Three youth basketball players help L.A.-based Maccabi team win gold

Three youth basketball players help L.A.-based Maccabi team win gold

MICHAEL COONS/The Acorn BRIGHT FUTURE-Maccabi basketball players (left to right) Adam Epstein, Daniel Gabler and Scott Freeman.

By Wayne Harrison

Acorn Sports Writer

Daniel Gabler, Scott Freeman and Adam Epstein, three youth basketball players who played for the Calabasas-based Blue Eagle Force travel team, recently took part in the Maccabi Games in Philadelphia, and won a gold medal with the basketball team from L.A.

Gabler, a Calabasas native, is a freshman at Calabasas High School, Freeman, of Northridge, is a freshman at Oaks Christian High in Westlake Village, and Epstein, from Tarzana, is a freshman at Brentwood High School.

Rich Miller, who will be a first-year head varsity coach at Malibu High this year, coached the three young players on the L.A. Maccabi gold medal winning team. Miller has coached the L.A. team since 1995, and this year’s gold medal performance was the second straight time the team achieved that standard.

Miller praised the three area athletes, assessed their respective skills and said each has a bright future in the sport.

"All three of these guys are indicative of great team players," Miller said. "Daniel (Gabler) has a very fundamentally sound game. He doesn’t make many mistakes, he rebounds well, he hits his open shots, he makes the right pass, plays solid defense.

"He (Gabler) is the kind of player that’s easy to coach because he’s always under control," Miller added. "And he’s only going to get better. It’s going to be a pleasure having him back next year if he comes back out."

Gabler, 13, is the only one of the three local hoopsters who would be eligible for the 14-and-under team again next summer. Epstein and Freeman, both 14, would move on to the 16-and-under team next year.

About Freeman, Miller said, "Scott is a strong kid, and he was our most consistent scorer and rebounder. He just put so much pressure on the other team’s defense that other team’s coaches were literally talking about how to stop him. He was blocking shots, and rebounding, and playing strong defense. He’s a big-time player."

Miller also summarized Epstein’s attributes. "Adam is as smart as you can get on the court," Miller said. "He does all the right things, he’s a great passer, a very smart defender, and an excellent shooter. He’s just a team player all the way across the board, another pleasure to coach because of his ability to make everybody around him better."

For Gabler, Freeman and Epstein, the Maccabi Games in Philadelphia presented a once in a lifetime opportunity and an experience that provided memories that will last forever.

"We met kids from other parts of the United States and other parts of the world," Gabler said. "It felt good that I was considered one of the best basketball players."

Gabler has relatives in Baltimore and has traveled to the East Coast often, but meeting the athletes from foreign countries was new and enjoyable. "It was fun because they all have different accents," he said.

Freeman said the Maccabi Games were a cultural as well as athletic venture.

"I met some people from Australia and Israel," he said. "They told me a little bit about their homes and stuff like that."

The L.A. team lost one game by one point vs. a team from the state of Washington, but that loss was in the early rounds, not in the medal round games.

"I think we expected that to be an easy game," Freeman said. "And we took it too lightly. It taught us a lesson."

The idea of competing against players all of the same religion had a pretty profound affect on Epstein.

"It was a little strange because you’re not usually playing with all Jewish athletes," he said. "To see that everyone had the same religion was actually pretty cool, that we had the same thoughts."

In some respects, the L.A. Maccabi boys’ team was predictable off the court. "We mostly hung out with the girls’ L.A. team," Epstein said.

After the loss against the Washington-based team, the L.A. team rallied the rest of the way.

"In the final, the gold medal game, these kids put on a clinic," Miller said. "They showed everybody how basketball is supposed to be played. These are not just talented kids, but they have size, they have knowledge of the game, a desire to get better and they work real hard." Those wishing to tryout for the next L.A. Maccabi basketball team, 13 and 14 year olds, can call coach Rich Miller at (310) 454-2622 at home or at work: (310) 207-3000, ext. 1012.