The Yeshiva University Maccabees set records last season but ultimately came up short and suffered a first round loss at the hand of Johns Hopkins in the NCAA tournament. The Macs reached the ranking of #1 nationally and built a win streak up to 50 consecutive games before their exit.
The Yeshiva University Maccabees enter this season with the difficult task of trying to maintain the success of recent years with an almost entirely new roster. The Macs need to replace six of their top seven scorers, including stars Ryan Turell and Gabriel Leifer, as well as Eitan Halpert and Ofek Reef, and many of their new recruits will have to take on that responsibility. The lone returning member of the Macs team from a season ago to have played more than 12 minutes per game is Senior Matan Zucker. Zucker, who was the Most Outstanding Player in last year's Skyline Championship, will likely be called upon to play an even bigger role this season.
Among the incoming players to watch for are backcourt members Zevi Samet from TABC and Max Zakheim, who played for Division I Bryant University last season. Other newcomers include Daniel Margusov and Dothan Bardichev, who will be depended upon to help replace some of the length lost with the departures of Turell and Leifer, as they are both versatile big guys that can play inside and out. Both Margusov and Bardichev also figure to contribute by stretching the floor. For a full roster preview, click here.
The Macs’ schedule features meetings with three ranked opponents and begins on November 9 with a stiff test on the road against the #13 Saint Joseph Blue Jays. Last season, the Macs won the matchup between the two teams with a score of 87-76 after trailing by five at the half.
Following the opening game, the Macs will head to Bloomington, Illinois to face off against the #21 Illinois Wesleyan Titans on November 12 in the Sikma Hall of Fame Invitational. The Titans were responsible for ending the Macs’ historic 50 game win streak last season.
The Macs home opener will be a November 16 matchup against St. Joseph’s University Brooklyn. Both matchups last season between the two teams ended with the Macs winning by at least 25 points.
On January 18, the Macs will travel to Connecticut to take on #22 Wesleyan. Wesleyan advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament last season before losing to RPI.
This season will begin an exciting new era for the Macs. Make sure to tune in at macslive.com to get all the coverage.
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