‘Bennys Ball’ does it for their mate
Winning grand finals are always great news stories, but this one is particularly nice, as a group of friends reformed an old Maccabi team from when they were younger as a way to continue to commemorate their great mate, Benny Glattstein, who passed away earlier this year.
Benny Glattstein
“Benny’s Ball”, comprising James Enoch, David Fridman, Tristan Freedman, Gaby Anger, Daniel Lemish, Jono Grunstein and Steve Barrett, caused a massive boil over in their division C grand final on Sunday, beating the undefeated Pappas Red, who they had lost to by 20-odd points earlier in the year, 33-31.
“I swear someone was tipping in shots for us,”Daniel Lemish told Maccabi News. “Everything went in. I couldn’t make a shot in the warm-up. Once the game started, swish.”
Jamie Enoch added: “The camaraderie between the team throughout the season was sensational. Everyone played their roles for the team perfectly combining to not only make the semi finals but then beat more fancied opponents in the semi and final.
“Sunday was an awesome game, lifting at the perfect time to knock off an unbeaten side who were unbackable favourites. It also meant a lot to all of us as mates of Benny to win the comp in a team we named in his memory.”
The side took an early 13-3 lead through sharp shooting, before taking a surprising 20-8 halftime lead. Pappas began to apply a punishing full-court press and raced back to within a point, but desperate team rebounding, especially by Steve Barrett, allowed Bennys Ball win a fiesty contest. For a team that had won only half their matches, it was a massive win!
“This team was built on friendship and respect for a friend we lost way too soon,” Tristan Friedman said.
“This year has been the most enjoyable in my basketball playing days and to win against an undefeated opposition in the grand final like we did, you can’t help but feel that Benny was there with us along the way. It’s awesome.”
