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Orthodox School Can Now Compete in Tournament

Basketball semifinal will be played Friday afternoon following judge’s order

by
Marc Tracy
March 01, 2012

Following a lawsuit and a temporary restraining order, the co-ed, Orthodox Robert M. Beren Academy in Houston will compete in a semifinal game of their private school league’s annual tournament in Dallas on Friday afternoon, in what will surely be the most monitored contest in the league’s history. Previously, the school, which had gone 23-5 this year, planned to forfeit rather than play on Friday evening. This was definitely a much easier resolution than for the league to have moved the game without getting a judge involved.

The league’s initial decision not to produce the game prompted widespread outrage. Houston’s mayor released a statement. And so did former Houston Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy: an amusing voice to crop up for those who remember Bethlehem Shoals’ Tablet Magazine column about the non-Jewish Van Gundy’s indelible Jewish qualities.

The good news is the team has been practicing all week in case things broke their way. They’re not all days of rest.

Marc Tracy is a staff writer at The New Republic, and was previously a staff writer at Tablet. He tweets @marcatracy.