Israeli Basketball Blows Up Much of Middle East Like Pagers/Walkie-Talkies
October 7th, 2024 - 8:30
As Israel mourns the one-year mark after Hamas' horrific terrorist attack, nation can take its mind off despair and increased anti-semitism by focusing on basketball superiority. How few quality basketball players originated from majority of Middle East and Arab League (Afghanistan/Algeria/Bahrain/Egypt/Iran/Iraq/Jordan/Kuwait/Lebanon/Libya/Morocco/Oman/Palestine/Qatar/Saudi Arabia/Somalia/Syria/Yemen)? Meanwhile, Connecticut (bolstered by Big East Conference honorees Nadav Henefeld and Doron Sheffer) has been the biggest beneficiary from the following long list of premier Israelis playing for NCAA Division I universities:
| Israeli Player | Pos. | DI School(s) | College Statistics |
|---|---|---|---|
| David Adler | G | South Florida | Averaged 4.7 ppg in 1996-97. |
| Danny Allouche | G | Missouri/Northwestern | Averaged 4.3 ppg in 1995-96 and 2.8 ppg in 1996-97 with Mizzou before transferring to Northwestern and averaging 2.8 ppg in 1998-99. |
| Ben Altiot | F-C | Bryant | Averaged 5 ppg and 2.6 rpg as a freshman in 2011-12. |
| Lior Arditti | G | Boston College | Averaged 9.3 ppg in 1989-90 and 4.5 ppg in 1990-91. |
| Moshe "Mickey" Berkovich | G | UNLV | Averaged 2.5 ppg in 1975-76. His son, Niv, played for Marquette in 2004-05. |
| Gadi Buch | F | Fairleigh Dickinson | Averaged 4.3 ppg and 2 rpg from 2002-03 through 2004-05. |
| Nir Cohen | F-C | San Diego | J.C. recruit averaged 9.1 ppg and 4.4 rpg in 2005-06 and 2006-07. Shot a team-high 53.2% from the floor as a senior. |
| Shey Cohen | F | Niagara | J.C. recruit averaged 3.1 ppg and 2.7 rpg from 1999-00 through 2001-02. |
| Ido Flaisher | C | Hawaii | Averaged 2.5 ppg and 2.1 rpg in 2016-17 and 2017-18. |
| Raziel Hayun | F | Manhattan | Averaged 3.4 ppg in 2022-23 and 2023-24. |
| Nadav Henefeld | F | Connecticut | Big East Conference Rookie of the Year in 1989-90 when he led the league in steals (3.7 spg) while also averaging 11.6 ppg and 5.6 rpg. |
| Tom Kaplan | F | Monmouth | Averaged 3.9 ppg and 2.3 rpg for the Hawks' 2004 NCAA playoff team. |
| Tomer Karni | G | Marist | Led the Red Foxes in assists with 85 to go along with 5.3 ppg in 1995-96 before returning to his native country to play professionally. |
| Shahar Lazar | G | Gardner-Webb | New Mexico State redshirt transfer averaged 3.7 ppg and 1.5 rpg in 2023-24. |
| Karam Mashour | G-F | Morehead State | UNLV transfer averaged 10.9 ppg and 5.9 rpg in 2014-15. |
| Gal Mekel | G | Wichita State | Averaged 4 ppg as a freshman in 2006-07 and 9.3 ppg, 3.2 rpg and team-high 3.7 apg as a sophomore in 2007-08. |
| Michael Moshkovitz | F | Penn | Juco recruit averaged 3.5 ppg and 3.7 rpg in 2021-22 and 2022-23. |
| Ofri Navey | F | West Virginia | Averaged 2.6 ppg and 2.5 rpg as a freshman in 2023-24. |
| Izik Ohanon | F | Saint Louis | Part-time starter averaged 4.9 ppg and 3.2 rpg as a sophomore in 2002-03, 7.2 ppg and 2.8 rpg as a junior in 2003-04 and 11.8 ppg and 5.4 rpg with a team-high 52.7% shooting from the floor as a senior in 2004-05. |
| Doron Sheffer | G | Connecticut | Big East Conference Freshman of the Year in 1993-94 when he averaged 11.9 ppg and 4.8 apg while leading the Huskies in steals. He was an All-Big East second-team selection the next season and became an All-American in 1995-96 when averaging 16 ppg and 6.1 apg. |
| Israel Sheinfeld | C | Wright State | Averaged 4 ppg and 3.5 rpg as a freshman in 1998-99, 17 ppg with team highs of 7.7 rpg and 54.3% field-goal shooting as a sophomore in 1999-2000, and 14.7 ppg and 6.1 rpg with a team high of 59.4 field-goal shooting as a junior in 2000-01 before turning pro early. |
| Haim Shimonovich | F-C | Hawaii | Averaged 6.7 ppg and 6.2 rpg from 2000-01 through 2003-04. Led the Rainbows in rebounding as a sophomore and junior. |
| Yaniv Simpson | G | Monmouth | Averaged 8.5 ppg and hit all 16 of his free-throw attempts as a sophomore in 2007-08 and 7.7 ppg with team-high 53 three-pointers as a junior in 2008-09. |
| Amit Tamir | C | California | Averaged 9.9 ppg and 3.5 rpg and shot 82.9% from the free-throw line as a freshman in 2001-02 before becoming an All-Pacific-10 Conference selection as a sophomore when he averaged 14.9 ppg and 6.5 rpg. Contributed 12.6 ppg and 5.3 rpg as a junior in 2003-04. |
| Mushon Ya'akosi | F | Fordham | Averaged 5.9 ppg and 5.7 rpg from 2002-03 through 2004-05. |
| Jovan Zelenbaba | G | Northwestern State | Averaged 4.7 ppg and 2 rpg from 2019-20 through 2022-23. |
| Guy Zenou | F | Towson | Averaged 5.2 ppg and 2.4 rpg as a freshman in 1998-99. |