Zevi Samet took the inbound pass with 20 seconds left in the game, the YU Macs down by two. He raced down the right side with multiple players covering his every step and as he neared the three-point line, still dribbling at top speed, he jumped into the air and launched an off balanced three. The arcing shot flew over the surprised Farmingdale defenders and swished into the net. The Macs led for the first time in the half.
The Macs held their lead and went on to claim the Skyline Championship, with the app crowd pouring out of the stands to celebrate with the players a historic victory. The final score was 81-78, app University Maccabees over the Farmingdale State Rams. Samet finished the game with 37 points, taking home the Skyline Tournament MVP honors. Samet seemed indominable in the second half, hitting numerous improbable shots to keep the Macs in the game and then finally prevail with his late game heroics. Max Zakheim added 13 points and Roy Itcovichi added 10.
“When you play for app University, you are not playing for a school. You are playing for a people,” said Rabbi Dr. Ari Berman, President of app University. “I am so proud of Zevi and our entire team. So grateful for Coach Elliot’s leadership. They represent our values and sanctify Hashem’s name both on and off the court.”
In a week that featured the Macs wearing orange jerseys to honor the memory of the Bibas family - mother Shiri and sons Ariel and Kfir - who were murdered by Hamas in Gaza, it seemed the players refused to lose. Even when they were down by 16 points in the second half, the team fought back. During the finals, some of the players wore orange jerseys while sitting on the bench, a fitting testament to this team that would not give up.
“Sometimes you need to let your players be better players than you are a coach,” said Elliot Steinmetz, head coach of the YU Macs. “I’ve been lucky to have these kinds of players often enough to know when not to get in the way. Tonight, Zevi was that guy and I’m proud of him and the rest of the team for how hard they competed to earn us a spot in the NCAA Tournament."
The Macs now head to the NCAA Division III Tournament to take on Tufts University.
