Great Tournament YU!
But how could the committee omit Cooper's Avi Katz from the All Tournament team? He led the entire tournament in rebounds (better than 12.7 per game), had two games where he grabbed 16 and 17 respectively, and averaged close to 10 pts a game. More, he propelled his team to the Tier II Championship game. Respectfully, I think the committee may have made a big error on this one.

Sportsfan,
I would like to point out that Cooper played 4 games in the tournament, not 3. Therefore, Avu Katz averaged less than 13 rebounds a game, and only 7 points per. The boards are still pretty high, but he clearly didn't average what you think he did, which was probably the reason he did not make all tournament team 1 or 2.

On another note, I think that Alex Fleshner from Shalhevet should have made the all-star team. He averaged 10 points, 6 rebounds, and over 4 assists per game. In a high school game, that is pretty darn good. He also played exceptional defense in the 2 games that Shalhevet won, getting many deflections and steals. He may also be the smartest players in the entire tournament.

Jacob:
I cannot comment on Alex Fleshner - he may very well be a special player and likewise deserving of the honor. But, as I stated (and you agreed) Cooper's Avi Katz averaged 12.7 boards a game - NUMBER 1 IN THE ENTIRE TOURNY - and, at a least according to the MACS LIVE website nearly 10 pts. All this was done against Tier I and II competition. I would venture to suggest that Avi would have gathered 20 against Tier IV competition.

MIKE JONES!!

Fantastic tournament, however, how does the only team to go 4-0 become ranked 9th? The initial seeding, byes and tier format have to be re-worked to allow lower seeded teams a chance to advance to tier I. Also, rather than provide merely the final positions (skewed as it is), perhaps the Tournament Committee could re-seed all the teams after the fact to better reflect the quality of teams as they actually performed in the tournament.

go OR CHAIM!!!! the only team to go 4 -0
and could've done very well in tier 1!!!
just look at the tier 2 champion game... they won by over 30 points!!!

Shalhevet High School was clearly seeded unfairly and incorrectly. THey deserved to be at least a top 12 team. They lost to Kushner in the first game becauase Kushner played the best game of their lives and shot over 60 percent from the field. Also, the Shalhevet team has more depth than any of the other teams and blew out their tier IV competition without a problem. Furthermore, Shalhevet consisted of Jacob Moskowitz(the 3-pt champ and MVP), Jonas Eisman(who handled the point guard position fabulously), and Alex Fleshner(who nearly averaged a triple-double). Although I am not even associated with Shalhevet, I am firmly against the way this tournament was run and the way it seeded the teams. I hope to see an improvement next year and a much higher seeding for the Shalhevet team. Besides that, congratulations to Ramaz and all of the other award winners and I will be cheering once again next year.

The seedings never impress me every year. They always have one or two guys that get an all star award who should have received first or at least second team. Lets start with the junior Gabe Shwartz. He was the backbone of the Ramaz team whether anyone likes it or not. By far the best point guard at the tournament, he did it by not only setting up his teammates but by shutting Feld down defensivly in the championship game. Next we have Zach Finder, another junior who although didnt have the best tournament, clearly showed his capability to be up there on the second team at the very least. He lead his Panthers to a number 3 seed and got very little credit in doing so. Lastly, we got Jon Kraus. The most athletic guard at the tournament hands down. Although he was unable to lead his team any where near first place, he singlehandedly made the game extremely entertaining to watch. Averaging a dunk a game, and putting up great numbers the junoir should get more than just an all star award. Great tournament! Congrats to all the Winners!

Ethan,
I respectfully disagree with you completely. Zach Finder did put up solid numbers in the points category, but look at the amount of shots he took and the inconsistency in which he shot them. Furthermore, the Panther's 3rd place finish was a disappointment for the school, as they were the favorites to win(Valley Torah had no right being in the top 5, if not top 10). Also, in regards to Kraus, he obviously shows talent with his ability to dunk, but All-Stars need to have more than just hops and entertainment. They need to be able to lead their team and excel in other, more important areas of the game.

Tim, your comments are greatly appreciated and the members of Firehawk nation completely agree with your statement. A few facts are missing though, Jacob Moskowitz was playing with a broken wrist and Jonas Eiseman was playing with torn ligaments in his ankle. We believe our team can compete with every team in this tournament when were clicking on all cylinders, but i think since it was our first year back, we got lowballed into our seeding and drew a team who happened to be on their game. It's unfortunate but it is what it is. Hopefully the committee will learn from their mistakes so other teams will not get shafted like we did. Possible pool play could be an option, but all i know is that we went out winners and champs. Remember, we're not the only ones who got unlucky, Or Chaim looked like one of the best teams in the tournament, but for whatever reason they were ranked lower than Stern and Montreal. This is the best tournament in the country, but if they want to continue that reputation, alterations need to be made so this conflict doesn't happen in the future. and another thought, teams from the Westcoast should flyout to play 4 games, not 3. Thank you for your support.

Moskowitz won the 3 point shootout and MVP of tier IV with a broken wrist?

Oh ya, I do remember seeing a black brace on his wrist. Was that what it was? Amazingly, nobody ever mentioned it, on the radio or anywhere else. Strange.

Firstly, Fleshner should have been the All-Star of the Shalhevet team, he was the glue that held the team together, the spark that ignited the team, and however many cliques u need to get the point. And I dont use the word hang around lightly.

Tim, Your comment that they blew the Tier IV away is incorrect, they did win but not in terms of blowout (ok maybe sat night vs. HHNE). If you thought they could compete in Tier II, they had their chance, and will probally get another on next year. I didnt think they had any chance of beating Or Chaim or Weinbaum, but I respect your opinion.

Jason Kirshner
Writer, Macslive.com

Firehawk nation, firstly, Or Chaim was not one of the top teams. To be completely honest with you, if Berman were to play them they would tear them apart. Unfortunately for Berman, they were bumped to tier 3. Fortunately for Or Chaim they came up with the upset over Montreal. They did a great job over coming a 17 point deficit but honestly they didn't deserve this as much of a Berman team would. Berman was a strong team on both ends of the court they had inside and outside game on the offensive side and could have easily stopped Or Chaim.

And secondly, whoever you are writing yourselves as different names you are going to have to stop mentioning yourself syaing that you are the best shooter, player and whatever even with a broken wrist; Jacob Moskowitz. You are trying to make yourself heard of but a player that wants to be spoken about or mentioned must surpass fans expectations and stand out from everyone else. Yes, you did a great job in the competetion but leave it at that. I agree with you Jason, Fleshner did hold the team together. Again, I agree with Jason that Shalhevet wouldn't be able to compete with a Weinbaum or an Or Chaim or for that matter Berman. But congratulations to the Shalhevet squad for taking Tier-IV, perhaps next year they will take Tier-III if they're back..

Bruin pride whoever you are...if you knew jacob moskowitz you would know that he would never have an ego like that hes a very unassuming guy, that definitely was not him writing abotu himself, and besides that, he won the three point contest, he was the best shooter in the tournament

Thanks for the support Jon.

Truthfully, bruin pride, whoever you are, I wouldn't use this site to gain recognition. I think winning the 3 point contest and tier 4 MVP give me enough recognition as is.

Also, why would you just go and asume (it won't let me spell it right) that I am writing about myself as like 6 different people. Do you really think I have any reason to do something like that? Granted, I did have a broken wrist. I did win the 3 point shootout. It doesn't mean I would sign onto macslive and comment about myself six times. That's a ridiculous thing to asume (again, won't let me spell it right).

Do I need recognition? No, I already have been recognized as one of the best Jewish high school 3 point shooters in the U.S. And, again, using this forum to comment and make myself recognized is totally false.

I would also like to give my support to Alex. Thanks for a great 4 years, and it's true, you were the glue that held the team together.