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YULA Head of School Reflects on Sarachek Championship

Rabbi Arye Sufrin, Head of School For YULA Explains What Made This Year’s Squad Special
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April 7, 2024
Screenshot from Instagram

A number of things stood out to Rabbi Arye Sufrin that made him proud the basketball team won the Red Sarachek Tournament 69-59 over Magen David.

MIDOT

“I’m a sports fan but I’m not at the game as a sports fan, I’m there as a fan of the students,” Sufrin told the Journal. “Whether it’s Model U.N. the Jazz Ensemble or Athletics, it’s important for students to see the staff is there. But I think it’s extremely important for the world to see midot. Our fans were told not to immediately storm the court. They were to wait until the teams shook hands and then they could storm the court. I think it makes a difference and is more respectful to the opponent.”

Another moment that made him smile showed the YULA spirit: You are never supposed to let circumstances bring you down.

RUACH

“Magen David hit a beautiful, wonderful shot to send the game to overtime,” Sufrin said. “But it was great to see the YULA fans were singing. They sang at different parts of the game, but they were singing to give strength and be positive. Some fans, thinking their team was about to win, only for the other team to make a great shot, they would be silent or stunned, but that’s not our way. We have the YULA Ruach.

Be a Mensch

Many students took separate trips to New York so they were able to see a great turnout. Sufrin text messages from alumni across the whole world. As proud as he was for what the players did on the court, he is more proud for what they did off the court.

“More than basketball accomplishments, these are special kids who are committed to Torah growth and succeeding academically, in their menschlachkait … That is wonderful to see.”- Rabbi Arye Sufrin

“More than basketball accomplishments, these are special kids who are committed to Torah growth and succeeding academically, in their menschlachkait” he said. “That is wonderful to see.”

Be Prepared, Not Overconfident

“We made it to the CIF Finals, something YULA had never done before,” he said, adding that the team was battle-tested. He said he knew at crunch time, the players would not be nervous.

In the CIF playoffs, YULA beat Valley Christian Academy 65-41, Workman 57-45, Costa Mesa 71-61, Price 47-44 and then lost a tight game to Cerritos 60-51. Head coach Michael Pollack, a former YULA player and YU player always had the team ready.

“At the same time we knew there were talented teams here even though we hadn’t played them,” he said. “Playing against non-Jewish teams, we didn’t experience antisemitism, but it’s not common that guys with yarmulkes are beating them, We didn’t take anything for granted. In games when we were down, we stayed calm and that is a testament to the fine example of the coaching staff.”

Alex Gabbay

He said many fans watching the game might have simply thought that junior Alex Gabbay was faster than everyone else. And he was. But there was much more to the story. It’s impressive but not a shock that Gabbay scored 10 points in overtime. Asked if he gave the player a bracha, he laughed.

“Alex Gabbay didn’t need a bracha from me,” he said. “He’s the epitome of hard work and consistency This is a kid who wakes up at 6:00 a.m. to work out and works out at night. He constantly asks me for more gym time. He deserved to have that moment of MVP because of the hard work he put into it to get those results. It didn’t’ come from out of nowhere. It came from years and years of hard work. He’s a humble kid and isn’t looking for accolades.”

Yishai Rosenblatt

The senior was hit and had a bloody nose at a crucial point in the fourth quarter when the team was trailing.

“He went into the locker room and as soon as they stopped the bleeding, he ran back and went in and scored like nothing happened and had to have something in his nose,” he said.

Leadership

“It’s a really special; group of guys,” he said. “It’s a reflection of the coaching staff. The team has been tested the whole year. They got all the way to the CIF championship which had never been done in the history of YULA. They were ready for the moment. The coaching staff set the tone. There were four seniors on the team, so their experience helped give the right mindset. The culture of the school is to never let yourself get down when things are tough. There were ups and downs but they were always ready. The key was there was humility and a team first mentality.”

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