Athlete Profile

The anticipation for the boy's basketball season to start is evident and comes with great enthusiasm. The buzzer sounding, the ball dribbling up the court, the sound of the whistle blowing, and of course, all of the cheering electrifying the atmosphere with people eagerly waiting for the satisfying moment when the DJDS boys basketball team is introduced this year with hopes high for another state championship win. Whether it’s following your favorite NBA team, shooting hoops in your driveway, or cheering on your school team, the game of basketball seems to unite and excite everyone else. 

Lev Friedman, DJDS senior and Student council president, has played sports at DJDS since freshman year. Currently, Lev is the point guard and Shooting guard for our boy's basketball team. From the 2021 school year to the 2023 school year, Lev has played 28 games with a total of 63 points, 29 rebounds, and 20 assists. On the night of the 1A state championship, Lev Friedman hit perhaps one of the biggest shots of the season- draining a three-pointer with seconds left of the 3rd quarter. “I expect nothing less than a state championship and my goals are nothing less than a state championship,” said Lev Friedman. Lev, along with others, wants to change the supposed negative culture that was heavily present during last year's season, “There was a lot of negativity last year that we’re trying to phase out, we’re trying to change the culture,” Friedman said. 

Josh Lake, DJDS’ Athletic Director and UD Director of Operations, has been working at Denver Jewish Day School for 20 years. Lake has a Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology from Colorado State University and he has been playing sports for over 45 years. The influence of Josh goes way beyond his office filled with Funko Pops. Although he is excellent at organizing schedules and athletic activities, his passion for the success of the kids and the athletics program is constant. “My boy's varsity boys basketball predictions are truly I think we are going to win state and I actually think they could go undefeated, I really believe that,” said Josh Lake. 

Matan Halzel, the Marketing Manager & Admission Associate here at DJDS is also a proud DJDS alum (Class of 2012). He has been working with the admissions office since 2016, while on the side-coaching basketball. Matan has been playing basketball since he was 5 years old and was the assistant coach, under the head coach Micheal Foonberg, for the Varsity Boys basketball team. He was also the head coach of the JV boys basketball team and has been for the past 5 years. However, now that Micheal Foonberg has retired from coaching, with a state championship win under his belt, Matan will now take over as Head coach for the Varsity boys basketball team during the 2024 season. Going forward this season will have some changes, with most of the starting roster having graduated and the coaching style Matan is spearheading. While Micheal Foonbergs's more old-school, tactician, and strategist-oriented style seemed to work, Matan had a different approach. “I take more of a head-on psychological and philosophical approach,” said Matan Halzel. While some of the roster has changed, Matan's love and care for these individuals has not; “I pay very close attention to my kid's mental health and their happiness because I just want everybody to play at their best.” said Matan.

While it is so hard to follow up on such high expectations from the year prior, people's hopes for the upcoming season seem to be high. With all this excitement it is hard not to have any pressure on the player's backs, but not having that pressure may just be the key to a good and smooth season.