Roey Eyal

An Israeli in the Capital

GW's Roey Eyal
by Scott Granowitz

January, 1998--It is not as though Jerusalem native and point guard Roey Eyal is anything out of the ordinary on the 1997-98 George Washington University Men's Basketball Team. After all, the Colonials' squad is comprised of players from nine different countries spanning five continents. It is this atmosphere that drew Eyal to play for Coach Mike Jarvis in the nation's capital.
Roey Eyal
"I think it's better for me because I'm foreign among foreigners," Eyal said. "It's easier. This is one of the reasons for me to come to GW."

After being convinced by former University of Connecticut star Doron Sheffer (Ramat-Efal, Israel) to play college basketball, Eyal talked to former Colonial Moti Daniel (Holon, Israel) to get the rundown on this Atlantic 10 Conference power. There were over 20 schools interested in Eyal, with the three leading ones being George Washington, Dayton, and Fordham, all Atlantic 10 Conference schools. Eyal picked GW because he liked the professional attitude, the coach, and the city. The large Israeli and Jewish population at GW didnít hurt.

"As a matter of fact, it's a really good place for Israelis," Eyal commented. "Because half of the university is Jewish. They used to call it 'Jew W'. When the professor asks who is not going to be here for Rosh Hashanah, half of the class raises its hands, so it is a good feeling. Some of them talk to you in Hebrew, so it makes you feel comfortable."

Eyal becomes the fourth Israeli to suit up for the Colonials, following in the footsteps of Daniel (1985-87), Manny Atlas (1985-87), and Gilad Simchony (1985-86). His job this year consists of backing up All-Conference junior point guard Shawnta Rogers, along with filling in at the shooting guard position when needed. Through 19 games of the season, Eyal was averaging 1.1 points and 1.3 assists in 7.7 minutes, while the team had a record of 16-3. It is going to take time for Eyal to learn the much faster American style of play, so do not not expect Eyal to crack the regular starting lineup until next year.

"It's a different game," Eyal said. "It's more aggressive. It's more intense. It's quicker. So it took me a while to adjust. I don't think I get it 100% right now, but it is much better than in the beginning."

Eyal has already made a drastic improvement in his physique by lifting weights seriously for the first time. He has added 12 pounds to his 6'2", 160 pound frame since arriving at GW in September.

Roey Eyal Upon watching Eyal play against the University of Massachusetts on January 10th of this year, it was apparent that he passes well and plays smart, aggressive defense, but is not a scoring presence as of yet. Eyal says he will work on taking more initiative shooting in the future to make himself a more well-rounded player.

Because Eyal served his Israeli military obligation before entering college, he arrived at school over the age of 21 and was granted just three years of eligibility due to the NCAA "Over-21" rule. Eyal, who is undecided on a major, says he will probably transfer his GW credits to a school such as Hebrew University in Jerusalem upon returning to Israel. From there he will probably return to his hometown club of Hapoel Jerusalem, where he played as an amateur after graduating from Boyer High School. At Boyer, Eyal averaged 22 points and 7 assists per game, while leading the team to an undefeated 24-0 record and a city championship. He also has over two years experience on the Israeli Under-22 National Team, having captained the team last summer at a successful qualifying tournament in Bulgaria.

So, as you are watching college basketball this year on ESPN and CBS, take a look at the bright, young Israeli wearing #12 on the Colonials, as he and his international teammates from Spain, Portugal, Canada, Brazil, Central African Republic, The Netherlands, and Belarus make their run into "March Madness."

For an update on Roey's stats, click here.