I’ll admit it. I’ve become a social media addict. I do Facebook, Twitter…the whole nine! I can’t imagine living my life without it any more.
Tamir Goodman is my Facebook friend. He posted a link to a Boston Globe piece on his work with youth and teaching kids about life.
Obviously, if you’re a Baltimore sports fan at some point you read or heard or saw the legend of Tamir Goodman.
Here’s his wiki:
Goodman grew up in Baltimore, Maryland, to an Orthodox Jewish family with six brothers and two sisters. He began playing basketball at five years of age, but he first garnered national attention as a junior in high school, averaging 35.4 points per game for the Talmudical Academy of Baltimore. He earned recognition in Sports Illustrated and was interviewed by ESPN, 60 Minutes and Fox Sports. In 11th grade, he was ranked the 25th-best high school player in the country. He was dubbed the “Jewish Jordan”, nicknamed JJ, a title he said he has been trying to downplay ever since.
Goodman received a scholarship to the University of Maryland, which had one of the top-ranked basketball teams in the country. The news of his plans to go to Maryland attracted over 700 media requests that week.[2] The team’s schedule of practices and games, however, meant having to play on Friday nights and Saturdays, against the rules of Orthodox Judaism. He was released from his verbal commitment by the University in 1999 after the team could not meet Goodman’s religious needs.
Goodman then accepted a scholarship from nearby Towson University. After averaging 6 points, 4 assists, and 2.5 rebounds per game in his freshman year in 2000-2001, Goodman continued at Towson for his sophomore campaign until December 2001, when he had a falling out with his new coach, who Goodman claimed was anti-Semitic.[citation needed] The disagreement caused Goodman to leave the team.
Goodman then fulfilled a dream of his by moving to Israel and signing a 3-year contract with Maccabi Tel Aviv on July 22, 2002.[3] To get more playing time, he was loaned to Giv’at Shmuel for the 2002-03 season, but he never got the playing time he expected, failing to meet the high expectations fans had for him. He then played in a lower league for Elitzur Kiryat Ata in the 2003-04 season.
Goodman went on to serve in the Israeli Defense Force, a requirement for all Israeli citizens. He suffered a knee injury that required surgery. After nine months of physical therapy, he went back to Giva’t Shmuel to fulfill his contract for the 2005-06 season. He averaged just under seven minutes a game.
Goodman then dropped down to Liga Leumit to play for Maccabi Shoham. In his first two games, he played more than 20 minutes and scored close to 20 points a game. But in December 2006, Goodman’s left knee gave out again and his doctors ordered him to undergo weeks of physical therapy. He didn’t get to play again until March 2007. In late 2007, Goodman moved back to Maryland to play for the Maryland Nighthawks of the newly formed Premier Basketball League.
Since moving to Israel, Goodman has married and fathered a daughter.[4] He is currently speaking around America at yeshivas, motivating Orthodox Jewish students to try their best to fulfill their dreams, but also remain steady to their religion.
In July 2008, Goodman signed with Maccabi Haifa.[5]
Honestly, I don’t really know Tamir at all, although I once saw him play at Archbishop Curley against the Talmudical Academy.
But this was a cool piece I wanted to pass along. And that’s what having Facebook friends is all about!
