Varsity Boys Basketball Advances to Cooper Invitational Championship
The Varsity Boys Basketball team had a strong showing at the Cooper Invitational Championship in Memphis Tennessee, November 2-5.
This is Milken’s second year playing in the tournament, which attracts the best Jewish high schools in the United States and Canada. Last year, the Wildcats were seeded #7 and took third place; this year they rose to the #1 seed.
After progressing fairly easily through the early rounds, the Wildcats advanced to the Tier 1 Championship Game where they faced the #2 Valley Torah Wolfpack. The two Los Angeles schools battled for the championship in an exciting tightly contested matchup. Milken dominated the first two quarters, but Valley Torah came back, claiming the lead after the third quarter.
The electrifying fourth quarter had the crowd on their feet. Both teams traded the lead back and forth. Milken’s forward, Amitai Afenjar ’18, who had been in foul trouble for most of the game, fouled out in the beginning seconds of the final quarter and was sorely missed for the remainder of the game. The quarter ended in a tie after Valley Torah hit a layup with six seconds left; Milken couldn’t convert at the other end. The teams headed to the first overtime in Cooper Invitational Tier 1 history. The game went into an unbelievable four overtimes with the Wildcats eventually falling in a narrow defeat by a score of 61-58.
Despite the loss, there were many positives notes. Aaron Harouni ’18 and Afenjar made the All-Tournament Team. Voted on by the tournament organizers, the team consists of the five best players in the tournament. Harouni was the top Milken scorer with 23 points and Doron Matian ’18 followed with 12 points.
The Wildcats won’t have to wait too long to get another crack at Valley Torah as they will face them during the Milken Classic Basketball tournament the last week of November.
During the Invitational, the team didn’t spend all their time on the court but had the chance to participate in different activities and connect with the community. Thursday night, the team attended the tournament welcome banquet and for the second year in a row, Harouni read the week’s Torah portion before the crowd.
On Shabbat, the team walked to the local temple of the tournament organizer, Joshua Kahane, and later split up to enjoy delicious Shabbat dinners at the homes of three different temple members. At the temple, the team was moved by a wonderful motivational speech given by a visiting rabbi. The evening concluded with a hypnotist who put some of the audience into a hilarious trance. Coach Mike Whiting noted that it was a great night of fellowship and a wonderful way for the team to meet people from Memphis. He remarked, “The whole trip is an unbelievable bonding experience for our team and the Jewish community in general.”
Watching the University of Memphis basketball team practice and meeting Head Coach Tubby Smith was a highlight of the trip and good for Coach Whiting’s players to see the intensity and focus that the college players displayed during the practice.
Coach Whiting raved about the tournament, “This is absolutely the best run tournament I have ever been associated with in the 40-plus years I’ve been involved in basketball. It’s the most wonderful celebration of the Jewish culture and religion, along with some outstanding basketball. Each team will tell you that it’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”
No comments have been posted
At Milken Community School, we think education is more than what you know. Our School, founded on Jewish values, is about who our children can become and how they can help others become who they might be. Because the world our children will create tomorrow is born in the School we build today, our mission is to educate our children so they can surpass us.
Non-discrimination Policy: Milken Community School does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation or national and ethnic origin in the administration of its educational policies, admission policies, financial aid, athletic, and other school-administered programs.
Saperstein Middle School Campus
Upper School Campus
Copyright © 2024 Milken Community School