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In Search of Tall Talent: TI's Basketball Team.........posted Jan 11, 2006

Tikvat Israel is again fielding a team in the synagogue basketball league of Montgomery County as it has for the past decade or so. The men's league opens play for the 2006 season on Jan. 8 and runs through March 19.

TI Coach Warren Berger said he is eager to sign up another few players, especially anyone with height and experience. Under league rules, players must be 18 years of age and no team is allowed to have more than two players under 25. Anyone interested should contact Berger at warren.berger@gmail.com.

"It started out as a non-competitive league, but it has gotten more intense recently," Berger says. "We had to hire referees starting a couple of years ago to help control the games. And while it seems that most teams are getting younger and taller overall, we seem to be getting older and shorter!"

League rules require that players be members of the synagogue or of the men's club. Even when TI's Men's Club is dormant, the basketball team has continued to compete.

"Many years ago, we were in the middle of the standings," Berger says. "The last few years we have been near the bottom, but we still have a lot of fun."

Games are played Sunday mornings and consist of two 22-minute halves with running time. All games are played at Paint Branch High School in Burtonsville. (The complete TI schedule appears below.)

The roster of recent and returning players is as follows: Warren Berger (head coach), Al Sandler, Bruce Ginsburg, Stuart Metzger (injured reserve), Greg Marcus, Jerry Danoff, Marc Schneider, Fred Wagner (injured reserve), Mark Bardeski, Damon Ehrlich, Mark Waldman and Howard Dickenson. Newcomers this winter are Dan Haft and Neil Kram.

Berger assumed the coaching reins three years ago. Previous TI coaches were Sandler and Ginsburg.

TI's 2006 schedule is as follows:

• Jan. 8 - 10 a.m., Shaare Tefila (Blue) vs Tikvat Israel
• Jan. 15 - 10 a.m., B'nai Shalom (White) vs Tikvat Israel
• Jan. 22 - 11 a.m., Oseh Shalom B vs Tikvat Israel
• Jan. 29 - 11 a.m., Shaare Torah vs Tikvat Israel
• Feb. 5 - 10 a.m., Tikvat Israel vs B'nai Shalom (Purple)
• Feb.12 - 10 a.m., Tikvat Israel vs Oseh Shalom A
• Feb. 19 - 10 a.m., Shaare Tefila (Red) vs Tikvat Israel
• Feb. 26 - bye
• March 5 - 11 a.m., Tikvat Israel vs B'nai Shalom (Blue)
• March 12 - playoffs
• March 19 - playoffs