Ryan Turell bringing energy and passion to Israeli hoops

Ness Ziona will be back in action Saturday night when it hosts Hapoel Beersheba. With Ryan Turell’s recent return to the court, it’s a great opportunity to see how the former Yeshiva University star is acclimating to basketball in the Holy Land.

Turell, who signed with Amit Sherf’s team over the summer, missed the first few games of the season due to a knee injury but made his comeback a couple of weeks ago with an impressive MVP performance in a win over Kiryat Ata.

As a senior in 2021/22, Turell was the highest scorer across all levels of college basketball with 27.1 points per game and was named NABC DIII National Player of the Year, Skyline Conference Player of the Year, and D3hoops.com Region 3 Player of the Year. He led Yeshiva University to one of the longest winning streaks in NCAA Division III men’s college basketball history.

Turell was selected in the first round of the 2022 NBA G League draft by the Motor City Cruise, becoming the first orthodox Jew selected in the G League draft.

On October 21, 2023, Turell signed with the Detroit Pistons, but was waived the same day. He rejoined the Cruise for the 2023/24 season, before signing with Ness Ziona in July.

The 25-year-old Valley Village, California native made his Israeli league debut earlier in November against Hapoel Holon, where he got his feet wet with six points in 12 minutes. Less than a week later, he delighted the home crowd at Lev HaMoshava Arena in Ness Ziona by scoring 16 points in 23 minutes, going a perfect 6-for-6 from the field.

Following the victory over Kiryat Ata, The Jerusalem Post spoke with both Head Coach Amit Sherf and Turell about his time so far in Ness Ziona, expectations for the season, and the rehab process that got him back on the court.

“First of all, we brought Ryan in because we thought that even when you bring in a foreigner who hasn’t played in Europe yet, you never quite know how they will react and adjust,” Sherf began.

“In college, he was amazing, but he was also in Division III. After that, he spent two years in the G-League, where he had some great games, but there were also times when he didn’t play or wasn’t effective. Before a player like this arrives, it’s very hard to gauge the passion and commitment we would get. We knew he was a player, hustled, and had a good shot, but you can never tell how a signing like this will turn out until you see them in action. We saw him play some 3-on-3, and you could tell right there and then that he could bring it, so at that point, we believed he could really help us.”

He arrived a bit late and then suffered a knee injury after performing very well in an exhibition game,” Sherf continued. “He had participated in a number of training sessions with us up until that point, but then we knew he’d be out for some time. I knew that entering a system, understanding the league, and getting a feel for it is completely different than just watching from the sidelines. Some of the rules are different, and there’s an adjustment period for that as well. He’s still getting into shape, and after a free throw, he asked to be substituted out, so I had to play him a bit less than I wanted because he was just winded after two or three sprints down the court. But I could feel his physical presence, and he was sharp.”

Preparing to get back on court

Turell, who hadn’t played in a couple of months, explained how he prepared to get back onto the court.“It was very tough for me, especially right when it happened. I didn’t know if I’d be out for the year, and all those thoughts were going through my head. But I’m a big believer that everything happens for a reason, and Hashem blessed me that it was just the MCL and that I was able to get back within three months.

“The entire staff has been amazing in getting me back to full strength, making sure I’m in shape and that everything feels right before stepping on the court. Ness Ziona made sure I got my MRIs and was ready to play before putting me out there. I’m just blessed to be playing this year and hope to keep getting better and compete.”

The ex-Yeshiva University swingman also expressed excitement about proving himself at the highest level of Israeli basketball.

“I have all this energy from not being on the court for so long, and I’m excited to be back and impact the game any way I can. You can’t control how many times you’re going to touch the ball or how many minutes you’ll get, but you can control your energy. I try to bring energy as much as I can every time I step on the floor. The team fed off that energy and started bringing it every play. I was happy I could impact the game that way.”

Sherf has been very happy with Turell’s play.

“He didn’t force anything, and things came together because he’s energetic, goes after every ball, helps us with rebounding, and gets a number of uncontested 3-pointers. Since this was his first home game, I understand that he wanted to make a connection with the fans. His enthusiasm gives us a lot, fires up the players and supporters, and gave us momentum during the most difficult moments.”

“I love feeding off the crowd,” Turell said. “I love feeding off the home fans who come out and support us. If we can make the game more entertaining and use their energy on the court, hopefully, they’ll keep getting louder as the season goes on. I didn’t know much about the league. I made a transition take-foul from behind a guy, so I’m still learning the rules. But I feel like I can play at this level, and I’m excited to keep growing and improving with this team.”

How far can Ness Ziona go? Turell believes the sky’s the limit.

“This team is very talented and has a lot of upside. A mistake I made in the past, in college, when I was first starting out, was looking too far ahead. We’ve got to focus on every game and make sure we win each one. We can’t look past opponents or get hyped up for one game over another. Every single game, we have to play like it’s our last, as if we’re fighting to make the playoffs. Just take it one game at a time and bring the energy.”