On the strength of its Glouberman Tournament championship, the Shalhevet Firehawks are the near-unanimous choice as the top team in the first Jewish Hoops America National Top 25 poll for 2024-25.
The Firehawks got 9 of 10 1st Place votes, with YULA, the team they beat in the Glouberman final, getting the other vote. The Panthers lost three starters to graduation from last year’s JHA #1 team.
Rounding out the Top 5 are Yeshiva League teams DRS, SAR and TABC. DRS topped SAR in the Magen David Tournament final last month.
Berman Hebrew Academy has its highest ever ranking at #6 after leading Shalhevet most of the way in the Glouberman semifinals.
The rankings come out on the eve of the Memphis Yeshiva Invitational, where 12 of the 16 teams are in the Top 25.
Most of the ranked teams return from last year’s Top 25, with four newcomers, Hillel, Fasman, YDE and H.A. Montreal. The Heat are ranked for the first time.
The Top 25 is generally released each Monday and Tuesday and reflect games played through Sunday. Expect lots of shifting next week after the Memphis tourney, especially in the middle of the pack where the 11th through 15th teams are currently separated by only three votes.
Team……………………………………………………………..Record……….Votes……….Prev
1.Shalhevet/Los Angeles,CA(9)…………………….5-0…………249……………….-
2.YULA/Los Angeles,CA (1)……………………………4-1…….……238…..…………..-
3.DRS/Woodmere,NY………………………………………7-1…………224……………….-
4.SAR/Bronx,NY……………………………………………….9-2………..214………………..-
5.TABC/Teaneck,NJ … ….………..…….…………..,……3-1….…….209…...………….-
6.Berman H.A./Rockville,MD…………………………..4-1…………187.……..………..-
7.Hillel/Ocean,NJ……………………………………………….3-1…………180……………….-
8.Ida Crown/Chicago,IL…………………….….…….……0-0…….….146……..………..-
9.Katz YHS/Boca Raton,FL………………………………0-0…………138……………….-
10.Milken/Los Angeles,CA……………………………….0-0…………137………………..-
11.Ramaz/New York,NY……………………………………..6-3…………121…………………-
TieRochelle Zell/Deerfield,IL………………….………..0-0….…….121……..………….-
TieValley Torah/Valley Village,CA……………………0-0………..121…………………-
14.Posnack Jewish Day/Davie,FL…………………….0-0…….….120………………..-
15.Frisch/Paramus,NJ …………………….…….………….…2-4.……….118…………………-
16.Maimonides/Brookline,MA…………….……………..0-0…………105……………….-
17.Magen David/Brooklyn,NY(1) …..………..…………..4-3….……..81……...…………-
TieNorth Shore H.A./Great Neck,NY…………………1-3………….81………………...-
19.HAFTR/Cedarhurst,NY…………………………………….3-4…………68………………..-
20.Jewish Culture HS/Miami Beach,FL………….,,,,3-3…………61………………..-
21.Leffell/Hartsdale,NY………………………………………….0-0…………56……………….-
22.deToledo/West Hills,CA…………………………………..0-0…………34……………..…-
23.Fasman Yeshiva/Skokie,IL……………………………..0-0………….30…………….…-
24.YDE/Brooklyn,NY……………………………………………..3-2………….26……………….-
25.Hebrew Academy/Montreal,QB…………………….1-0…………..24……………….-
Others receiving votes: Denver Jewish Day, 22; MTA, 21; Fuchs Mizrachi, 16; Jewish Day School, 16; Heschel, 15; Beth Tfiloh, 14; Flatbush, 12; Barrack H.A., 11; San Diego Jewish Academy, 7; Tarbut vTorah, 6; King David HS, 5; Emery Weiner, 4; Donna Klein Jewish Academy, 3; Ecole Maimonide, 3; Ohr Yisroel, 3; Or Chaim Toronto, 2; Akiba Yavneh Dallas, 1.