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Chicagoland Jewish Basketball Showcase
An invitation-only postseason game set for April 26, 2026 for the top local Jewish high school senior players in the area.
ABOUT OUR SHOWCASE
The Chicagoland Jewish Basketball Showcase was founded in 2023. The idea behind the game had been brewing for quite a while. But having an idea that sounds cool and putting into action are two separate things. In the past, there had been a few really good high school basketball players to come out of the Chicago area…like Highland Park’s Josh Wexler in the 1980’s who went on to play at Cornell. But now, it seemed like there were more players and with the growing depth of talent, the quality of play had increased too. Recently, guys like Danny Wolf, Sam Silverstein, Blake Peters, and Brandon Leib were just a few local kids who would go on to play at the Division One level.
The question was how can we get all the best local Jewish players on the court at the same time?
Kids go to different summer camps, they play at different high schools, and they play for different AAU programs. And what about the Jewish players that are “under the radar?” And thus, the challenge of finding the best Jewish high school senior basketball players and putting together the Chicagoland Jewish Basketball Showcase began.
The 3 goals of Chicagoland Jewish Basketball Showcase are pretty simple:
Show love of the game
With the high school basketball season over, the players get to play basketball in an organized setting for the true reason they picked up the game in the first place…playing hoops is fun. No pressure, no scouting reports, and no issues with playing time. Just an opportunity to flat out “ball” with a group of guys who are just like one another. And these guys may be playing against each other for years to come in local adult leagues and pickup ball at the JCC. So, let’s see how good they are!
Combine Jewish identity with the basketball community
For the players, they get to compete with and against their Jewish peers. Some may have been their teammates while others were rival opponents. Some they knew were Jewish, others perhaps they had no idea and there are other players who they had never heard of nor played against before. For probably one of the only times in their lives, everyone on the court (including the coaches and officials) will be tied together by the same two traits: basketball and Jewishness. And for those in attendance, it’s a chance to see it all come together, soak it in and celebrate it.
Raise money for a good cause
While the Showcase game is not a religious event and players come from a variety of Jewish backgrounds, we did want to bring some element of Jewish values to the game. The Hebrew phrase “tikkun olam” means “repair the world.” And “tzedakah” means “charity.” A basketball game like this seemed like a logical and easy way to fulfill these mitzvot and give back to the community. All proceeds from the game are donated to Hadassah hospitals in Israel.
