The_Whale
12-06-2007, 11:46 AM
http://www.washingtontimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071206/SPORTS/112060097/1005/SPORTS
Tamir Goodman sat at the podium, a yarmulke covering his red hair. The one-time Maryland basketball recruit and phenom dubbed the "Jewish Jordan" by Sports Illustrated and featured on "60 Minutes" talked about finally getting an opportunity to professional basketball in America.
Goodman, now a 25-year-old father of two, has been on a basketball odyssey since becoming a cultural phenom as an unlikely star at the Talmudical Academy in Baltimore. The point guard never played at Maryland after verbally committing in 1998. It ended with a bitter breakup, partially over the Orthodox Jew's refusal to play on the Jewish Sabbath from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday and partially over concerns about his ability to compete in the ACC.
He went on to play at Towson but left after two seasons following a dispute in which he accused coach Michael Hunt of holding a chair over his head and kicking a stool that hit Goodman's leg.
Goodman spent the past five seasons playing professionally in Israel.
Yesterday, the 6-foot-3, 175-pound guard sat between Randy "White Chocolate" Gill and streetball legend Tyron "The Black Widow" Evans while being introduced as the latest acquisition of the Maryland Nighthawks, a minor league team that will play in the inaugural season of the Premier Basketball League.
"Up until a couple of months ago, I thought I would finish my career in Israel because you don't have to play on Saturday, the Sabbath," Goodman said. "To me, this is a miracle."
Goodman will be excused from the three road games scheduled on the Sabbath, but there are no other conflicts in the 20-game slate.
The Nighthawks will make road arrangements — perhaps leaving a day early — to ensure Goodman does not travel on the Sabbath and will supply him with kosher meals.
"This is somebody who epitomizes not only our team but what the league should be," said Nighthawks owner Tom Doyle, who founded the family-friendly league. "It's not an issue. There are bigger concerns in life than basketball."
Doyle, who brought in 7-foot-9 Sun Ming Ming from China — the world's tallest player — last season when the franchise played in the American Basketball Association, worked out a deal with Goodman after the two began e-mailing a few months ago.
Goodman is expected to start when the Nighthawks open their schedule Jan. 4 at their homecourt at Georgetown Prep in North Bethesda.
"Not that I seek out somebody because of their ethnicity or their religious beliefs, [but] he is somebody the Jewish community, and particularly the Orthodox Jewish community, want to see," said Doyle, who plans to take advantage of Goodman's celebrity to promote camps, clinics and merchandise. "He has that hero status."
Many around the Nighthawks know Goodman's story, but few have seen him play. Former NBA and Syracuse player Lawrence Moten is the new coach. He met Goodman for the first time yesterday and was impressed but is anxious to see how the star with the unusual background fares on the court.
"Everybody is curious," Moten said. "All I knew is he was the 'Jewish Jordan' going to Maryland, and then I kind of lost track. I talk to some guys who I consider to know the game, and they say he is not bad. If he played in Israel for five years, he can play the game. I think he will help the team and in the community. He attracts a different element."
Tamir Goodman sat at the podium, a yarmulke covering his red hair. The one-time Maryland basketball recruit and phenom dubbed the "Jewish Jordan" by Sports Illustrated and featured on "60 Minutes" talked about finally getting an opportunity to professional basketball in America.
Goodman, now a 25-year-old father of two, has been on a basketball odyssey since becoming a cultural phenom as an unlikely star at the Talmudical Academy in Baltimore. The point guard never played at Maryland after verbally committing in 1998. It ended with a bitter breakup, partially over the Orthodox Jew's refusal to play on the Jewish Sabbath from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday and partially over concerns about his ability to compete in the ACC.
He went on to play at Towson but left after two seasons following a dispute in which he accused coach Michael Hunt of holding a chair over his head and kicking a stool that hit Goodman's leg.
Goodman spent the past five seasons playing professionally in Israel.
Yesterday, the 6-foot-3, 175-pound guard sat between Randy "White Chocolate" Gill and streetball legend Tyron "The Black Widow" Evans while being introduced as the latest acquisition of the Maryland Nighthawks, a minor league team that will play in the inaugural season of the Premier Basketball League.
"Up until a couple of months ago, I thought I would finish my career in Israel because you don't have to play on Saturday, the Sabbath," Goodman said. "To me, this is a miracle."
Goodman will be excused from the three road games scheduled on the Sabbath, but there are no other conflicts in the 20-game slate.
The Nighthawks will make road arrangements — perhaps leaving a day early — to ensure Goodman does not travel on the Sabbath and will supply him with kosher meals.
"This is somebody who epitomizes not only our team but what the league should be," said Nighthawks owner Tom Doyle, who founded the family-friendly league. "It's not an issue. There are bigger concerns in life than basketball."
Doyle, who brought in 7-foot-9 Sun Ming Ming from China — the world's tallest player — last season when the franchise played in the American Basketball Association, worked out a deal with Goodman after the two began e-mailing a few months ago.
Goodman is expected to start when the Nighthawks open their schedule Jan. 4 at their homecourt at Georgetown Prep in North Bethesda.
"Not that I seek out somebody because of their ethnicity or their religious beliefs, [but] he is somebody the Jewish community, and particularly the Orthodox Jewish community, want to see," said Doyle, who plans to take advantage of Goodman's celebrity to promote camps, clinics and merchandise. "He has that hero status."
Many around the Nighthawks know Goodman's story, but few have seen him play. Former NBA and Syracuse player Lawrence Moten is the new coach. He met Goodman for the first time yesterday and was impressed but is anxious to see how the star with the unusual background fares on the court.
"Everybody is curious," Moten said. "All I knew is he was the 'Jewish Jordan' going to Maryland, and then I kind of lost track. I talk to some guys who I consider to know the game, and they say he is not bad. If he played in Israel for five years, he can play the game. I think he will help the team and in the community. He attracts a different element."