11 Mar MAKING A KIDDUSH HASHEM ON & OFF THE COURT EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH Y.U. MACCABEES ALL STAR, ZEVI SAMET
Zevi Samet is a dynamic yeshiva student and celebrated basketball star whose journey is as inspiring off the court as it is on. He had an outstanding season with the YU Macs, with the junior guard averaging 21.0 points per game while shooting .453 from the field and .398 from three-point range. He also contributed 4.3 rebounds per game, dished out 64 assists, and recorded 30 steals. A familiar face in Skyline Conference honors, Samet was named Skyline Player of the Year & Skyline Player of the Week three times during the 2024-25 regular season.
Two weeks ago, Zevi hit the game-winning three point shot in a thrilling championship matchup against Farmingdale, helping YU secure the Skyline Division title in one of the season’s most memorable moments.
This past Sunday, he sat down with Ari Hirsch from The Jewish Vues to share his unique journey of balancing Torah study with athletic excellence. He reflected on how every game-winning shot is a lesson in perseverance, faith, and self-motivation.
FAST FACTS
Name: Zevi (Avraham Zev) Samet
Age: 21
Height: 6”2
Family: I’m one of five. Middle of five. My parents’ names are Jenny & David Samet. I have an older brother and older sister and two younger sisters. So one boy, three girls.
Grew up in: Monsey, New York
High School: TABC
Yeshiva in Eretz Yisrael: Reishit for one year
Camps you went to growing up: I went to Heller for one year. I went to Shoresh for one year and then I was home training in basketball for numerous summers.
Year at YU: Junior
College Major: Sociology.
Current shul that you daven at: Kehillas Zichron Yitzchok, Rabbi Teichmans shul in Monsey
Current Rebbies shiur at YU: Rabbi Abraham Sarfaty
Position on the basketball court: Shooting Guard.
Career goal: I would love to keep learning and eventually go into chinuch (education), where I can continue to inspire to the best of my ability. In addition, I want to play basketball for as long as I can, using the platform both during and after my career to inspire others.
Mazel Tov on your team’s incredible season! Mazel Tov on being named Skyline Player of the Year! Mazel Tov on winning the Skyline Championship! And Mazel Tov on your amazing game-winning three-point shot in Farmingdale! I’m sorry about your loss on Friday at Tufts. How are you and your team feeling right now?
We feel really good—excited, actually. We accomplished a huge goal, something we hadn’t been able to achieve for the past two years. Our team came in together as 11 freshmen, and in our first year, we lost in the semifinals. Last year, we made it to the championship game at Farmingdale but fell short. This year, we finally won the championship, which is an incredible achievement.
The NCAA tournament would’ve been an amazing opportunity to get a couple of wins, gain more recognition globally, and prove to ourselves that all our hard work paid off. It would’ve been a great bonus, but we’re still proud of what we accomplished.
Walk us through the final seconds of your game in Farmingdale. You take the inbound pass with 20 seconds left, and the YU Macs are down by two. You race down the right side, multiple defenders shadowing your every step. As you reach the three-point line, still dribbling at top speed, you leap into the air and launch an off-balance three. What’s going through your mind at that moment?
Before the play, as I was bringing the ball up the court, I glanced at the coach to see if he would call a timeout. Usually, in these situations, he does—maybe to draw up a play for us. But when I saw
that he wasn’t calling one, I just kept dribbling. I noticed my defender was right on my hip, pressuring me closely.
This is something that, Baruch Hashem, I had practiced for years. Still, I never imagined I would take a shot like this—it’s definitely an unusual and unexpected one. But I managed to create space, giving a slight push to get some separation, and just let it fly. I believe Hashem allowed it to go in at the perfect moment.
Someone told me this past Shabbos that your sneakers were sold from the game for $36,000. Is that true?
Yes, somebody (who would like to remain anonymous) donated $36,000 to my Tzedakah fund for the shoes. But it’s not just about the shoes—it’s about being on the court while you all
are beyond the court. Basically, it’s an initiative I created to help the guys on my team experience Yiddishkeit the way I try to and, hopefully, the way I’ll continue to.
The goal is to ensure they can enjoy Shabbatons without worrying about the cost—I take care of that. We have a daily minyan five days a week, followed by breakfast. There are various initiatives to help my teammates experience Yiddishkeit in an exciting way, without the financial burden of essentials like tzitzis, yarmulkes, sefarim, and sedorim.
During winter vacation, we visited ArtScroll and the Chofetz Chaim Heritage Foundation, in addition to going to Dave & Buster’s and enjoying good food. The idea is to give them an incredible Yiddishkeit experience.
Someone who’s a big fan of what we’re doing saw our efforts and really appreciated them. He was willing to donate $36,000 in exchange for my signed shoes.
How do you balance your workload in Yeshiva with all the basketball practices?
Practices are in the morning, so we have to be very disciplined. I wake up at around 5:30 AM, and practice runs from 6:00 to 8:00 AM. After that, we have davening at 8:30 AM. My morning seder goes from 9:30 AM until 1:30 PM, including both seder and shiur. Then I grab lunch and usually spend some more time learning.
Some days, I don’t have any classes, and other days, I have just one class in the afternoon. On those days, I continue learning. I also learn at night, but for the most part, I play basketball again in the afternoon.
The key to balancing everything is sticking to a strict schedule. I write down my plan for the day and follow it closely. If you want to accomplish a lot, you have to be willing to sacrifice certain things you might want to do. At the same time, I make sure to stay healthy, build relationships, and take care of my mental well-being.
Ultimately, I think the biggest factor is discipline. Hashem gave me the ability to stay self-motivated and focused on my goals, which helps me push past distractions. And, of course, Hashem gives me the koach to manage it all.
At what point did you realize that you had a special game and that you were talented on the court?
Well, in ninth grade, I played on my high school team but didn’t get any minutes—I was on the bench the entire season. And this was on a Jewish team. After that, I stopped going to camp during the summers and started training seriously.
Going into 10th grade, I spent the whole summer training, and that season, I started getting a lot more playing time. I became one of the better players on the team. By 11th grade, I was still one
of the top players, but then COVID happened. During that time, I started playing five to seven hours a day, seven days a week. Once Shabbos ended, I would play until 2 a.m.
I was playing against guys in the NBA, top Division I college players, and even a guy projected to be a top-three NBA draft pick this year, Dylan Harper. I played with a lot of high-level guys. That was the moment I realized I could actually compete with them. Seeing myself hold my own against players at the highest levels of college and the NBA made me believe that I had the talent to go far in the game.
Where did you train over the summer? How did you find the right place to get proper training?
One of my coaches had a lot of connections since his job is to recruit athletes. He runs a Nike-sponsored AAU basketball program in the summer, where he recruits top players from around the country. He always let me join his practices and play with those guys, which helped me build a name for myself. They started calling me “The Deli Man” or “Mr. Habibi”— they joked that Jewish people like deli. They even said, “Don’t let the yarmulke fool you.”
I played everywhere—Harlem, the Bronx, Rucker Park, all over the city—always wearing my yarmulke. As I won games and kept playing, people started making highlight reels of me, and word began to spread. Eventually, I started getting invited to different games and training sessions. But my coach was a huge factor—he gave me access to top-tier training and opportunities that helped me grow as a player.
Where did you get your leadership skills and work ethic from?
Great question. Honestly, I would say my grandfather, Paul Weber, had the biggest influence on me. He always taught me that if you want something, you have to work for it—no excuses. To him, there was no such thing as “I can’t.” Anytime I said something was too difficult, he would tell me, “Yes, you can,” and then he would help me figure it out.
He showed me the importance of perseverance and self-discipline. If you truly want something, you don’t back down—you find a way to make it happen. He also took the initiative to support me anyway he could. For example, he offered to pay for my training, but only if I read a certain number of books and wrote essays about them. That structure taught me self-motivation and discipline.
Over time, I also started observing successful people and realized that their success wasn’t random. The most accomplished individuals are extremely disciplined and self-driven. Watching them reinforced what my grandfather had taught me.
Baruch Hashem, I was able to develop strong focus and structure my time effectively. I even created personal programs to help me stay on track because I knew that if I skipped even one day, I wouldn’t get the results I wanted.
My grandfather played a huge role in shaping my work ethic, and my parents also supported me by encouraging me to pursue my goals and dreams.
How important is it for you to make a Kiddush Hashem on and off the court?
It’s huge—really huge. The more I learn, the more I understand that the purpose of life is to bring Kavod Shamayim (honor to Hashem) into this world. I constantly think about how I can do that. The line I live by comes from Shabbos Shemoneh Esrei, where we say: “Vetaher libeinu l’Avdicha b’emes”— “Purify our hearts to serve You in truth.”
When we say those words, we’re asking Hashem—not just on Shabbos, but always—to remove distractions from our hearts so that we can serve Him with sincerity. Meaning, can I
serve Hashem in my tefillah (prayer) and in all aspects of Avodas Hashem (service of God), not because people are watching me, not because of external pressure, but purely for Him?
That mindset changed everything for me. It built such a strong connection between me and Hashem that suddenly, it started spilling over into the world around me. People noticed.
I’ve always played basketball because, in my Avodas Hashem, this is something that I connect to—it helps me learn better, grow spiritually, and stay focused. But at some point, I realized it was making an impact beyond just me. That same Vetaher libeinu idea expanded. It wasn’t just about my personal relationship with Hashem anymore. I started thinking:
“Hold on—this platform can push me to be better, and I can inspire others.”
When I step on the court, I know people are watching. That doesn’t mean I change my game, but it does mean I need to carry myself with simcha (joy) and a positive energy, even when I don’t feel like it. Living with the awareness that people are watching pushes me to be better.
Of course, I’m not perfect. I’m 21, and I’m just trying to be the best Eved Hashem I can be. But whenever I go to minyan or engage in Avodas Hashem, and I feel like slacking or my yetzer hara pulls me in the wrong direction, I remind myself:
“Wait—people are looking up to me. If I give in now, I might be affecting someone else’s journey, too.”
That thought alone pushes me to be better. There’s no greater feeling than hearing someone say, “What you’re doing is inspiring me. Because of you, I want to do X, Y, and Z.” The best part is that I’m simply living my life, strengthening my relationship with Hashem, and inspiring others along the way.
When I get messages from people who tell me that something I said or did brought them closer to Hashem, it means the world to me. It reminds me that maybe Hashem put me in this position for a reason. And if I can be that person who helps someone else grow, then I want to use that opportunity to the best of my ability.
What makes your coach, Elliot Steinmetz, so special?
I think what makes him truly special is that he accepts me for who I am and would never compromise any aspect of my Yiddishkeit for the sake of basketball.
When I first arrived at YU, practice officially ended at 8:00 AM. However, since I needed to leave for davening at 8:10, he adjusted the schedule, allowing me to leave early. Practice would often end around 7:40 or 7:45— whenever I needed to go. That level of understanding and accommodation is something I deeply appreciate.
Another thing that makes him special is our shared connection to Tehillim. Many people don’t know this, but before every game and during halftime, I recite Tehillim. I always try to do so at those times, but one particular game stands out.
During halftime, my coach noticed me on my phone and asked, “Zevi, why are you on your phone?” When he realized I was saying Tehillim, he later told me, “If you’re really saying Tehillim, then I want to do it with you every game.”
From that moment on, no matter the score or the opponent, we always learn a perek of Tehillim together at halftime.
How do you stay in shape during the off-season?
I play basketball and exercise because it helps me learn and focus better. So, I push myself like crazy. I work with trainers—strength trainers, athleticism coaches, and conditioning specialists—
to stay in top shape. You just have to keep at it, and that’s exactly what I do. I still play basketball for a few hours a day, but the off-season gives me time to focus on other physical training beyond just basketball, which is much harder to do during the season.
You spent one year at Reishit in Eretz Yisrael. Why didn’t you go back for Shana Bet?
I went for one year, and typically, all the guys who are really into learning and committed to growing in yeshiva go back for a second year—that’s just how it works. But for me, I had a different experience. I was davening neitz every morning and playing basketball for two and a half hours before morning seder. Then I was learning for about 10 to 12 hours a day.
A lot of the older guys in yeshiva started pushing back, telling me things like, “Basketball isn’t your life,” and “You’re not going to play professionally, so you need to focus more on learning. If you can wake up that early to play, you can wake up that early to learn.” My rebbeim never pressured me to stop playing—they actually supported it because they saw it was good for me—but after hearing so many comments, it started to get to me.
Toward the end of Shana Alef, I decided to quit basketball for the last few weeks. But instead of feeling more accomplished, I felt really unhappy. I started waking up later, sleeping during breaks, and wasting time. It wasn’t good for me.
That summer, I struggled to figure out what to do next. My Rebbe from yeshiva encouraged me to go back for Shana Bet because he understood how much guys grow in their second year. But at the same time, he also believed I could be successful at YU. I kept going back and forth. On one hand, the people I looked up to kept telling me, “You need to go back. Basketball can wait another year.” But in my mind, I wanted to find a way to balance both learning and basketball. I worried that if I chose YU, it would look like I was prioritizing basketball over learning.
At the same time, how could I go against what my rebbeim were saying? They obviously knew more than me— they had been guiding students for over 20 years, and I was just a 19-year- old kid trying to figure things out. It was really, really hard for me.
Every night, I went to my parents, frustrated and struggling with the decision. My father told me one line that changed everything for me. My parents were incredibly supportive no matter what—I knew they would stand by me whether I chose to go back for another year or start at YU. My brother had been learning in yeshiva in Israel for nine years, so they understood both paths.
My father once told me, “Zevi, don’t go to a place where you’re just going to learn more—go to a place where you’ll be happier learning.”
When he said that, I thought to myself, You know what? I’ll be happiest learning if I have a balance of basketball and Torah—something that motivates me and pushes me to develop a strong work ethic in all areas of life. And that’s exactly what I did.
The best thing I took away from yeshiva wasn’t just learning—it was the work ethic I developed through basketball. I took that same drive and applied it to all areas of Yiddishkeit and Torah learning.
Take tefillin, for example. If I’m playing a game and it’s the fourth quarter—whether we’re up by 10 or down by 10—I would never untie my shoes before the game was over. The same goes for davening; you don’t untie your tefillin until the end. Or during seder—when you start getting tired and feel like leaving, you push through, just like in a basketball game. If it’s the fourth quarter, you don’t give up—you push even harder. That mindset carried over into my learning and my commitment to Yiddishkeit.
When my father told me to go where I’d be happiest learning, I knew that balance was the key for me. So, I figured out a way to learn three sedorim at YU, take classes, and still play ball for four hours a day. At that point, I just told myself, Okay, I have to go do this.
How did it feel wearing orange in memory of the Bibas family on the court?
It was an incredible and meaningful experience.
After October 7th, our team took a solidarity trip to Israel in January during winter break. We have seven Israeli players on the team, and many of them have close friends and family in Israel. When we visited Kibbutz Be’eri, we even met one of the released hostages—someone personally connected to a teammate.
As the only Jewish college basketball team in the country, we understand that we have a platform. We wanted to use it to stand with the Jewish people, support Israel, and share the truth with the world as best we can. Wearing orange in memory of the Bibas family was a powerful way to show that solidarity.
Next year, you’re going to be a senior at YU. What are your chances of going further in the tournament?
This year was a great learning experience for us—we got a taste of what it’s like to compete in the tournament.
Next year, we need to come back with a stronger mindset and an even greater work ethic if we really want to compete at a national level. I believe we have the potential to do it—we just have to put in the work.
What’s next for Zevi Samet?
Right now, my goal is to go to Israel, learn, and play basketball professionally. At the same time, I want to use my platform to inspire others—to speak, to share what I’ve learned, and to help kids who can grow from my experiences.
Ultimately, I trust that Hashem has a plan for me. My job is to keep doing what I’m doing and stay ready for whatever that plan is—whether it’s learning and playing ball in Israel or something else entirely. Whatever it may be, I hope I’ll be prepared for it.
FUN QUESTIONS WITH Y.U. MACCABEES ALL STAR, ZEVI SAMET
What’s your favorite Masechta?
Brachos.
Who’s your favorite professional basketball player?
Steph Curry.
Post-Tanach: If you could have a half-hour chevrusa with anyone from the beginning of time, who would it be?
Rashi.
If you could have a one-on-one game with any current NBA player, who would it be?
Steph Curry.
Which professional basketball player do you try to model your game after?
Steph Curry.
Who are the top three basketball players you’ve ever played against? (They don’t have to be in the NBA.)
1. Lester Quiñones – he was on the Warriors for a bit.
2. Dylan Harper – he’s at Rutgers and projected to be a top-three pick
in the NBA Draft.
3. Dominic Barlow from the Spurs’ G League.
Name someone alive today whom you would call a leader.
Rabbi Joey Haber.
Who’s your favorite person in Tanach?
Shlomo Hamelech
Name a rebbe or teacher who has influenced your life.
Reb Eli Marcus.
What music do you like to listen to while practicing basketball?
I love Yehuda Green.
Is Yehuda Green also your favorite Jewish musician?
Yehuda Green & Eitan Katz.
What’s your favorite Carlebach song?
Nishmas Kol Chai.
Name a moment you’re most proud of?
That I get to learn b’chavrusa with Rabbi Sarfaty every morning for three hours.
What’s a “Yetzer Hara nosh”—a snack you can’t control yourself around?
Ice cream.
Post-Tanach: If you could have a half-hour chavrusa with anyone, who would it be?
Rav Avigdor Miller zt”l.
Name someone alive today whom you’ve never met but would love to meet.
Rav Meilech Biderman.
Name three guests—anyone from the beginning of time—you’d invite to your Friday night Shabbos dinner.
Dovid HaMelech, Avraham Avinu, Moshe Rabbeinu.
Name a gadol’s seder you would have loved to attend.
Rabbi Joey Haber, Rabbi Yechiel Spero, Rabbi Yaakov Bender, and Rav Avigdor Miller zt”l.
Name four post-Tanach figures you would like to invite to your Pesach Seder.
Rabbi Joey Haber, Rabbi Yechiel Spero, Rabbi Yaakov Bender, and Rav
Avigdor Miller zt”l.