Willy Workman

Willy Workman (Hebrew: וילי וורקמן; born March 14, 1990) is an American-Israeli professional basketball player for Bnei Herzliya of the Israeli Basketball Premier League. He played college basketball at Amherst. Workman holds dual-American and Israeli citizenship.

Willy Workman
Workman with Hapoel Tel Aviv, 2014
No. 2 – Bnei Herzliya
PositionSmall forward
LeagueIsraeli Premier League
Personal information
Born (1990-03-14) March 14, 1990
Northampton, Massachusetts
NationalityAmerican / Israeli
Listed height198 cm (6 ft 6 in)
Career information
High schoolDeerfield Academy
(Deerfield, Massachusetts)
CollegeAmherst (2009–2013)
NBA draft2013: undrafted
Playing career2013–present
Career history
2013–2014Hapoel Galil Elyon
2014–2015Hapoel Tel Aviv
2015–2016Maccabi Ashdod
2016–2020Maccabi Haifa
2020–2021Hapoel Holon
2021–2022Hapoel Jerusalem
2022–2023Maccabi Ra'anana
2023–presentBnei Herzliya
Career highlights and awards

Early life

Workman is Jewish[1] and was born to a Jewish mother[2] in Northampton, Massachusetts. He attended Northampton High School before completing a postgraduate year at nearby Deerfield Academy, where he resumed playing basketball after enduring injuries earlier in his high school career.[2] Workman's father, Danny, is a longtime restaurateur.[3] His mother, Dina Fein, is a judge in Springfield, Massachusetts.[4]

College career

Workman attended Amherst College from 2009 to 2013, winning the NCAA3 Championship his senior year.[5] He averaged 10.2 points, 6.1 rebounds and 2.9 assists for his four-year career at Amherst, earning D3hoops.com men's All-America Third Team,[6] ECAC Division III New England First Team[7] and NESCAC First Team honors in 2013.[8]

Professional career

During his first season of professional basketball in 2013–14, Workman played for Hapoel Galil Elyon[9] of the Israeli National League, the second-tier league in Israel, and was able to move to the country's top-flight Premier League, when signing with Hapoel Tel Aviv for the 2014–15 season.[10]

He was signed by fellow Premier League side Maccabi Ashdod for 2015-16[11] and inked a contract with Maccabi Haifa prior to the 2016-17 Premier League campaign.[12] That season, Workman helped Haifa to reach the 2017 Israeli League Finals, where they eventually lost to Hapoel Jerusalem.

On February 28, 2018, Workman signed a three-year contract extension with Maccabi Haifa.[13] On March 2, 2018, Workman participated in the Israeli League All-Star Game as a replacement for Oz Blayzer.[14] That season, despite Workman having his best year in the Israeli Premier League in terms of personal averages (6.7 points and 5.4 rebounds per game) - his team, Maccabi Haifa, had finished the season in the last place out of 12 teams and was relegated to the Israeli National League (the second-tier league in Israel).

In the 2018–19 season, Workman won the 2019 Israeli National League Championship title with Haifa, earning a promotion back to the Israeli Premier League. In the 2019–20 season, he averaged 8.1 points and 4.9 rebounds per game. On August 5, 2020, Workman signed with Hapoel Holon.[15]

On July 2, 2021, he signed with Hapoel Jerusalem of the Israeli Premier League.[16]

On August 19, 2022, he signed with Maccabi Ra'anana of the Liga Leumit (basketball).[17]

On June 28, 2023, he signed with Bnei Herzliya of the Israeli Premier League on a two-year contract.[18]

References
  1. "Israel is a slam-dunk for US basketball players; Israel is a land of opportunity...and sometimes romance...for Jewish-American basketball stars"
  2. "A New Journey Begins". Amherst College. October 4, 2013. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
  3. Lenker, George. "10 Northampton restaurants that have stood the test of time". masslive.com. Retrieved January 5, 2019.
  4. Staff, Mass Lawyers Weekly (August 1, 2001). "FEIN, DINA E." Retrieved January 5, 2019.
  5. "'Willy stuff' helps Amherst to Division III national title". Washington Post. Retrieved May 22, 2017.
  6. "2013 D3hoops.com men's All-America team". D3hoops. March 28, 2013. Retrieved May 22, 2017.
  7. "Greenway, Watson & Click Represent GNAC on ECAC Men's Basketball All-Star Team". GNAC. March 8, 2013. Retrieved May 22, 2017.
  8. "Men's Basketball All-NESCAC Selections Released - NESCAC". www.nescacstats.com. Retrieved May 22, 2017.
  9. "A New Journey Begins". Amherst College. October 4, 2013. Retrieved May 22, 2017.
  10. "Hapoel Tel Aviv signs Willy Workman". Sportando. Retrieved May 22, 2017.
  11. LTD, Art-Up. "Willy Workman". מנהלת ליגת העל בכדורסל. Retrieved May 22, 2017.
  12. "Maccabi Haifa signs Willy Workman". Sportando. Retrieved May 22, 2017.
  13. "ווילי וורקמן יישאר ירוק עד 2021". basket.co.il (in Hebrew). Retrieved February 28, 2018.
  14. "אולסטאר: הזרים גברו על הישראלים". basket.co.il (in Hebrew). March 2, 2018.
  15. "Hapoel Holon announces Willy Workman". Sportando. August 5, 2020. Retrieved August 5, 2020.
  16. "Hapoel Jerusalem inks Willy Workman". Sportando. July 11, 2021. Retrieved July 11, 2021.
  17. "ווילי וורקמן חתם במכבי רעננה מהלאומית" (in Hebrew).
  18. "ווילי וורקמן חתם בבני הרצליה לשנתיים" (in Hebrew).
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