Jerry Simon
Jerry Simon (born March 23, 1968) is an American-Israeli former college and professional basketball player. He played professional basketball in Israel for Hapoel Galil Elyon, Elitzur Kiryat Ata, and Hapoel Haifa in the Israeli Basketball Premier League, and for the Israel men's national basketball team.[1]
Personal information | |
---|---|
Born | Los Angeles, California | March 23, 1968
Nationality | American-Israeli |
Listed height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) |
Career information | |
High school | John Marshall High School |
College | University of Pennsylvania |
Position | Basketball guard |
In one high school game in 1986 he scored 69 points, establishing a new single-game scoring record for a high school player in Los Angeles. He was a member of the Team USA silver medal winning 1989 Maccabiah Games basketball team. He is 6 feet 5 inches (1.96 m) tall.[2][3]
Biography
Simon was born and raised in Los Angeles, California.[4] He now lives in Newport Beach, California, with his wife and four children (Barak, Maya, Nadav, and Jacob).[5][6]
He attended and played basketball at John Marshall High School, with the team winning the Los Angeles High School Basketball Championship and him leading the State of California in scoring.[7][4][8] In one game in 1986 Simon scored 69 points, establishing a new single-game scoring record for a high school player in Los Angeles, as his team beat Belmont High School by a score of 98-61.[9][10] For the season he averaged 37.8 points, 18.0 rebounds, and 12.2 assists per game.[11] In 1986 he was High School California All-State and Section 3-A Los Angeles City Player of the Year.[12][10] He was named to the 1985-86 Jewish All-American High School Basketball Team and its Player of the Year.[11]
Simon attended the University of Pennsylvania (1990) and played for four years for, and was captain in 1989-90 of, the University of Pennsylvania Quakers men's basketball team.[13][12][4][7] In a game against Brown University in February 1990 he made seven three-point field goals, at the time a Penn record, and that season he led the team with 53 three-pointers (2.04 per game), an 82.3 free throw percentage, and 46 steals (leading the Ivy League; 1.77 per game-also leading the league).[14][15] In 1989 he was All-Ivy League honorable mention, and in 1990 he was All-Ivy League and All-Philadelphia Big 5.[12][4][16]
He was a member of the Team USA silver medal winning 1989 Maccabiah Games basketball team.[12][5]
From 1990 to 2001, Simon played professional basketball in Israel for Hapoel Galil Elyon, Elitzur Kiryat Ata, and Hapoel Haifa in the Israeli Basketball Premier League.[5][12][4] He was a guard.[2][3] In 1993, his Hapoel Galil Elyon team won the Israeli Basketball Premier League championship, a title previously held by Maccabi Tel Aviv for 30 consecutive years.[12][2] In 1993 he received Israel’s Sixth Man Award.[12] That same season, he played on the Israeli National Basketball Team in the World University Games.[12] In 1995 he was Northern Israel Player of the Year.[12]
Simon made aliyah, and served in the Israel Defense Forces.[4][1]
He teaches and has coached basketball at Marina High School in Huntington Beach, California, and coaches basketball at 6 Points Sports Academy.[4][5]
Honors
Simon was inducted into the Southern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 2004, and into the Orange County Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 2014.[12][5]
References
- "From Athletes to Legends". Jlife.
- "1993-94 Season | Hapoel Gvat | Jerry Simon". Israel Basketball Super League.
- "Jerry Simon Basketball Player Profile; Ramat Hasharon; Pennsylvania". Eurobasket.
- "Introducing 2018 California Staff Team". 6pointssports.org. May 11, 2018.
- Michael Katz (March 19, 2014). "Levin earns spot in Orange County Jewish Sports Hall of Fame". The Orange County Register.
- "Alumni: Notes; '90; Jerry Simon W'90". The Pennsylvania Gazette. May–June 2006.
- Sam Farmer (November 24, 1988). "Simon Says, 'Let Me Play': Former Marshall High Spark Plug Counted on More Than Riding the Pine When He Chose the Ivy League and Penn". Los Angeles Times.
- Shel Wallman (May 22, 1985). "Juniors of Influence". Jewish Post.
- Shel Wallman (March 12, 1986). "Marshall high school's Jerry Simon scores 69". Jewish Post.
- Eric Sondheimer (May 26, 2010). "Boys' basketball: Jerry Simon is new coach at Marina". Los Angeles Times.
- Shel Wallman (May 14, 1986). "H.S. All Americans". Jewish Post.
- "Jerry Simon; Basketball - 2004". Southern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.
- "Penn Men's Basketball - All-Time Captains". University of Pennsylvania Athletics. June 28, 2016.
- "Jerry Simon", 2012-13 Penn Men’s Basketball Factbook.
- "Jerry Simon College Stats". College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com.
- "OC Jewish Sports Hall of Fame". The J.