Tamir Goodman, reliving tradition

PHILADELPHIA -- This guy can play.

That's what basketball experts around the country are saying about the "Jewish Jordan," Tamir Goodman, an observant Orthodox Jew who made his college basketball debut for Towson University on Saturday.

Mr. Goodman, who averaged 25 points and nine assists per game for Takoma Academy in his senior year, was named second team All-Beltway and honorable mention All-Metro and was selected co-Most Valuable Player for the Capital All-Stars in the Capital Classic. He has been profiled in Sports Illustrated and on "60 Minutes," as well as many other media outlets. He is also going against the grain of a misleading stereotype regarding Jews and sports, particularly basketball.

To most people today, Jewish basketball is an oxymoron right up there with jumbo shrimp. When people think of Jewish basketball, they may picture old fat guys named Shecky and Moe hoisting two-handed set shots at the local gym. But people forget that 60 or 70 years ago, basketball was important in the lives of young Jews, at least for those in the cities who played the game incessantly.

As described in a 1992 book by Peter Levine, "Ellis Island to Ebbets Field: Sport and the American Jewish Experience," there was about 100 years ago a popular view of Jews as being inferior, physically incompetent and repulsed by athletics.

Children of Jewish immigrants turned to sports to challenge these stereotypes. As spectators and as participants, Jewish involvement in basketball, especially between 1900 and 1950, was greater than in any other sport. By the late 1930s, sportswriters described basketball as the "Jewish" game.

Philadelphia's Jewish Basketball League, or JBL, which has been going since 1902, is one of America's oldest leagues. Many outstanding players and coaches got their start there, including the legendary Temple University coach Harry Litwack; Eddie Gottlieb, who later founded the professional Philadelphia Warriors; and Nat Holman, who played for the original Celtics.

In the 1920s and 1930s, JBL games drew 1,000 to 1,500 fans, attracted college scouts and received extensive newspaper coverage. There was genuine enthusiasm in the Jewish community when the JBL was ready to start its season, and women would holler for every basket.

Games were played Tuesday and Sunday nights. The Sunday games were followed by a dance. The players would stick around and socialize, and many of them would meet their future wives at the dances. The players may have been enemies on the court, but many became lifelong friends and formed an active alumni association, which currently boasts more than 400 members.

It's the cultural aspect of the JBL that makes it unique. You won't confuse the JBL's opening game ceremonies with the Chicago Bulls' pre-game light show. At the beginning of each season, "Hatikvah," the Israeli national anthem, is played in addition to the "Star Spangled Banner."

During some seasons, a rabbi offers a prayer to protect the players from injury before the opening game of the season. During Hanukkah, there's a Menorah-lighting ceremony at half-court. Many JBL spectators are alumni who played during the league's glory days of the 1930s.

So when you see Tamir Goodman play for Towson University, remember that he's really just part of the tradition of Jewish basketball.

Larry Atkins is a lawyer and writer who lives in Philadelphia.