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The Jewish Sport Report: What Duke coach Jon Scheyer means to the school’s Jewish community
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Good morning, Jewish Sport Report readers!
March is truly a sports fan’s dream: Pretty much every sport is either in season or in the exciting part of its offseason, and we have March Madness and the World Baseball Classic as added bonuses.
More on both of those exciting tournaments below.
Duke coach Jon Scheyer is a source of pride for the school’s Jewish community
Left: Duke University men’s basketball coach Jon Scheyer lights the Duke Chabad’s Hanukkah menorah in 2022. (Courtesy Rabbi Nossen Fellig) Right: Scheyer stands with his predecessor, Mike Krzyzewski, inside Duke’s Cameron Indoor Stadium. (Courtesy Duke Men’s Basketball Team)
Duke University is a No. 5 seed in March Madness this year, and has a serious shot at making a run for the NCAA title.
That’s thanks, in part, to head coach Jon Scheyer, who in his first season coaching his alma mater led the Blue Devils to a 26-8 record, becoming the most successful first-year coach in the school’s history. Duke also just won the ACC tournament.
For the campus’ Jewish community, Scheyer — who as a player once went by the nickname “Jewish Jordan” — is a source of pride.
“Coach Scheyer is such a role model to me, being a young Jewish man myself with aspiring hopes and dreams in basketball,” said Dylan Geller, a student manager of the team. “Seeing him do it so successfully, he’s definitely been a big inspiration.”
We spoke to Jewish students, faculty and staff at Duke about their famous head coach.
Halftime report
CAN WE NOT? Students at an elite school in Istanbul, Turkey, performed the Nazi salute during a soccer game against Turkey’s only Jewish school this week. Turkish Jewish leaders say they are taking action.
TO EACH THEIR OWN. New Ottawa Senator Jakob Chychrun has a very, let’s say unique, diet, including raw liver and beef heart. Hey, whatever works. He explained his lifestyle in an interview this week.
RED CARD. The BBC briefly suspended its top soccer host, Gary Lineker, for comparing Britain’s immigration policy to the Holocaust. Many of Lineker’s colleagues protested the decision, while others criticized his analogy. More on the drama here.
Some final thoughts on the World Baseball Classic
Garrett Stubbs, Ryan Lavarnway and Noah Mendlinger played for Team Israel in the World Baseball Classic. (Courtesy)
I’m back after an exhilarating trip to Miami for the World Baseball Classic, where Team Israel competed against some of the world’s top teams.
The results weren’t necessarily pretty for Israel — the men in blue and white went 1-3 with two 10-0 mercy rule losses with a combined one hit. But there were certainly some highlights — from Orthodox phenom Jacob Steinmetz’s gutsy performance against the Dominican Republic to an impressive come-from-behind victory against Nicaragua.
Before we close the book on the 2023 WBC, here’s a full recap of our coverage. As always, thanks for reading.
Israel played a total of six games in Florida: an 11-5 exhibition game loss against the Miami Marlins, a 9-0 exhibition game win over the Washington Nationals, a 3-1 comeback win against Nicaragua, a 10-0 hitless loss to Puerto Rico, a 10-0 loss to the Dominican Republic (i.e. The Jacob Steinmetz Game) and a 5-1 loss to Venezuela.
Off the field, Israel held a ceremony with the Dominican team to promote friendship between the two countries and emphasize their shared commitment to standing up to hate.
We spoke to a number of Team Israel fans who traveled to Miami from near and far to cheer the team on. “It’s part of our heritage,” one fan told me.
We offered a deep-dive into Team Israel’s recruitment process and how it put together the most talented roster Israel has ever had.
And in case you missed it, I hosted a fun event about Jews and baseball with a panel of Jewish baseball experts, reporters and former players. You can watch the video here.
Oh, and stay tuned for one final piece — on the charming Israel Baseball Twitter account, that kept the hits coming even when the players struck out.
Jews in sports to watch this weekend
IN BASEBALL…
Rowdy Tellez’s Team Mexico has advanced to the WBC quarter finals, where it will face Puerto Rico, tonight at 7 p.m. ET on FS1. Over in Spring Training land, Atlanta Braves prospect Jared Shuster and Baltimore Orioles/Team Israel pitcher Dean Kremer are both on the mound for their teams this afternoon.
IN BASKETBALL…
Jon Scheyer’s Duke men’s basketball team will face No. 4 Tennessee tomorrow at 2:40 p.m. ET on CBS in the Round of 32. And Auburn University, led by Jewish coach Bruce Pearl, takes on No. 1 Houston tomorrow night at 7:10 p.m. on TBS. Abby Meyers’ No. 2 Maryland plays its first game this afternoon at 2:30 p.m. ET against No. 15 Holy Cross on ESPNews.
IN RACING…
Aston Martin driver Lance Stroll looks to follow-up his strong start to the Formula One season at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, Sunday at 1 p.m. ET on ESPN.
Enjoy March Madness, and we’ll see you next week.
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Italy Says It Stands Ready to Train Police in Gaza
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani speaks during an interview with Reuters in Rome, Italy, April 15, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane
Italy stands ready to help train police forces in Gaza and elsewhere in the Palestinian territories, its foreign minister said on Monday, as Rome aims to play a role in stabilizing the Middle East.
“We are ready to train a new Gaza police force, and we are also ready to train a Palestinian police force,” Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani told a news conference in Rome.
He confirmed that Rome was ready to participate as an observer in US President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace initiative, and Italy had been invited to attend a meeting of the group this week in Washington.
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Alleged Bondi Beach Gunman Makes First Court Appearance
People stand near flowers laid as a tribute at Bondi Beach to honor the victims of a mass shooting that targeted a Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach on Sunday, in Sydney, Australia, Dec. 16, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Flavio Brancaleone
A man accused of opening fire on a Jewish Hanukkah celebration at Sydney’s famed Bondi Beach in an attack that killed 15 people appeared in court for the first time on Monday, Australian media reported.
Naveed Akram, 24, faces 59 charges over the Dec. 14 attack, including 15 counts of murder, 40 counts of wounding with intent to murder, and a terror offense.
Police allege he carried out the mass shooting with his father Sajid, 50, who was shot dead at the scene.
During a brief status mention at a Sydney court on Monday, Akram appeared via video link from Goulburn Correctional Center, a maximum-security prison southwest of Sydney, where he is being held on remand, media reported.
Akram wore prison greens and sat mostly in silence during the proceedings. He spoke only to acknowledge that he heard a discussion about extending non-publication orders for the details of the victims.
Outside court, Akram’s lawyer Ben Archbold said his client was doing “as well as he can be” given the “very onerous conditions” in prison.
Archbold said it was too early to say how Akram would plead and that he had not discussed details of the alleged attack with him.
“I haven’t spoken to him about the attack in that regard,” he told reporters.
“All that we’re doing at the moment is starting the process … we’re waiting for the brief to be served; there’s nothing more I can say.”
Archbold added that he had visited Akram in prison.
“He’s just a client, and he’s a client that needs to be represented. And we don’t let our personal view get in the way of our professional obligations. The matter has been adjourned; I have nothing more to say.”
The case is expected to return to court in April.
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Israel Post-War Economy to Grow Further in 2026 After 3.1% Gain in 2025
Israeli national flags flutter near office towers at a business park also housing high tech companies, at Ofer Park in Petah Tikva, Israel, Aug. 27, 2020. Photo: REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun
Israel‘s economy grew 3.1% in 2025, official data showed on Monday, rebounding from a 1% pace in 2024, with growth expected to accelerate sharply as long as a fragile Gaza ceasefire holds.
Growth last year was led by a 7.1% rise in investment and a 5.9% gain in exports, along with a modest uptick in consumer spending. Heavy state expenditure during the two-year Gaza war, particularly on defense, gave an added boost to the economy, economists noted.
“The economy is recovering,” said Yonie Fanning, chief strategist at Mizrahi Tefahot Bank. “The indications for the first quarter of 2026 are also positive – you see that in the trade balance data, etc. So, I think it … sets the basis for continued recovery.”
Israel‘s economy in 2025 outpaced an OECD average of 1.7% and 2% growth in the United States. It also was above the Bank of Israel‘s estimate of 2.8%. The central bank projects a 5.2% growth spurt this year.
“What you’re seeing now is excess demand coming after the war, which is coupled with an increase of supply also, for example, in real estate. And so, you see that in investment, and you should see that more going forward in 2026,” Fanning said.
Per capita growth was 1.7% in 2025.
In the fourth quarter, gross domestic product grew an annualized 4.0% from the prior quarter, powered by a 33% jump in exports following an October ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian terrorist group Hamas.
“This is relatively robust print, especially the business sector activity, impacted by a strong contribution from net exports,” said Leader Capital Markets Chief Economist Jonathan Katz.
A Reuters poll of economists had forecast an annualized 2.6% rate in the final three months of 2025.
Third-quarter GDP was revised to an annualized rise of 12.7% from a prior estimate of 11.1%.
The GDP data follow data published on Sunday showing Israel‘s annual inflation rate eased to 1.8% in January – its lowest level since June 2021 – from 2.6% in December, increasing pressure on the Bank of Israel to lower short-term interest rates next week for a third straight meeting.
Following the inflation data, “most people [in the market] don’t expect it to stay on hold,” Fanning said.
The shekel was flat at 3.09 per dollar, close to a 30-year peak hit earlier in February. Tel Aviv share indices gained as much as 0.3%.