Jonah jumps at the chance to shine in US
Armed with ability, commitment to training and an immense “passion for every aspect of the game” of basketball, Sydney 17-year-old Jonah Vaysbakh’s dream since he was a young boy was to reach a level where he could play for a US high school, then a college team and one day in a professional league.
In August, the Moriah College year 11 student will realise the first part of that dream, after accepting one of four offers to complete high school as a student and basketball player in America, at the MacDuffie School near Boston.
“That’s always been my goal, because basketball is my biggest passion – I really enjoy it, and train about two hours per day, so it literally takes up my whole week,” Vaysbakh said.
“But it was over the last year or so, with the basketball I’ve played and the belief shown in me by my coach at Moriah (P J Isaacson) and my family, that I really felt that it was going to happen.
“I’m grateful to all the four schools that provided me with this amazing opportunity, and
I chose MacDuffie because of their coaches, highly-structured basketball setup and incredible facilities.”
The 185cm – and still growing – point guard has a solid defence and can shoot 3-pointers with ease.
But more importantly, he has remarkable court vision, giving him the ability to anticipate and respond to any situation that arises on the court, and create scoring opportunities for his teammates.
His first coach, when he was aged seven, was his grandfather Tom York, a Basketball Australia and Maccabi NSW Hall of Fame member, who at 75, still plays masters basketball for Australia.
“Grandpa has been a huge influence in my life, and is always a great source of inspiration and encouragement”.
In turn, York describes Vaysbakh as “so dedicated and determined to succeed”.
“I am so thrilled for him, and I feel he is going to be very good in the US system and improve so much,” York said.
Vaysbakh’s achievements in the past two years include being the CDSSA Basketball League’s player of the season, playing a key role in Moriah College teams that won CDSSA and AICES tournaments, gaining selection in rep teams, winning a City of Sydney U18 premiership with the Maccabi Blazers, and playing in the U18 NSW Premier League for Manly-Warringah.
And next month, he will play in the National Junior Classic, featuring the best teams from each state and territory.
Vaysbakh credits Isaacson “for coming up with the idea for me to apply to US high schools and really go for it – he had the belief in me that I could, and should, do it.”
Isaacson told The AJN, “Jonah is one of the best players that has come through our basketball program – he has a natural feel for the game, he can read the floor so well, his work ethic is excellent, and he loves to compete and help his teams win.
“He will be in a very tough and different basketball environment in America, but he has the ability and right attitude to achieve a lot.”
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