The Jewish Sport Report: Jewish Maryland star Abby Meyers is ready to take on the NCAA tournament
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Hello, readers of the Jewish sports report!
Thank you to everyone who attended our event, “Jews on First: A Celebration at the World Baseball Classic,” last night in person and online. And those of you who are new to the Jewish Sportreport community, welcome! We are thrilled to have you.
In case you missed last night’s panel, you can watch the recording here:
Read on for more coverage of Israel, as well as a preview of a Jewish player you can see in March Madness.
Meet Abby Meyers, Jewish basketball star in Maryland
Abby Meyers is a star guard on the University of Maryland women’s basketball team. (Courtesy of Maryland Athletics)
The NCAA Division I men’s and women’s basketball tournaments are upon us. As Jewish sports fans, here’s a name you should definitely know if you’re going to the March Madness tournament next week: Abby Meyers.
Their University of Maryland team has a shot at a top spot, as the Terrapins are ranked sixth in the Associated Press’s top 25 and Meyers is the shooting guard, who has averaged 14.5 points and 5.4 rebounds per shot this season game scored.
The Jewish star won a gold medal at the Maccabiah Games last summer, grew up in one of the country’s largest Reform synagogues and loves it when Jewish fans come to her games.
“There’s a really strong Jewish community here at the University of Maryland, and there’s an amazing following of Jewish students who come to my games who support me and love the fact that I’m Jewish,” Meyers told me this week.
Check out my profile of Meyers to learn more about her Jewish upbringing, her experience in Israel and more.
mid-term report
THE STRAWMAN LOVES JERUSALEM. New York Mets legend Darryl Strawberry has a new mission: to promote Israel to non-Jews as an evangelical minister. Strawberry was in New York this week for an event in Israel, so we caught up with the three-time World Series Champion.
PURIM GAME. Former Yeshiva University star Ryan Turell, who now plays for the G League’s Motor City Cruise, returned to New York for the second time this season – on Purim. My colleague Jacob Henry spoke to Turell and his fans about what it means to see the kippah-clad NBA prospect play professionally.
PUCK DROP. Balancing schedules can be difficult for young athletes who observe Shabbat, especially when there are many games on Saturdays. In New Jersey, a youth hockey league relieves stress by housing attentive players with Shabbat-friendly schedules.
TECHNICAL foul. Former NBA star Amar’e Stoudemire has retracted comments he made during a live conversation on social media earlier this week, in which he labeled Jews of European descent as converts and repeated other anti-Semitic conspiracy theories.
ALONG SCHWANERN. Aston Martin Formula 1 driver lance walk put in quite a performance at the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix last week. Stroll finished sixth, just 12 days after undergoing surgery on a broken wrist. Next up is Saudi Arabia on March 19th.
A WBC message from Miami
Ty Kelly bats during Israel’s exhibition game against the Miami Marlins on March 8, 2023 in Jupiter, Fla. (Emma Sharon/MLB)
ICYMI, I’m in Miami for the World Baseball Classic covering all about Team Israel.
On Wednesday, Israel lost a pre-WBC exhibition game 11-5 to the Miami Marlins. After taking a 5-2 lead in the fifth inning, the Marlins’ bats came alive.
“Playing for this team is super important to me,” says veteran Catcher Ryan Lavarnway said after the game. “It was really life changing. And I hope that this next generation of players who are new to this team take the baton and it means as much to them as it does to us.”
Last night Israel knocked out the Washington Nationals 9-0 with an Orthodox prospect Jacob Steinmetz Start for Israel. Matt Mervis, Spencer Horwitz, Ty Kelly And Noah Medlinger all had two goals for Israel. Israel’s pitchers held the Nationals on just six hits and knocked out nine.
Now the real WBC action begins for Israel. Israel will play all four games at the Marlins’ LoanDepot Park and each game will be broadcast on either FS1 or FS2. All times are ET:
- Sunday at 12 p.m.: Israel vs. Nicaragua
- Monday at 7 p.m.: Israel vs. Puerto Rico
- Tuesday at 7 p.m.: Israel vs. Dominican Republic
- Wednesday at 12 p.m.: Israel vs. Venezuela
Two teams from each pool advance, meaning Israel will likely need to win two games to progress to the next round. Be sure to follow us on Twitter @JTASportReport for daily coverage.
See Jews in sports this weekend
⚾ IN BASEBALL…
Team Israel’s full schedule is listed above. Rowdy Tellezwho plays for Team Mexico faces Colombia tomorrow at 2:30pm ET and Team USA on Sunday at 10:00pm ET.
🏒 IN HOCKEY…
QuinnHughes and the Vancouver Canucks go head-to-head Jacob Chychrun and his new squad, the Ottawa Senators, tomorrow at 10:00 p.m. ET. Sunday at 4 p.m. ET, Adam Fox and the New York Rangers are playing Jason Sugar and the Pittsburgh penguins.
🏀 IN BASKETBALL…
The Washington Wizards and Deni Avdijawho’s had his moments but is still looking for more consistency on the court, welcomes the Atlanta Hawks tonight at 7 p.m. ET and meets the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday at 6 p.m. ET. Ryan Turell and the Motor City Cruise play the Fort Wayne Mad Ants tomorrow at 7pm ET.
⛳ IN THE GOLF…
Max Homa And David Lipsky both compete in the PGA Players Championship here in Florida this weekend. Homa is ranked seventh in the PGA World Rankings.
Join the Jewish Sport Report’s Bracket Challenge!
March Madness is here, which means it’s time to fill in those brackets. We’ve created a bracket group for Jewish Sport Report readers on ESPN — join here! The password is “jsr2023”. You can create up to five brackets, and the winner of our group wins… our admiration! Come, play and interact with other Jewish sports fans.