Tamir Goodman Basketball Camp
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The Jewish week Fifty: The 50 Most Influential Jews in America

Dubbed “The Jewish Jordan” by Sports Illustrated, Goodman has made an indelible mark on the world of collegiate sports. He’s also a role model for Jewish kids growing up showing them that they can follow their dreams without having to compromise their Judaism. When he travels, says a family friend, Jewish children sometimes accompany him to shul to watch him daven, or pray. He wears his Judaism on his sleeve — literally. The Sports Illustrated pictorial on him contained photographs of him wearing tefillin. On the court, the 6-foot-3, 155-pound lanky Goodman is compared to the great Pete Maravich. What Sandy Koufax was to Yom Kippur, Tamir Goodman is to Shabbat. He never plays on the day of rest. Towson bucked ACC conformity by not scheduling any games between sundown on Friday to sunset on Saturday to accommodate Goodman. Once, when the team was on the road and sundown was approaching, Goodman got out of the team van and walked three blocks to a house where he was staying for Shabbat. “They see me fasting on some days, and they learn about Havdalah and kosher food,” Goodman says. “It’s a great opportunity to teach them about Judaism.” At a recent game, his yarmulke falls off his head during a scramble for a rebound, and before dribbling the ball up court, he pauses to bend down and puts it back on his head. The crowd roars its approval. “I’m still only a kid,” Goodman once told a reporter. “I’m just Tamir.”

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