Jakob Wortman of Ida Crown is the 2023-24 Jewish Hoops America Player of the Year, beating out five other players who got votes as the season’s best player.
The Coach of the Year is Maimonides’ Ed Gelb and Underclassman of the Year is sophomore Alex August of Berman Hebrew Academy.
While the top player did not come from Southern California for the first time since 2019, six of the top 15 honorees this year played for CIF Southern Section schools.
Wortman was one of JHA’s top scorers, averaging 23 points for the Aces while grabbing 7 rebounds and dishing out 6 assists per game, and became the school’s first ever national Player of the Year. He edged out YULA senior Yishai Rosenblatt and Shalhevet junior Aiden Bitran in the most wide open selection for top player. Joining them on the 1st Team All Jewish Hoops America were seniors Mark Sardar of Magen David and Ethan List of Valley Torah.
Rosenblatt, Bitran, Sardar, List and YULA junior Alex Gabbay also got votes for Player of the Year.
Gabbay joins seniors Moses Smeke of Magen David, Harry Kitey of Weber Atlanta and Netanel Jacobs of Fuchs Mizrachi and junior Brandon Klein of Milken on the 2nd Team All Jewish Hoops America.
The 3rd Team All Jewish Hoops America includes seniors Beni Keda of Flatbush, Michael Cohen of Beth Tfiloh, Kevin Levy of HAFTR, Yonah Light of Tarbut vTorah and Ben Lasry of Jewish Culture.
August beat out sophomores Sam Jacobson of Shalhevet and Jack Silberstein of San Diego Jewish Academy and freshman Simon Alloul of Hebrew Academy Montreal in a deep field of top underclassmen. He averaged 21 points per game and had a school-record 133 3-pointers in his second year as a varsity starter and first as the team’s top go-to player.
Others considered were sophomores Ethan Abeles of San Diego Jewish Academy; Solly Bielsky of Denver Jewish Day; Caleb Gdanski of H.A. Miami; Gabey Margulies of Berman H.A.; Ben Mahgerefteh of Valley Torah; Rafi Miller of Beren Houston; and Sam Weichbrodt and Evan Kaufthal of Northwest Yeshiva HS; and freshmen Moshe Jacobs of Fuchs Mizrachi and Yaacov Ohayon of H.A. Montreal.
Gelb led the 26-5 M-Cats to their best season ever and beat out Magen David’s Ike Dweck and Berman H.A.’s Yonah Singer for Coach of the Year. The M-Cats finished #12 in the JHA Top 25, reached Tier 1 in the Sarachek Tournament and had a 25-game win streak that ended with their only loss in Massachussetts in the Division 4 Round of 16 to the eventual champion, the furthest Maimo ever went in the state playoffs.
Other coaches considered were Jared Axon of Jewish Culture, Ari Braun of Beth Tfiloh, Ryan Coleman of Shalhevet, Marty Dello of Rochelle Zell, Dovey Forman of Ohr Yisroel, Ted Garber of Leffell, Mike Pollack of YULA and Kevin Poniatoski of San Diego Jewish Academy.
1st Team All-Jewish Hoops America
Jakob Wortman, Sr., Ida Crown/Skokie,IL
Yishai Rosenblatt, Sr., YULA/Los Angeles,CA
Aiden Bitran, Jr., Shalhevet/Los Angeles,CA
Mark Sardar, Sr., Magen David/Brooklyn,NY
Ethan List, Sr., Valley Torah/Valley Village,CA
2nd Team All-Jewish Hoops America
Alex Gabbay, Jr., YULA/Los Angeles,CA
Moses Smeke, Sr., Magen David/Brooklyn,NY
Harry Kitey, Sr., Weber School/Sandy Springs,GA
Brandon Klein, Jr., Milken/Los Angeles,CA
Netanel Jacobs, Sr., Fuchs Mizrachi/Beechwood,OH
3rd Team All-Jewish Hoops America
Beni Keda, Sr., Flatbush/Brooklyn,NY
Michael Cohen, Sr., Beth Tfiloh/Baltimore,MD
Kevin Levy, Sr., HAFTR/Cedarhurst,NY
Yonah Light, Sr., Tarbut vTorah/Irvine,CA
Ben Lasry, Sr., Jewish Culture/North Miami,FL
Honorable Mention
Joe Aaron, Jr., DRS/Woodmere,NY
Simon Alloul, So.,H.A. Montreal/Montreal,QU
Alex August, So., Berman H.A./Rockville,MD
Daniel Benjamini, Sr., Kohelet/Merion Station,PA
Joe Benoliel, Jr., Northwest Yeshiva HS/Mercer Island,WA
Evan Berkowitz, Sr., Frisch/Paramus,NJ
Eli Braha, Jr., Hillel/Ocean,NJ
Aiden Buchbinder, Sr., DRS/Woodmere,NY
Joshua Chabbott, Jr., Magen David/Brooklyn,NY
Ben Edidin, Sr., Katz YHS/Boca Raton,FL
Liad Edry, Jr., deToledo/West Hills,CA
Ayden Gurin, Sr., TABC/Teaneck,NY
Sam Jacobson, So., Shalhevet/Los Angeles,CA
Eyal Kinderlehrer, Jr., TABC/Teaneck,NJ
Ittai Kohavi, Sr., Kehillah Jewish/Palo Alto,CA
Milan Kushner, Jr., Ramaz/New York,NY
Rafi Miller, So., Beren Academy/Houstin,TX
Matthew Mintz, Sr., Emery Weiner/Houstin,TX
Max Mogyoros, Sr., Mesivta/Bala Cynwyd,PA
Avi Okner, Jr., Ida Crown/Skokie,IL
Daniel Pollack, Sr., H.A. Miami/Miami Beach,FL
Gabriel R’Bibo, Sr., Valley Torah/Valley Village,CA
Judah Robin, Sr., YULA/Los Angeles,CA
Reuven Rozehzadeh, Sr., Ohr Yisroel/Tenafly,NJ
Jake Schloss, Sr., Beth Tfiloh/Baltimore,MD
Jesse Shapira, Sr., Rochelle Zell/Deerfield,IL
Jaden Shir, Sr., Posnack Jewish Day/Davie,FL
Jack Silberstein, So., San Diego Jewish Academy/San Diego,CA
Russell Wechsler, Jr., Leffell/Hartsdale,NY
Nate Weinstock,Sr., Maimonides/Brookline,MA
Keenan Winnerman, Sr., Denver Jewish Day/Denver,CO
Jordan Zarka, Sr., North Shore H.A./Great Neck,NY
Ophir Zetouni, Sr., Rochelle Zell/Deerfield,IL
Final JHA National Top 25
1.YULA/Los Angeles,CA ………………………26-13
2.Magen David/Brooklyn,NY …..………….38-3
3.Rochelle Zell/Deerfield,IL……………….….23-8
4.Flatbush/Brooklyn,NY…………………………26-7
5.North Shore H.A.………………………………..16-17
6.TABC/Teaneck,NJ … ….………..…….………..17-6
7.Shalhevet/Los Angeles,CA…………………26-13
8.Milken/Los Angeles,CA……………………….22-10
9.Ida Crown/Chicago,IL…………………….…….17-9
10.Valley Torah/Valley Village,CA……………24-8
11.Beth Tfiloh/Baltimore,MD…………………….27-10
12.Maimonides/Brookline,MA…………….……26-5
13.Posnack Jewish Day/Davie,FL……………16-6
14.Hebrew Academy/Miami Beach,FL……17-11
15.DRS/Woodmere,NY………………………………18-12
16.HAFTR/Cedarhurst,NY…………………………18-18
17.Berman H.A./Rockville,MD…………………..25-13
TieJewish Culture HS/Miami Beach,FL……17-9
19.Fuchs Mizrachi/Beachwood,OH…….…...17-12
TieRamaz/New York,NY……………………………23-17
21.deToledo/West Hills,CA…………………………14-11
22.Leffell/Hartsdale,NY……………………………..13-9
23.Denver JDS/Denver,CO………………………19-5
24.Katz YHS/Boca Raton,FL………………………17-9
25.Frisch/Paramus,NJ …………………….…….…..12-8
TieSAR/Bronx,NY………………………………………..9-13
Past Players of the Year
2023 Johny Dan, Valley Torah
2022 Johny Dan, Valley Torah
2020/2021 Albert Fallas, YULA/Zev Remer, Shalhevet
2019 Judah Oppenheimer, SAR
2018 Ryan Turell, Valley Torah
2017 Bryan Knapp, Jewish Day School
2016 Gabriel Leifer, DRS
2015 Josh Newlander, Chicagoland Jewish (Rochelle Zell)
2014 Josh Newlander, Chicagoland Jewish
2013 Zach Yoshor, Beren Houston
2012 Jack Gindi, YULA
2011 Yisroel Feld, MTA/Jack Gindi, YULA
2010 Eric Avdee, Tarbut vTorah
2009 Eitan Chemerinski, Jewish Day School
2008 Jordan Marcus, Schechter NJ (now Golda Och)
2007 Solomon Schoonover, Hillel Miami
Past Coaches of the Year
2023 Shalom Babayev, North Shore H.A.
2022 Lior Schwartzberg, Valley Torah
2020/2021 David Zimmerman, Yavneh Dallas
2019 Evan Pickman, Heschel
2018 Ryan Coleman, Shalhevet
2017 Mike Whiting, Milken
2016 Avrum Stein, DRS
2015 Joe Schwartz, Frisch
2014 Dwight Hollins, Fuchs Mizrachi
2013 Marty Dello, Chicagoland Jewish (Rochelle Zell)
2012 Richard Lewis, Cooper Memphis
2011 Rafi Halpert, SAR
2010 Patrick Roberts, Tarbut vTorah
2009 Elliot Steinmetz, HANC
2008 Howard Braun, Ida Crown
2007 Howard Braun, Ida Crown