their games. “I know it happened, my coach told me, which happened mostly towards the end of the season,” admitted the boy, who has specialized in a role that has become more important by the day: the outfield. Even his points effectiveness for possession (1.31) is the third best in the entire NCAA, according to the Synergy Sports. But, of course, like everything else, you have to pick it up with tweezers and assess whether it does it at a much lower level division. That is why today, in preliminary forecasts, he is not projected to be selected. But it is believed that this could change when you go to pre-draft campuses where everyone will be able to watch it live, especially his ability to shoot under better opposition. The only certainty is that your level exceeds the division you play in and has the potential to continue growing.

“I have always said that Jews are not physically as good athletes as others, but today the world is much more open to differences than it was 20 years ago, when Tamir arrived. That’s why I think the timing is good for Ryan, which is like a Swiss Army knife for me,” said Harold Katz, former scout for Goodman DT and Yeshiva. There are intangibles that enable him, like his determination and mindset, which are seen in his statements, and a work ethic that proves it all. Since elementary school he has customized trainers that the family gave him, since high school not a day goes by without him having to put in 500 shots to be able to abandon training and for a few years he has followed a work plan at the gym that has given him allowed to add pounds of muscle. All of this allows him to be stronger, more effective, pulling curtains and going out to play, as well as allowing him to defend multiple positions.

“At this level, I can do what I want and, thinking about the next, I can only say that I am a sponge: I learn quickly. I have no doubt that I can play a role (in the NBA). I want to try to do all the tests possible to show them that at this level I can also continue to score, defend and help my teammates”, he said. There are cases of players, even current ones, who made it to the elite — and stood out a lot — after playing in Division III, such as Duncan Robinson (Miami Heat) and Derrick White (Boston Celtics).

In doubt, he also clarified that while he will continue to wear the kipa — the NBA must authorize it — he will make a single exception that goes against his religious beliefs: he will not take the weekly break — Shabbat — that Judaism displays. An almost 6000 year old practice that runs from sunset every Friday to Saturday afternoon. They don’t drive, they don’t spend money, they don’t talk on the phone or, of course, they do physical exertion. A way to rest and transform the mundane into a more spiritual and sacred place, they say. This could be a potential obstacle for him, but he cleared it all up. “I plan on playing and training during Shabbat,” he said.

Finally, he made it clear that his thing is serious. “I want to show that Jews can play basketball at this level. I want to do this for myself, but not only… I want to be an inspiration for other people of my religion to believe that I can do this. I’m ready to make history,” he made it clear. There is no lack of determination.

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