Ornit Shwartz

Israeli Sharpshooter to Play for the Tribe

Ornit Shwartz
by Scott Granowitz

August, 2000--Ornit Shwartz, a 6-1 forward from Netanya, Israel, will attend the College of William & Mary (Williamsburg, VA) on a basketball scholarship this September. Reached via phone from her homeland, Shwartz is excited about the opportunity to play college basketball.

"College basketball is a very different system from that in Israel," said Shwartz. "It's a quicker, faster game and this will help improve my game which is filled with a lot of energy."

Known for her strong outside shooting skills and ability to run the court for her size, Shwartz expects to play the "3" spot (small-forward) in addition to some power-forward for the W&M Tribe. She has played both positions on her club team and the national team, which she started for during a 2001 European Championship semi-final round last November. It is expected that Shwartz will provide an instant impact playing the wing at W&M.

"I am definitely going to play the '3'," said Shwartz, who turned 21 in June. "I worked on my shot and penetration this year. My size should give me an advantage at this position."

Last season Shwartz was a member of the Elitzur Ramle Basketball Club, which won the Israeli championship. One of the younger members of the team, Shwartz played as an amateur in this semi-professional league due to her mandatory, two-year status as a soldier in the Israeli army after graduating high school. Ramle's stars for the 1999-00 season included Americans Jamila Wideman of the WNBA's Portland Fire and former ABL star Trisha Stafford. Wideman, an American-Jew, provided Shwartz a helping hand in leading her to pursue her college dream.

"She made my year in Ramle amazing," said Shwartz about Wideman. "She talked with me all the time about college and was my 'shoulder'."

W&M, which suffered an injury-plagued 6-21 campaign last year out of the Colonial Athletic Association, has a young coaching staff led by W&M graduate ('86) Debbie Taylor. Taylor will enter her second season at the helm expecting to turn the program around with Shwartz and three other highly, regarded recruits - Megan Baier (5-10 G, Sylvania, OH), Kelly Ercole (5-8 G, Alexandria, VA) and Christin Gethers (6-1 C, Yorktown, VA). W&M also returns standout point-guard Jen Sobota, a CAA All-Rookie selection last year.

"I know Coach Taylor from two years ago when she was an assistant at the University of South Carolina," said Shwartz. "At the time I could not attend South Carolina because I could not get an army deferment...We became good friends...It's [W&M] a young staff with a lot of energy."

Because Shwartz committed to W&M after the late signing period, which ended May 15, NCAA regulations prohibit Coach Taylor from commenting on Shwartz until she arrives on campus in late August.

Three additional Israeli women will be playing college basketball this season. Sharon Zeevi, a 5-11 forward from Ramat-Hasharon, will enter her fourth and final year at Division 2 power Bentley College (Waltham, MA). Bentley is one of the favorites to win the Division 2 national championship in 2001. Two newcomers are Shimrit Gigi (5-10 G, Holon) and Adi Kamin (6-2 F, Mevaseret Zion), who will play at Siena College and American University respectively. Both Gigi and Kamin are expected to play reserve roles next year while Zeevi has established herself as one of Bentley's mainstays.