The varsity basketball team beat Flatbush, 46-38, on Nov. 29 to improve its record to 4-0. Zack Rosenberg ‘06 led Ramaz with 15 points.

The basketball team has gotten off to a great start in a season that almost began with a dud on Nov. 6, in their home opener at the Ramaz Middle School gym. Playing a less talented Shaare Torah team, Ramaz made a furious comeback in the final minutes to win 51-47.

The boys have had almost everything work against them so far, with the only bright spots in the preseason the defeat of arch-rival MTA and reaching the finals of the Magen David Preseason tournament. Max Schwartz '05, a presumed starting guard, tore his ACL over the summer and is lost for the season. Yehuda Lerea '05, the starting power forward, sprained his knee and is lost for at least four weeks. Forward Jon Kimchi '06 hurt his ankle and is out indefinitely. Sam Goldberg '05 and Ronen Samuels '06, suffered orthopedic injuries earlier in the season but now are back. Josh Stern '05, one of the best players in the Yeshiva League, is lost for the season, as well.

With the weight of the injuries hanging over its head, the team also had to deal with opening its season in the Middle School gym, a significantly smaller and less familiar, home court. Goldberg said, "There wasn't really home-court advantage, and it severely limited the number of fans able to come, but you've got to roll with the punches."

The Rams had trouble rolling with the punches in the early going, turning the ball over, forgetting to rebound and not providing good defensive help, as well as missing open shots. This led to their falling behind a Shaare Torah team with little inside presence or solid outside shooters.

Zack Rosenberg '06 kept the team afloat with tough rebounding and a soft touch around the basket, garnering a team-high eight points at the half. After Ramaz came out of the locker room to start the third quarter in that home opener, it seemed that it would be more of the same, with the team falling behind, 45-42. With a lineup of Rosenberg, Goldberg, Samuels, Sam Roth '06 and Co-captain Yitzy Rubin '05 in the game with 2:50 left in the fourth quarter, the game seemed to be slipping out of reach. To add insult to injury, a Shaare Torah guard stole the ball from Goldberg and coasted to the hoop for what the crowd presumed to be an easy lay-up. The tide turned at that moment. As the Shaare Torah player glided toward the hoop, Samuels hustled down the court, timed his jump perfectly, and swatted the player's shot attempt off the shooter and out of bounds. Ramaz retained possession, and began a comeback, eventually winning.

“We pulled together to get the win, which will hopefully push us forward," Goldberg said. Goldberg, the captain who engineered the comeback, said, "Sometimes, it's good to be forced to come back in a game. This type of win is a character win, and it will provide us with confidence in close games in the future." This team has taken its punches, and it is rolling.