(Photo by Bill Allen/NJ SportAction) SILVER SET: Scott Greenman makes a point in his role as an assistant coach for the Princeton University men’s basketball team. Last month, Greenman served as the head coach of the U.S. youth boys’ team at the Maccabiah Games in Israel and guided his squad to the silver medal.

P.U.’s Greenman Leads U.S. to Silver at Maccabiah, Learning Valuable Coaching Lessons Along the Way

Bill Alden

Scott Greenman enjoyed just about every minute of coaching last month at the Maccabiah Games in Israel except for one sequence of a few seconds.

The Princeton University men’s basketball assistant coach led his U.S. Youth boys’ team to a 6-0 record in round robin play, steamrollering its foes by an average of 51 points a game.

In the gold medal game against host Israel, though, a last-second shot proved decisive as the U.S. fell 79-77 and had to settle for silver.

“We hit a basket to tie at 77-77 and they had to take the ball full court,” lamented Greenman in reflecting on the game’s closing moments.

“We tried to foul; our guy reached in but it wasn’t called and their player passed to another player for a lay up. It was frustrating; we had played so well to that point.”

Although the final result left Greenman disappointed, he relished the challenge of getting his players ready for the competition.

The team attended a five-day training camp upon arriving in Israel in late June and then practiced once a day after that and worked in some sightseeing trips around the country.

“It was hard, trying to put in so much,” said Greenman, a 2006 Princeton alum and former All-Ivy League performer who earned bronze for the U.S. men’s team in the 2005 Maccabiah Games.

“The guys were not great at anything but pretty good at most things. You have to rely on players to make big plays. I wasn’t sure how much time to spend on things; did you put in something and then go to the next thing or put in something and keep working on it until you feel comfortable. It was a day-to-day thing, you saw how guys did and adjusted. You have to make sure the guys have energy.”

Greenman also had to expend energy monitoring things off the court, keeping an eye on his squad of 17 and 18-year-old boys.

“You had 400 15-to 18-year-olds in one hotel,” said Greenman with a laugh.

“I had to be on my toes and make sure that everyone on my team was behaving. I did have lights out at 11 p.m. on days before games.”

The U.S. players did respond well when it came to game time. “We definitely did get in a rhythm,” said Greenman, whose club posted wins over Germany, Canada, Israel, Argentina, Azerbaijan, and Australia in round-robin play to qualify for the gold medal game.

“The game against Canada was close until the half and then we pulled away. Against Israel, we played very well; everybody made their shots. As the tournament went on, the guys did a good job of picking up things. They were pretty attentive to what we were trying to do.”

Greenman, who played pro basketball in Israel during the 2006-07 season, got the chance to hit some old haunts during the trip.

“It was nice to be back,” said Greenman, who was back on the recruiting trail for Princeton shortly after getting back from Israel.

“I showed the players around Tel Aviv. We went on trips to places like Jerusalem and the Dead Sea. I saw family and old friends; it was like going back home for me.”

A homecoming full of good memories except for one buzzer-beater.

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