Goodman was a top-ranked high school recruit and went on become the first Jewish basketball player to play D-1 college, playing at Towson University.

He had received a scholarship from the University of Maryland, but he turned it down because it meant practicing and playing on Fridays, which was against the rules of Orthodox Judaism. At Towson, he didn’t play on Fridays.

After college, he played professional basketball in Israel from 2002 to 2007; he was sidelined several times by serious injuries. He briefly played for a minor league team in the United States.

In 2009, he stopped playing basketball and became a motivational speaker, coach and educator.

On Sunday he will be at the Jewish Community Center, 5655 Thompson Road, DeWitt., from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. He will start with a motivational talk, followed by two basketball clinic sessions. The first 20-minute clinic is for ages 6 to 10. The second clinic, lasting about 30 minutes, is for ages 11 and older. Tickets are $5; the first 100 to reserve will get a spot free courtesy of Dourdas Financial. You can reserve a spot by calling 315-234-4522 or emailing agross@jccsyr.org.

At 2:30 p.m. Sunday, he will speak at the Syracuse University Schine Student Center Room 304. He focuses on the challenges he faced as an Observant Jew in college sports and his time in professional sports.

His visit is sponsored by the Chabad House at SU and the JCC.

For more information, call Chabad House, 424-0363, or email rabbirap@gmail.com or go to chabadsu.com