The scene was surreal. The atmosphere in the gym
was indescribable; as the air seemed to be full of
aura and mystique. Glancing at center court one was
struck by a sea of maroon
and white. Players, coaches, and fans gathered
together in celebration of this historic event. The
expression on Assistant Coach David Kornbluth's face
said it all; as
tears of joy trickled from his
eyes. It was almost as if you had to take a step
back, pinch yourself, and make sure this wasn't all
one big dream. It wasn't. It was a dream come true.
To cap off the best season in Yeshiva
basketball
history, the Storm were crowned as Tier II
Champions of Yeshiva University's 14th Annual Red
Saracheck Tournament.
Twenty teams from
Jewish
high schools from all over North America
competed
for the trophies which only three teams, including
WYHS, won.
The Storm entered the tournament with the hopes of
bringing home some hardware. Although many
doubted their chances, the team remained confident
in their ability to perform. It was put best by
Tier
II M.V.P. Jon Struhl ('06) who said after his
team's victory-"No one gave us a chance coming
into this thing. Today we proved them all wrong".
The Storm defeated the Hyman Brand Hebrew
Academy (Kansas City) and Yeshiva Ohr Chaim
(Toronto) en route to winning Tier II.
During their magical run through Saracheck, the
Storm became the
first WYHS team to win a Y.U.
Tournament Championship. Throughout the
week, the Storm were led by the clutch play of Josh
Goldberg ('06) who always seemed to deliver the big-
play at "crunch-time". In addition, the offense
benefited from the superb play of Jon Struhl ('06)
and Daniel Poliak ('06) who provided a potent one-
two scoring punch.
However, much of the credit is deserving of the
coaching staff, which consists of Head
Coach Jon
Kaweblum and Assistant Coach David Kornbluth.
Their hard work and dedication proved to be the key
component that made this season so remarkable.
Many say you can tell the difference between a good
team and a great team based on their identity and
the way they carry themselves. A team's identity
usually reflects the personality of their head coach.
The Storm's perseverance and "team-first" mentality
truly defines the attitude of head coach Jon
Kaweblum.
For seniors Yoni Schiff, Jake Singer and Dovi Lamet,
winning the championship was a fitting way to end
their high school careers. It was the culmination of a
season filled with everlasting memories.
The 51-41 win over Ohr Chaim was especially
meaningful for long-time assistant David "Coach K"
Kornbluth. Coach K has served as the assistant
coach since the team's inauguration. After enduring
long painful seasons and constant struggles, this
championship was all the more special.
The Tier II Championship was the perfect ending to
the
best season in school history. That
Sunday
afternoon victory provided us with a priceless
moment frozen in time. Counting down the seconds
till victory, sent chills through my spine, as fans
prepared to storm the court. The image of players,
coaches, and fans embracing one another is one that
anyone involved with this team will never forget.
Thank you for the memories.
From the desk of
