Spencer Weisz

Spencer Weisz (ספנסר וייס; born May 31, 1995) is an American-Israeli professional basketball player for Hapoel Haifa of the Israeli Basketball Premier League. He played college basketball for the Princeton Tigers, completing his college career in the 2016–17 season.[1]

Spencer Weisz
ספנסר וייס
No. 10 – Hapoel Haifa
PositionShooting guard / small forward
LeagueIsraeli Basketball Premier League
Personal information
Born (1995-05-31) May 31, 1995
Florham Park, New Jersey
NationalityAmerican / Israeli
Listed height6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Listed weight210 lb (95 kg)
Career information
High schoolSeton Hall Prep
(West Orange, New Jersey)
CollegePrinceton (2013–2017)
NBA draft2017: undrafted
Playing career2017–present
Career history
2017–2018Hapoel Gilboa Galil
2018–2019Maccabi Ashdod
2019–2021Hapoel Be'er Sheva
2021–2023Hapoel Haifa
2023-Hapoel Afula
Career highlights and awards
Medals
Men's basketball
Representing  United States
Maccabiah Games U18 Championship
Gold medal – first place 2013 Jerusalem National team

Playing for gold medal-winning Team USA, Weisz was the Most Valuable Player of the Under-18 basketball competition in the 2013 Maccabiah Games. He earned the 2014 Ivy League Men's Basketball Rookie of the Year Award and the 2017 Ivy League Men's Basketball Player of the Year Award, and was a 3-time first or second team All-Ivy selection. During the summer of 2015, he was a member of the Israel national under-20 basketball team at the 2015 FIBA U-20 European Championship.

Early life

Weisz is a native of Florham Park, New Jersey, and is Jewish.[2][3] He attended Seton Hall Prep.[4] As a junior, he was first-team All-County.[5] As a senior, The Star-Ledger recognized Weisz as a second-team All-State selection in New Jersey and the Essex County, New Jersey boys' basketball Player of the Year.[6][7]

College career

Playing for Princeton University, Weisz earned the 2014 Ivy League Men's Basketball Rookie of the Year.[8] On December 7, 2013, he posted his first career double-double with 17 points (including 3-for-3 on three-point field goals) and 10 rebounds against Fairleigh Dickinson.[9][10] He earned second-team All-Ivy League recognition in 2015 and 2016.[11][12] As a sophomore, in 2014–15, he was 6th in the Ivy League in 3-point field goal percentage (.408), 7th in 3-point field goals (51), and 8th in scoring (11.6).[5][13] As a junior, he served as a tri-captain (along with Mike Washington Jr. and Steven Cook) of the 2015–16 team, led the Ivy League in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.8), and was 2nd in the league in assists-per-game (3.9), 4th in assists (113), 6th in 3-point field goals (63), and 8th in defensive rebounds (129).[14][5]

Going into his senior year, The Sporting News projected him as Ivy League first team, and Lindy's projected him as Ivy League second team.[15] As a senior, Weisz led Princeton in rebounds, assists (4.2 per game; 125; 2nd in the league), and steals (1.5 per game; 46; 2nd in the Ivy League), while coming in 2nd in the league in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.6), 5th in 3-point field goals (61) and defensive rebounds (137), and 10th in total rebounds (161).[4][16][17][5][13] In December 2016, he tied the Princeton single-game record for assists in a game, with 13 against Liberty.[18] He posted his career high of 26 points in a February 3, 2017, 69–64 victory over Dartmouth.[19] He served again as a co-captain, and earned Ivy League Men's Basketball Player of the Year recognition.[20] He became the 8th player in Ivy League history to win both the league's Rookie of the Year Award and Player of the Year Award.[17] He was one of two unanimous first-team All-Ivy selections, despite only ranking fourth on Princeton in scoring average.[21] Weisz was included on the National Association of Basketball Coaches Division I All‐District 13 second-team, earned honorable mention on the Associated Press All-America team, and was named to the Jewish Sports Review 2016–17 Men's College Basketball All-American First Team.[22][23][24] The 2016–17 Princeton Tigers earned Princeton its first NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament invitation since the 2010–11 team did so.[25]

He became the only player in Princeton career history to amass 1,000 points, 500 rebounds, 300 assists, and 200 3-pointers.[17] He ended his college career 2nd in Princeton history in assists (383), 5th in 3-pointers (209), and 12th in scoring (1,241 points).[5] His 511 career defensive rebounds were 5th in Ivy League history.[13]

Professional career

Hapoel Gilboa Galil (2017–2018)

On August 3, 2017, Weisz started his professional career with Hapoel Gilboa Galil of the Israeli Basketball Premier League, signing a one-year deal with an option for another one.[26] Weisz helped Gilboa Galil reach the 2018 Israeli League Playoffs, where they eventually lost to Hapoel Jerusalem in the Quarterfinals.

Maccabi Ashdod (2018–2019)

On July 19, 2018, Weisz signed with Maccabi Ashdod for the 2018–19 season.[27] On April 10, 2019, Weisz recorded a career-high 27 points, shooting 6-of-9 from three-point range, along with eight rebounds, six assists and three steals, leading Ashdod to a 94–86 win over his former team Hapoel Gilboa Galil.[28] In 26 games played for Ashdod, he averaged 9.0 points, 3.9 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game.

Hapoel Be'er Sheva (2019–21)

On June 21, 2019, Weisz signed a two-year deal with Hapoel Be'er Sheva.[29] Two months later, he was named Be'er Sheva's new team captain, replacing Chanan Colman.[30] On October 21, 2019, Weisz recorded a season-high 21 points, shooting 5-of-8 from three-point range, along with eight assists, scoring the last 13 out of 15 points to give Be'er Sheva an 88–87 win over Hapoel Eilat.[31]

In 2020-21 he averaged 12.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 1.7 steals (7th in the league) per game.[32] He was 3rd in the league in steals, with 48, and 8th in three-point field goal percentage at .356.[33] He was voted Eurobasket All-Israeli League Honorable Mention.[32]

Hapoel Haifa (2021-present)

On July 6, 2021, Weisz signed with Hapoel Haifa in the Israeli Basketball Premier League.[32]

International play

Weisz was a member of the Under-18 US National team that won the 2013 Maccabiah Games gold medal, along with future NFL player Anthony Firkser, and earned the Most Valuable Player recognition for the tournament.[4][34] In the final, gold medal game against Team Israel, Weisz scored 19 points, brought down 12 rebounds, and had 11 assists.[35]

During the summer of 2015, Weisz was a starter for the Israel national under-20 basketball team at the 2015 FIBA U-20 European Championship, where Israel finished 10th out of 20 teams.[36][37]

See also

References
  1. "Spencer Weisz Basketball Player Profile, Princeton University," usbasket.com.
  2. "Meet the Jewish MVP leading Princeton to the NCAA Tournament," The Jerusalem Post.
  3. "Princeton's Tourney Hopes Rest on a Jewish Kid From Jersey: Spencer Weisz," Tablet Magazine.
  4. Brodsky, Marc (March 13, 2017). "March Madness 2017: Meet the Jewish MVP leading Princeton to the NCAA Tournament". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Retrieved March 14, 2017.
  5. "Spencer Weisz - Men's Basketball". Princeton University Athletics.
  6. "Boys basketball: All-State, All-Group, All-Prep and All-Class honors for 2012–13". Star-Ledger. March 24, 2013. Retrieved March 15, 2017.
  7. Bernstein, Jason (March 24, 2013). "Essex County boys basketball season in review, 2012–13". NJ.com. Retrieved March 15, 2017.
  8. "Men's Basketball All-Ivy – 2013–14". IvyLeagueSports.com. March 12, 2014. Archived from the original on June 24, 2017. Retrieved March 14, 2017.
  9. "Men's Basketball Weekly Release — Week 6". IvyLeagueSports.com. December 9, 2013. Archived from the original on March 15, 2017. Retrieved March 15, 2017.
  10. "Princeton rolls past Fairleigh Dickinson 77–55". ESPN. Associated Press. December 7, 2017. Retrieved March 15, 2017.
  11. "Men's Basketball All-Ivy, Postseason Awards Announced". IvyLeagueSports.com. March 11, 2015. Archived from the original on March 15, 2017. Retrieved March 14, 2017.
  12. "Men's Basketball All-Ivy, Postseason Awards Announced". IvyLeagueSports.com. March 9, 2016. Archived from the original on May 8, 2017. Retrieved March 14, 2017.
  13. "Spencer Weisz College Stats". College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com.
  14. "Men's Basketball All-Time Results". Princeton University. Retrieved March 15, 2017.
  15. "Early projections for New Jersey's college hoops teams," Asbury Park Press.
  16. ""NYC Buckets' Ivy League Awards"".
  17. "Weisz, Stephens, Henderson Earn Major Awards as Four Tigers Earn All-Ivy Honors", GoPrincetonTigers.com.
  18. "Men's basketball staves off Liberty but loses Brase for season". The Princetonian.
  19. "Princeton 4–0 in Ivy League, beats Dartmouth 69–64". ESPN. Associated Press. February 3, 2017. Retrieved March 15, 2017.
  20. Schaefer, Beverly (November 3, 2016). "Tiger men are Ivy League favorites; women take aim at defending-champ Penn". Princeton Alumni Weekly. Retrieved March 15, 2017.
  21. "Men's Basketball All-Ivy, Postseason Awards Announced". IvyLeagueSports.com. March 8, 2017. Archived from the original on March 14, 2017. Retrieved March 14, 2017.
  22. "National Association of Basketball Coaches Announces 2016–17 Division I All-District Teams and Coaches" (PDF). National Association of Basketball Coaches. March 22, 2017. Retrieved March 22, 2017.
  23. "Grant named to Jewish Sports Review All-American Team," Pratt Institute Athletics.
  24. "College hoops: 3 NJ players earn All-America citations," Asbury Park Press.
  25. "Princeton to Take on Notre Dame in NCAA Men's Basketball Championship First Round". IvyLeagueSports.com. March 13, 2017. Archived from the original on March 15, 2017. Retrieved March 15, 2017.
  26. "Spencer Weisz inks with Gilboa Galil". Sportando.basketball. August 3, 2017. Retrieved August 3, 2017.
  27. "עוד רכש ל"דולפינים": ספנסר וייס". basket.co.il (in Hebrew). July 19, 2018. Retrieved July 19, 2018.
  28. "Winner League, Game 26: Ashdod Vs Gilboa Galil". basket.co.il. April 10, 2019. Retrieved June 21, 2019.
  29. "ספנסר וייס חתם בבאר שבע לשנתיים". basket.co.il (in Hebrew). June 21, 2019. Retrieved June 21, 2019.
  30. "ספנסר וייס יהיה הקפטן של הפועל באר שבע". MynetBeerSheva (in Hebrew). August 25, 2019. Retrieved October 15, 2019.
  31. "וייס גאי: קאמבק גדול לאדומים מהנגב". basket.co.il (in Hebrew). October 21, 2019. Retrieved October 21, 2019.
  32. "Basketball News, Scores, Stats, Analysis, Standings". www.eurobasket.com.
  33. "Spencer Weisz International Stats". Basketball-Reference.com.
  34. Amir Shoam (August 7, 2013). "Maccabiah: U.S. Wins Five Basketball Medals". Pjvoice.org. Retrieved January 20, 2020.
  35. "Maccabiah: U.S. Wins Five Basketball Medals". pjvoice.org.
  36. Carino, Jerry (November 9, 2015). "Jersey guys have Princeton hoops thinking big". Asbury Park Press. Retrieved March 14, 2017.
  37. "Wrap-Up: Brase Earns Silver in Korea, Weisz Starts for Israel in FIBA U-20s". Princeton University Athletics.
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