In honor of Jewish American Heritage Month, Wilson began highlighting Jews who have made an impact on and off the courts.
The easy first pick was coach Steinmetz, who most recently made history leading the team to a 50-game winning streak which took the nation by surprise.
In honor of #JewishAmericanHeritageMonth, we are sharing the stories of those having an impact in their respective field.
For our debut, we are excited to highlight the story of Yeshiva University head men’s basketball coach, Elliot Steinmetz.
Swipe through to learn more about Elliot’s story! 🙌
#StandUnited #WilsonBasketball #BondedByBall
Coach Steinmetz shared with us the following statement after being honored by Wilson for his impact:
In an era of widespread antisemitism, mostly rooted in ignorance and factual misrepresentation, Jewish-American Heritage Month is an opportunity to educate and enlighten the general public about our culture.
As to what it means to represent my heritage in the basketball world; It is everything. It is why I coach and why it means so much to me to be at Yeshiva. The chance to change the rhetoric and stereotype of Jews in sports coupled with the platform to educate and avoid future ignorance-based hate is invaluable to me.
I follow the lead of my players. I’ve been blessed to be around tremendous leaders and tremendous human beings while coaching at Yeshiva. I get to learn from the way they conduct themselves on and off the court every single day. Watching them interact with the younger generation, tomorrow’s leaders, gives me hope and comfort that our future is in capable hands. If I’ve played any small part in that, then I’m honored and humbled to be involved.
Coach Steinmetz began his career as head coach of Yeshiva University basketball team on April 28, 2014. Steinmetz has led the men’s basketball team to an appearance in the Skyline Conference Championships every year he has been at the helm (there was no Skyline Postseason in 2020-21 due to the coronavirus pandemic), including capturing the first Skyline title and NCAA Tournament bid in program history in 2017-18.
He led the Maccabees to another Skyline Tournament crown in 2019-20. That year, the Macs made history by winning two NCAA Tournament games to secure their first ever berth in the Sweet 16, before the rest of the winter and spring seasons were canceled due to the pandemic. In 2021-22, he led the Maccabees to the program’s third Skyline Conference Championship and automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament.
In his collegiate coaching career, Steinmetz was named Skyline Coach of the Year twice (2016-17 and 2019-20), and earned Atlantic Region Coach of the Year accolades from D3hoops.com and the National Association of Basketball Coaches, in March of 2020. He was bestowed D3hoops.com NCAA Division III Coach of the Year accolades on March 24, 2020. Two days later, he was the recipient of the Glenn Robinson National Coach of the Year Award. Steinmetz was selected as the Division III Men’s Basketball Coach of the Year by the Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association three years in a row (2019-20, 2020-21, and 2021-22). Under his leadership, the men’s basketball team earned the NABC Team Academic Excellence Award three times (2017-18, 2018-19, and 2020-21).
Yeshiva won 50 consecutive games from November 10, 2019 until December 30, 2021. The Maccabees were ranked No. 1 in the country for five weeks during the 2021-22 season, according to the D3hoops.com Men’s Top 25 National Poll.
We wish Coach Steinmetz continued success, thanking him for making a global Kiddush Hashem & GO YESHIVA!
