The U.S. college basketball season tipped off overnight Monday with a record number of Israeli men’s and women’s players taking part, including several who have represented Israel in international competition.
One of the most closely watched prospects, Omer Mayer, is expected to make his debut for Purdue University, which plays late Tuesday night.
Emanuel Sharp, who starred last season and reached the NCAA Final with the University of Houston, opened his senior campaign with a strong performance. The son of former Maccabi Tel Aviv guard Derrick Sharp scored 24 points and grabbed seven rebounds as Houston defeated Lehigh University 75–57.
Another Israeli standout, Shon Abaev, just 18 years old and already projected as a potential NBA Draft pick, impressed in his first college game. The American-Israeli guard scored 18 points in 25 minutes to help Cincinnati beat Western Carolina 94–63.
Ethan Burg, who last season played for Bnei Herzliya in Israel’s professional league and represented the national team at EuroBasket, also made his college debut. Coming off the bench, the University of Tennessee guard contributed two points and five assists in a 76–61 win over Mercer.
On the women’s side, Yarden Garzon made her debut for Maryland, starting in the lineup and finishing with three points and six assists in an 80–26 rout of Loyola.
After a strong summer with Israel’s youth national teams, Gal Raviv began her freshman season at Miami with 10 points and four assists as the Hurricanes defeated Hofstra 83–48.
Hila Karsh added 12 points, five assists, and two rebounds to help Purdue beat Fairleigh Dickinson 67–48.