The world is a busy place and following sports often provides a refuge from our day-to-day concerns. Something you might have missed is the University of Connecticut’s men’s basketball team is again sitting on top of the world. The season’s not over yet, but the team is ranked number one in the country.
We’ve always had warm feelings for this team, in no small measure because its early successes were partly built on Coach Jim Calhoun’s outreach to Israel for basketball talent.
Nadav Henefeld helped anchor the team that went to the NCAA’s Sweet Sixteen in the mid-90s, and Doron Sheffer had a role in more recent successes. Both players went on to play on the Israeli championship team Maccabi Tel Aviv, a frequent contender for the European Cup. Sheffer played on the team that won the Cup last year.
It reminds us too, sadly, of why we won’t see many Israeli players here on top-flight teams. A NCAA rule change of a few years ago put an age limit on foreign competitors, which had the effect of limiting Israeli players’ eligibility on Division I teams. While we’re certain there was nothing about the new rule specifically aimed at Israelis, it nonetheless had the consequence of precluding Israelis from playing ball here. Israel’s military obligation for all of its citizens means older incoming freshmen with only a few years of NCAA eligibility, and this is something most Division I programs would rather not deal with.
Calhoun still visits Israel on occasion, and UConn has had a handful of Israelis in other sports like men’s soccer, but the days of number one ranked Huskies having an Israeli on its roster seems to be behind us.
In any event, best wishes to the Huskies as we come closer to March Madness. UConn basketball is certainly Connecticut’s team and the Ledger’s team as well.
–nrg

[The Ledger produced 1,000 of the Huskies hats in the accompanying picture. They traveled to Israel on a Husky team trip and were worn at many of the games played by Doron Sheffer.]

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