Sharon Zeevi

The Israeli Rebound Machine

Bentley College's Sharon Zeevi
by Scott Granowitz

February, 1998--Five and a half thousand miles from home, Sharon Zeevi is hustling, diving for loose balls, and performing her trademark - fighting for rebounds. Why and when did this 19-year-old, 5-11 freshman forward from Ramat-Hasharon, Israel decide to study and play basketball in the United States?

"In the 10th grade, when I knew that I had to work on my weaknesses like my shot, my dribble, all the small stuff," Zeevi said. "I knew that the pre-season and the way that college works would be fitting for me."

Zeevi received 30 scholarship offers from various NCAA Division I and II schools, mostly located in the northeast region. Most of the interest in her talent came at a basketball camp held at Boston College during the summer between her junior and senior years at Hasharon Rotberg High School. It was at this camp that Bentley College, a perennial Division II power and nationally renowned business school located in Waltham, Massachusetts, began to stand out as the leader and winner of Zeevi's
services.

"First of all the staff was very nice, they showed a lot of support," Zeevi, a management major, said. "They told me they will help me, everything I need. The reputation [academics] that Bentley has. I knew that if I came to Bentley I would have a chance to play a lot."

Bentley Head Coach Barbara Stevens, one of the top collegiate coaches in the country, was very impressed with Zeevi during the recruiting process and knew she was the type of student-athlete that was willing to put in long hours to improve her game and contribute to the team's continued success.

"I felt as though when we saw her play at camp that she was going to be able to help us," Stevens said after improving her most impressive Bentley coaching record to 333-50 after a 95-60 thrashing Assumption College (Worcester, MA) on February 14th. "She was a big strong kid and I thought she could rebound the ball very well and she has very good defensive instincts. Her offensive game continues to develop. I thought today she did a very nice job, particularly in the 1st half. I've been very pleased with her development. I think if she continues to work she'll be a great help to us."

Zeevi has mutual respect for Coach Stevens, as she has played a major role in helping her gain confidence in her shooting and teaching her to play with her back to the basket. These two skills will be needed in the next few weeks as one of the team's starting post players, Stacey Connors, recuperates from a hand injury.

"She's very calm," Zeevi said about Stevens after scoring 10 points (2nd
highest total during her Bentley career). "She's willing to teach you everything. She will have the patience and if you don't understand something she'll come explain it like a normal person. She's very helpful and understanding. She has a lot of knowledge so I need to learn a lot from her."

As of February 15th, Zeevi is averaging 4.8 points on 35.5% shooting, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.0 steals in 17.5 minutes per game. Stevens is counting on Zeevi to consistently score between 6-10 points a game the rest of the season by utilizing her perimeter shot more, in addition to her strong rebounding, solid defense and all-out hustle which dates back to her days playing for her hometown club team A.S. Lachen Ramat-Hasharon.

Bentley, currently ranked 5th in the USA Today/WBCA Division II Poll with a 23-1 record, will need such a contribution from Zeevi if they are to contend for the Division II National Championship. The Bentley Falcons have already clinched their 3rd consecutive regular season Northeast-10 Conference Championship and are the favorites to win the post-season conference tournament, which takes place in Waltham from February 24th-28th. Their march to the National Championship will commence during the 1st weekend in March as 6 teams in each of the 8 Division II regions in the nation will play a single elimination round-robin for the right to advance to the "Elite 8" in Pine Bluff, Arkansas from March 18th-22nd.

Zeevi's most memorable basketball experience to date was playing for the Israeli Women's National Team last summer at a successful 1999 European qualifying tournament in Portugal. The team finished with a 3-2 record and advanced to the "Challenge Round", to be held in Israel this May. Zeevi was the youngest member of the team and played 4.6 minutes a game in a reserve role.

"It was my dream to be on the women's national team," Zeevi said with great national pride. "The first game was my most exciting one. I had tears in my eyes when I heard the national anthem. That says it all."

The Falcons are confident that Zeevi, affectionately known as the "Israeli Rebound Machine" by her teammates, will use this emotional experience and her improved skills this season to her advantage as Bentley makes its way to the Promised Land in March.