HANC NATIONAL # 1 !
Talk about flying under the radar and you l land at the Hebrew Academy of Nassau County (HANC) located just a few hundred yards from The Mack at Hofstra University. The Hurricanes under Coach Elliot Steinmetz are currently the number one ranked high school boy team in the country, as rated by www.JVElite.com, a website dedicated to covering national Jewish High School basketball.Steinmetz, a college star at Yeshiva University, is one of the best young coaches on the island, though perhaps the most unknown. HANC, now 19-1, is led by 6’4” junior center Seth Hockhauser and 6’3” senior forward Ike Levine down low and senior guards Steven Ritholtz (14 ppg.) and Nafi Orlofsky (11 ppg.) Senior Nafi Orlofsky rounds out the starting five. HANC recently defeated Nassau County rival North Shore Hebrew Academy (NSHA-Great Neck) coached by David Wolf, in a hard fought game in the packed HANC gym on Oak Street in Uniondale. Last year the teams split their home and home series. The Metropolitan Jewish Schools league receives little publicity and the games are not covered by local newspapers. The teams do not play on Fridays but generally are all in action on Saturday nights. Many of the boys play wearing a “kippa” the traditional Jewish head cover. The big games pack the gyms adding to the excitement.Coach Steinmetz, a great scorer in college, always has his team well prepared and this year’s team has won all the tight games except their one loss and that on a disputed call in the last second. While many coaches on the high school level are up screaming the entire game, Steinmetz sits coolly on the bench during play. He believes his demeanor will result in his team playing with the concentration and calmness needed to win close games. HANC plays with tremendous intensity and totally selfless. They help out on defense and always seem to hit the open man on offense. How would HANC do in the public school league? It is hard to say, but this year’s returning players entered the Island Garden Basketball Spring High School Varsity League and held their own, losing in the semi finals of the playoffs in a close game to the eventual winners. The next six weeks should determine if the Hurricanes can hold on to their number one ranking. Teams from Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas and Baltimore continue to win and are placed right behind HANC. Congratulations to the HANC Hurricanes, Coach Steinmetz and good luck the rest of the way.Bruce Eiber
Island Garden Basketball
Eiber Report
