For the third year in a row, the girls varsity basketball team visited the Tanenbaum Community Hebrew Academy of Toronto (CHAT) to participate in the 2025 Israel Becker International Invitational Basketball Tournament. The team departed on Jan. 26 to compete in games against various teams from the United States, Canada and Israel.
Unlike previous years, the boys varsity basketball team did not attend this tournament and instead took part in the Memphis Yeshiva Invitational in the fall. During this tournament, the team placed 13th overall and 5th in the tier two bracket.
The Lions made it into the playoffs of the Israel Becker International Invitational Basketball Tournament undefeated, allowing them to advance to the championship game. Although the team faced defeat in the championship, they saw their bracket record of 5-0 heading into the championship as a great accomplishment. Many players noted that the support the team had for each other was a large component of their success.
“I think the biggest thing for us is that sometimes we have a disconnect with each other on the court, and sometimes we don’t click as a team. Even from the first game in the tournament, it was clear that we had, and as time went on in the tournament, they started getting closer, and you could really see that on the court,” assistant coach Dani Bernstein said. “They really played as a team. We just ended up connecting, and that was a big thing that we had to improve on.”
This tournament also acted as a time for the team to bond beyond the court. During their time in Toronto, the players went out to dinner together and enjoyed getting to know their opponents during an evening at Dave & Buster’s. This was particularly valuable for seniors as it acted as a final time for them to bond with their teammates before graduating.
“It’s bittersweet,” senior Aliza Lesser said. “I’ve had a really amazing time with this team. There have definitely been ups and downs, both socially and with basketball. But overall, this was a really wonderful way to start coming to the end.”
During their time in Toronto, team members stayed in the homes of students and families of the TanenbaumCHAT community. Not only did these families accommodate the players, but they also assisted in transportation around Toronto and helped them feel welcome in the community.
“The host families are really nice and they’re really good about driving us places and they’re super hospitable,” junior Amalia Netter said.
Although the team was not victorious in the tournament, players appreciated the chance to participate alongside other Jewish schools. The Lions hope to take the opportunity they had to bond as a team into the upcoming playoffs.
“I think it really gave a lot of motivation to the girls and they know that we’re stronger than ever now that they see that there is that connection that we’ve been missing,” Bernstein said. “So now taking that and going into playoffs super soon is going to be good for us, and I think that we all believe, and I’m confident, that we can go all the way and win the PVAC championship because of the experience that we had in the tournament.”
