Shalhevet’s Yalee Schwartz is the 2022-23 Jewish Hoops America Player of the Year after leading the Firehawks to a California state title.
The Coach of the Year is Becky Silberman of Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School and sophomore Daphna Steinmetz of SKA is the Underclassman of the Year.
Schwartz, a junior, also won top player last year when JHA began the girls’ awards. She led the Firehawks with 20 points per game as they became the first Jewish team ever in the United States to win a girls’ state title.
Joining Schwartz and Steinmetz on the 1st Team All-Jewish Hoops America are seniors Jenny Kagan of Berman Hebrew Academy and Eden Singer of Barrack Hebrew Academy and junior Shani Schwartz of Jewish Day School.
Making the 2nd Team are seniors Megan Horowitz of SAR, Samara Glazer of CHAT and Ilana Schwartz of Ida Crown and juniors Samantha Pruzansky of Frisch and Arielle Grossman of Shalhevet.
The 3rd Team is senior Naomi Sigman of SKA, junior Ayelet Ostrin of Ma’ayanot, sophomores Kira Heumann of YULA and Lily Yalovsky of Yavneh Dallas and freshman Eliana Wolfson of H.A. Miami.
Steinmetz averaged 20 points per game and led the Sonics to an undefeated season, the Yeshiva League championship and the #2 JHA ranking. Others considered for Underclassman of the Year were Heumann, Yalovsky, and Wolfson and sophomores Leah Kaplan and Eden Taieb of Maimonides and Alana Rubensohn of HANC and freshmen Dina Lavian of HANC and Tali Loeffler of Jewish Day School.
Silberman paced the JDS Lions to the championship of the Potomac Valley Athletic Conference and a #7 ranking in the JHA Top 18. Other coaches considered were Ryan Coleman of Shalhevet, Batsheva Aaron of SKA, Sean Rochester of Barrack H.A. and Brittany Peters of Ida Crown.
1ST TEAM ALL-JEWISH HOOPS AMERICA
Yalee Schwartz, Jr., Shalhevet/Los Angeles,CA
Jenny Kagan, Sr., Berman H.A./Rockville,MD
Eden Singer, Sr., Barrack H.A./Bryn Mawr,PA
Shani Schwartz, Jr., Jewish Day School/Rockville,MD
Daphna Steinmetz, So., SKA/Cedarhurst,NY
2ND TEAM ALL-JEWISH HOOPS AMERICA
Megan Horowitz, Sr., SAR/Bronx,NY
Ilana Schwartz, Jr., Ida Crown/Skokie,IL
Samara Glazer, Sr., CHAT/Toronto,ON
Samantha Pruzansky, Jr., Frisch/Paramus,NJ
Arielle Grossman, Jr., Shalhevet/Los Angeles,CA
3RD TEAM ALL-JEWISH HOOPS AMERICA
Naomi Sigman, Sr., SKA/Cedarhurst,NY
Ayelet Ostrin, Jr., Ma’ayanot/Teaneck,NJ
Kira Heumann, So., YULA/Los Angeles,CA
Lily Yalovsky, So., Yavneh/Dallas,TX
Eliana Wolfson, Fr., H.A. Miami/Miami Beach,FL
HONORABLE MENTION
Simone Amkraut, Sr., Flatbush
Carmel Baratz, Jr., CHAT
Simona Goldberg, Sr., SKA
Alexa Heumann, Sr., YULA
Leah Kaplan, So., Maimonides
Merle Kassab, Jr., Flatbush
Dahlia Leibowitz, Sr., Beth Tfiloh
Coral Levy, Sr., HANC
Natalie Neusner, Sr., Maimonides
Rachel Sedaghat, Jr., Schechter-L.I.
Talia Sporkin, Sr., Jewish Day School
Talia Tibi, Sr., Shalhevet
Mikayla Trajtenberg, Fr., Barrack H.A.
Jenna Ufberg, Sr., Barrack H.A.
Ma’ayan Zakheim, Sr., Berman H.A.
FINAL JHA TOP 18
1.Shalhevet/Los Angeles,CA…………………31-2……………..1
2.SKA/Hewlett,NY……………………………………15-0…………….2
3.Tanenbaum CHAT/Toronto,ON………….21-1……………..3
4.Barrack H.A./Bryn Mawr,PA…………………19-8……………5
5.Frisch/Paramus,NJ………………………………..17-3…………….4
6.Ida Crown/Skokie,IL……………………………..20-5…………..7
7.Berman H.A./Rockville,MD…………………..26-5…………..6
8.Jewish Day School/Rockville,MD……….21-6……………8
9.Ma’ayanot/Teaneck,NJ…………………………11-8…………….9
10.YULA/Los Angeles,CA…………………………19-16………….10
11.Flatbush/Brooklyn,NY…………………………..13-6…………….11
12.HAFTR/Cedarhurst,NY………………………..17-10…………...13
13.Milken/Los Angeles,CA……………………….9-13……………12
14.Yavneh/Dallas,TX…………………………………21-8…………….14
15.Hebrew Academy/Miami Beach,FL….12-10………….…15
16.SAR/Bronx,NY………………………………………10-7……………...16
17.Ramaz/New York,NY……………………………10-13…………….17
18.Fuchs Mizrachi/Beachwood,OH………13-12…………....18
PAST PLAYERS OF THE YEAR
2022 - Yalee Schwartz, Shalhevet
PAST COACHES OF THE YEAR
2022 - Ryan Coleman, Shalhevet