This year’s 35th annual Weiner Family basketball tournament will take place at Beth Tfiloh from November 29th to December 2nd. This year’s participants will be Akiba Yavneh Academy of Dallas, The Mae Boyar High School in Jerusalem, Beth Tfiloh High School, Abraham Joshua Heschel School in New York City, Community Hebrew Academy of Toronto, and Golda Och Academy in West Orange, New Jersey. Golda Och is the only new addition this year replacing Hebrew Academy of Nassau County; all other teams are returning from last year.
Last year’s champions, Boyar’s boys basketball team and CHAT’s girls basketball team, will be looking to reclaim their titles.
Beth Tfiloh boys varsity basketball coach Ari Braun shares how Weiner tournaments are always “exciting.” He says that he is excited to make a run to win our first tournament in many years, to see the gyms packed with fans, and to hear the fans loud cheering.
Julian K. ‘24, member of the Beth Tfiloh boys varsity basketball team explains how he is excited to “spend time bonding with teammates both on the court and in the locker room.” When asked about what he is most looking forward to during the Weiner tournament, Julian notes, “being on the court in front of the energetic environment brought by the BT student section” which is known for being very loud and passionate during games.
Jake S. ‘24, another member of the Beth Tfiloh boys Varsity basketball team emphasizes how excited he is for the “relationships we will gain with the other students,” and how he is hopeful that BT will bring home a title!
Jackson F. ‘24 brings up a new point that he will enjoy “missing classes of course” but understands he will have to make up any missed work after the tournament is over.
The milkmen are an important part of the Weiner Tournament tradition. They are Beth Tfiloh senior boys who lead cheers and hype up the team. You can see them in the stands wearing actual milk men costumes. Lev S. ‘24, one of this year’s milkmen, emphasizes the spirit around the school that comes with the tournament. He acknowledges how “this tournament is a building block of this school and everyone looks forward to it regardless of grade or whether they’re in high school, middle school or lower school.”
Personally, I am very excited for the atmosphere. As a first year Varsity player last year during the Weiner tournament, I got some playing time and each time I entered everyone started chanting my nickname “Snipa,” which they call me because I hit so many three pointers. I’m excited for that to hopefully happen many more times this year. It is also always fun to meet and bond with the kids from other schools because the relationships we make will last after the tournament too. I had many instances this year where I randomly ran into kids from last year’s teams and it was fun talking with them about what they loved about the tournament.
I, along with the rest of the players, encourage everyone to come to the games, bring your friends too of course, and cheer your BT teams on!
