Huntingdon Valley Native Agrees to Play Ball in Israel

The Maccabi Bazan Haifa professional basketball team of the Israeli Basketball Super League announced they have agreed to terms with Jewish-American guard Bryan Cohen for a two-year contract.

Cohen, 23, was a four-year starting guard at NCAA Division I Bucknell University from 2008-12. Cohen earned Second Team All-Patriot League honors as a senior, appearing in 33 games, while posting averages of 6.7 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.4 assists in 27.6 minutes.

A three-time Patriot League Defensive Player of Year, Cohen became the only player in league history to win the same major award three times and just the seventh in any Division I conference to win a defensive MVP honor three times. He helped lead the Bison to back-to-back 25 win seasons and Patriot League titles, including an NCAA appearance in 2011 and an NIT appearance in 2012.

The 6-foot-6 guard broke the school record with 130 career games played and never missed a game in four years while averaging just under 30 minutes per contest. He scored 1,102 career points to rank 25th on Bucknell’s all-time scoring list, while his 313 career assists rank eighth in program history.

“Bryan Cohen is a solid all around player who is a focused defender and a strong ballhandler and passer,” said Maccabi Bazan Haifa head coach Brad Greenberg. “He is a physically and mentally tough player who does a lot of little things on the court that don’t always show up in a box score but help you win.”

“We are excited to have Bryan Cohen sign with Maccabi Bazan Haifa,” said Maccabi Bazan Haifa owner Jeffrey Rosen. “We continue to recruit the top Jewish American players and we are proud that Maccabi Bazan Haifa continues to be the leader with having Jewish American players make Aliyah.”

A native of Huntingdon Valley, Pennsylvania, Cohen played for Team USA in the 2009 Maccabiah Games in Israel under coach Bruce Pearl, scoring in double figures in four of six games, and helped lead the U.S. to a gold medal. Cohen will be making Aliyah – becoming an Israeli citizen – for the upcoming 2012-13 season.