By John Torenli
Brooklyn Daily Eagle
Before they enter the National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in April, the 1935-36 Long Island University men’s basketball team will get their due on the same Downtown Brooklyn campus where it made history more than 70 years ago for what it refused to do.
The school’s Athletic Department announced this week that its 10th Hall of Fame class will be led by the historic team, which featured former Blackbirds Ben Kramer, Marius Russo, Jules Bender, Ken Norton, Leo Merson, Arthur Hillhouse, Bill Schwarz and Harry Grant – each of whom voted to boycott the 1936 Berlin Olympics rather than compete under the shroud of Adolf Hitler’s tyrannical reign.
“This year’s Hall of Fame class is made up of very deserving honorees,” said LIU director of athletics John Suarez of the much-anticipated Feb. 21 event at the Wellness, Recreation and Athletic Center.
“These individuals and their teams have all enjoyed tremendous accomplishments that have built an enduring legacy of success at Long Island University and, more importantly, the courage and character displayed by the 1935-36 men’s basketball team is a story that should be honored and remembered by everyone.”
For those who need a refresher, the ’35-36 team was arguably the best in the entire nation that season, reeling off 33 consecutive wins under legendary Hall of Fame coach Clair Bee. Favored by most to represent the U.S. at the ’36 Games, the group instead chose to say no to competing in Hitler’s Germany despite harsh criticism stateside.
“The 1936 LIU basketball team are true heroes and deserve to be honored,” said Jewish Sports Hall of Fame Chairman Lynne Kramer, Esq., in October.
“In their own way, they stood up for what they knew to be right, overcoming challenges and disapproval every step of the way. We hope by telling their story, others will be inspired to stand up for the rights of all just as these men bravely did.”
The members of this year’s class were chosen by a committee of current and former administrators, faculty and staff. In addition to the ’35-36 team, this year’s group of inductees includes three former men’s basketball players in George Barbezat, Ruben Rodriguez and Colonel Bob Smith. Also going in to the prestigious Hall are Adrian Brewster (men’s track and field and cross-country), Giovanni Savarese (men’s soccer) and Larissa Swartzlander (women’s soccer).
Barbezat was a leader on the great Blackbirds teams of the late 1960s. A three-year member of the team from 1964 to 1967, Barbezat led LIU to a 22-7 record and the NCAA Eastern Regional as a senior, averaging 11.8 points and 7.6 rebounds. He was also a member of the NCAA quarterfinals team as a junior and helped LIU claim its first Tri-State League title as a sophomore.
Brewster was an original member of the LIU men’s track and field and cross-country program. A long sprint and middle-distance specialist, he graduated with several indoor and outdoor records.Rodriguez spent three seasons at LIU from 1972-75 and enjoyed one of the greatest careers in the program’s history. He was a Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association All-Star during his career and is the only Blackbird to ever lead the team in both scoring and rebounding in three consecutive seasons Savarese is one of the great forwards to play for LIU’s storied men’s soccer program. He ranks sixth at the school with 50 career goals, including 21 during the 1992 season, when he was named Northeast Conference Player of the Year and led the Blackbirds to a 13-6 record.A First Team Academic All-American in 1993, he went on to enjoy a professional career that included a stop with the NY/NJ MetroStars, where he scored a team-record 44 goals.
Smith was a member of some of Bee’s teams in the 1940s. His time at LIU began with the 1942-43 season before it was interrupted by service with the Marines in World War II. He concluded his career with the Blackbirds from 1946-48 and was the team captain as a senior. He led LIU to records of 13-6 as a sophomore, 17-5 in 1946-47 and 17-4 in his final season. Smith was a part of the 1946-47 NIT team, and Bee called his hard-nosed leader one of LIU’s “all-time greats.” Smith spent 27 years in the service, retiring in 1969 as a lieutenant colonel.
Swartzlander helped establish the LIU women’s soccer program. A member of the squad from 1997-2000, she is the all-time leading scorer, with 63 points and 29 goals. She holds the single-season record for goals (12) and points (24) set in 1999. That season, Swartzlander was named the NEC Tournament Most Valuable Player after she led the Blackbirds to their first NEC title and the NCAA Tournament.
In other LIU sports news, freshmen Jessie Gaines and Amire Solomon shared Northeast Conference Rookie of the Week honors, while Gaines also took home the league’s Athlete of the Week award.
At the Metropolitan Coaches College Invitational, Gaines ran the 60-meter dash at a blistering pace, taking first place and tying a school record at 7.64. The record is now shared with senior Aisha Hillian, who set the mark in 2006. In the long jump, Gaines achieved a distance of 5.24, good for fifth place.
Solomon earned the first award of his career after stellar performances in the long and triple jump. The West Islip native set the pace at the Invitational in the long jump with a leap of 7.02 meters, besting his previous high by .59. In the triple jump, Solomon recorded a distance of 14.33 meters, placing him fourth overall.
The awards were the first for both Gaines and Solomon.The Blackbirds return to the track on Jan. 16 at the NYU Gotham Cup.
Over on Remsen Street, the 19th-ranked St. Francis College women’s bowling team took third place last weekend in its own tournament, the second annual New Year Knockdown at Rab’s Country Lanes in Staten Island.
St. Francis placed four bowlers in the top 20 out of the 70-player field.Julia Petosa paved the way as she finished fifth overall with a 205 average for the two-day tournament on her way to making the All-Tournament team.
Brooklyn native and Lincoln High graduate Alexandra Stein continues to perform at a high level in her third year on the team, finishing eighth with a 197.5 average.Freshman Marissa Padavano has also excelled in her short time with the Terriers, finishing the tournament in 15th place while senior Christa Rawald rounded out the strong placement for the Terriers, taking 20th with a 183.2 average.“It was a great moral boost for the team, especially since we had a month off,” said St. Francis coach Dawn Gugliaro. “The girls really worked hard in the practices before the match and I was very proud to see what they did.”
————————
© Brooklyn Daily Eagle 2009
All materials posted on BrooklynEagle.com are protected by United States copyright law.
Just a reminder, though -- It’s not considered polite to paste the entire story on your blog. Most blogs post a summary or the first paragraph,( 40 words) then post a link to the rest of the story. That helps increase click-throughs for everyone, and minimizes copyright issues. So please keep posting, but not the entire article. arturc at att.net
