|
|
February 13, 2004/Shevat 21 5764, Vol. 56, No. 21
Desert Mountain cagers hope to lead team to playoffs
MICHAEL SCHWARTZ
Special to Jewish News
Two Jewish players hope to lead the Desert Mountain High School Wolves basketball team to the promised land.
Senior Chad Goldstein and sophomore Zach Greenberg start on a Wolves squad that has encountered tough times lately. Desert Mountain (11-10) is limping towards the state playoffs having lost five straight games before beating Yuma Kofa High School Feb. 3. However, Goldstein, a 6'8" center, says he is optimistic that the team will make a big playoff run.
"We're going to be the 'Cinderella' team," he says. "The team that always wins the championship is the team that plays together, so we need to start doing that. All we have to do is get in, and we are going to come together."
In order to qualify for the state tournament, teams must finish in the top four of their region tournament or earn one of four at-large spots in the 5A conference. Desert Mountain can clinch a playoff spot with a first round win in the Desert Valley Region tournament against likely opponent Paradise Valley High School on Feb. 17.
"We'll be just fine," says Greenberg, a 6'3" shooting guard, whose team was ranked as high as third in the Arizona Repub-lic's poll earlier in the year. "During the last little skid we've been getting away from team ball and our chemistry has gone down. In state, we should make it out of the first round and hopefully go further."
Wolves coach Jason Girnius says Goldstein and Greenberg "do it all" for his basketball team.
"They're wonderful basketball players talent-wise," he says. "They know how to run the offense, when to shoot and when to pass. They also box-out and rebound. They're both very complete basketball players."
Goldstein fills up the stat sheet by averaging 19.0 points, an East Valley-leading 12.3 rebounds and 3.95 blocks per game. Greenberg contributes 10.2 points per game.
"I open it up for everyone by being a big presence inside both offensively and defensively," Goldstein says.
Goldstein's play as a junior earned him second team All-State and first team Central Region honors. He has put up better statistics while leading the Wolves in his second year as a captain.
"It was a real treat to be able to play with him," Greenberg says. "He's really vocal. He's not afraid to tell people what he thinks or give suggestions and I think that's a good quality in him. I respect him a lot."
Goldstein recently earned a scholarship to play Division-I college basketball at the University of California at Davis where he plans to major in economics. He is the first Desert Mountain basketball player to receive a D-I scholarship.
"It just felt right," Goldstein says. "I felt like I was fitting in perfectly. I love the campus, it's a great academic school and they've been highly recruiting me."
Greenberg, who studies in the prestigious pre-International Baccalaureate Program at Desert Mountain, could be on the way to earning his own scholarship. He plans on majoring in business or pre-law.
"My first priority is education in college, but if I can play basketball that's even better," Greenberg says.
Besides his smooth jump shot, Greenberg's biggest strength is his court sense. His complete game helped him earn a spot on the varsity roster as a freshman.
"I love playing with Zach," Goldstein says. "He's an unselfish player with a great shot who knows when to shoot it. As a sophomore, he's captain material."
Goldstein played for the JCC Maccabi Games team for four years. While the team struggled in his first two years when he was younger than the other players, it dominated the competition by winning the championship during his last two years in blowout fashion.
"It's great being a Jew. It's who I am," says Goldstein, a Temple Chai member along with his parents, Bruce and Jill. "You always just have fun with it because there aren't that many Jewish athletes. All of my dad's friends and my relatives get a kick out of it. It's almost like an oxymoron."
Judaism also plays an important role in Greenberg's life, especially when he celebrated his sister Mari's recent bat mitzvah with his family. Greenberg and his parents Alan and Cindy also attend Temple Chai. Greenberg says he enjoys playing with another Jewish star since they have a lot to relate to.
"We can crack jokes to each other about stuff. It makes it a lot of fun," he says. "Also, it's atypical since you don't know of many great Jewish basketball players much less someone like Chad, Jewish 6'8". It's just kind of a funny, ironic situation."
Goldstein and Greenberg remain focused on leading Desert Mountain past the first round of the playoffs for the first time in school history.
"If we can turn it around, get guys on the same page and do what we're capable of doing with Chad and a supporting cast, we can get pretty far," Girnius says.
Michael Schwartz is the sports editor for the Desert Mountain High School newspaper, the Wolf's Print.
|
