Minor league basketball affiliate wins third title
The Miami Midnites culminated their third season in the Florida Basketball Association with a three-peat.
The Midnites, the official Minor League affiliate of the 2012-13 Israeli Super League championMaccabiHaifa basketball team, won their third consecutive FBA championship when they defeated the Space Coast Stars 126-108 on Aug. 14 on their home court at theDavid Posnack Jewish Community Center inDavie.
The Midnites’ successful year also includewinning the recent firstKenny Boynton Celebrity Basketball Tournament hosted by American professional basketball players JoshHoward and Trevor Booker. The team will next play when they host the MaccabiHaifa team in a charity game on Oct. 6 at Scheck Hillel Community School inNorth Miami Beach.
“I’m very proud of the success of the MiamiMidnites organization,” Jeffrey Rosen, owner forMaccabiHaifa and the Midnites, said in an email.“We’re all about building bridges between theU.S. and Israel.”
The Midnites, established in 2014, finished the 2016 FBA season with a 9-1 record and have gone a combined 36-2 over three seasons in the league. They also finished as the 2015 American Basketball Association runner-up as they compete year-round in two leagues.
Point guard Amir Celestin, who has playedwith the team for three seasons, said it’s an “amazing feeling” to three-peat and attributes the team’s success to its “chemistry” among players.
Head CoachDamonWilcox echoed Celstin’s sentiments, noting that the team’s chemistry is a key component to its success.
“Everyone has bought into the Midnite way and the Midniteway is giving up what youwant to do individually and do what’s best collectively for the overall good of the team,” Wilcox said.
At the two-dayKenny Boynton Celebrity Basketball Tournament, the team took home the $10,000 cash prize andwent an undefeated 5-0. The tournament hosted 20 teams from Florida, Texas, Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina.
Celestin, who averaged16.6 points and 4.4 rebounds over five games in the tournament, said: “I’ve played in a couple of tournaments before and never really got a chance to win so to playwell, go undefeated in the tournament and come out as the winnerwas great for us.”
Celestin, who also has experience playing forMaccabiHaifa, is looking forward to playing his former team in the upcoming charity game at Scheck Hillel.
“I’m looking forward to that event. Having played on both teams, it’s going to be a fun night for me,” he said. “It’s going to be good to seemy former teammates.”
Wilcox said that this upcoming charity game against the Midnites’ parent club is for a “great cause” but also noted:“We’re looking forward to it as our next opportunity.”
Regarding his experience playing for MaccabiHaifa, Celestin said: “Itwas awonderful experience to learn about the culture in Israel and everything the country has to offer.”
“Everyonewas amazing,” he said regarding Israel. “Tome, playing forMaccabi Haifawas great. Therewas great competition, great coaching staff and great management. Itwas one of the best experiences of my life.”