It’s a ten minute drive from California Baptist University to the Chabad Jewish Community Center of Riverside, the town that surrounds the school’s campus in California. Sam Silverstein is very familiar with this route, as one of the only Jewish students attending Cal Baptist to his knowledge. After committing to play for the school’s basketball team as a redshirt junior, Silverstein has been able to combine his love for the game and Jewish pride at a place that offers him opportunities to pursue both.

Silverstein grew up in the suburbs of Chicago, playing basketball through high school and electing to play a post grad year at Northfield Mt. Hermon, a college preparatory school in Massachusetts. His decision to play a fifth year after high school came from wanting to pursue his dream of playing basketball for a Division I school. “I was being recruited by a few DIII schools but I wanted to play DI, and my coaches believed I’d have the opportunity to if I played one more year,” Silverstein said. He also highlighted Mt. Hermon’s track record of sending players to Ivy League schools, and was already interested academically in Harvard. Around 40 students had been recruited to play at Ivy Leagues in the 10 years prior to Silverstein arriving, and Harvard specifically had attended games multiple times. “They’d seen me play and weren’t originally interested, but over the summer they reached out to my coach and sent me an offer,” Silverstein said. The school made sense academically and athletically for Silverstein, so he officially committed shortly after.

The COVID-19 pandemic prevented Silverstein from playing his freshman year, but he made an immediate impact in his two seasons with the team. He appeared in all 26 games during his sophomore year and averaged 20 minutes per game. As a 6’6’’ guard, Silverstein’s versatility on both sides of the ball was shown early with 18 steals, seven blocks, and 117 total points.

Prior to his junior year at Harvard, Silverstein was also able to participate in the 2022 Maccabiah Games in Jerusalem, Israel, representing Team USA in the men’s open division. He flew to New Jersey for a three-day training camp to mesh with the team before flying to Israel together to spend the month training and playing. He was joined by 11 other players from all over the country, and coached by Doug Gottlieb, a current sports analyst that Silverstein grew up watching on TV. “It was one of the best months of my life,” Silverstein said of the tournament. “I only knew one player prior to the tournament, but all of these guys are like my brothers now.” Team USA had a very successful run, and secured a gold medal victory against France, with the help of 19 points from Silverstein. “Being in Israel and doing my favorite things, surrounded by other Jewish people who are as competitive and passionate about the same things as you are, there’s nothing better.” He returned to Harvard ready to take his Maccabiah experiences with him and build upon his personal success.

When he returned, Silverstein had a great junior season. He made impressive strides, starting 24 out of the team’s 28 games, and was elected as the team’s captain. He ranked seventh in the Ivy League in minutes per game with 31.4, and ninth in steals per game with 1.2. He nearly doubled his numbers in steals with 34 and points with 202, and scored a season-high 20 points in the final game of the season against Dartmouth University. At the conclusion of the season, Silverstein won both the team’s Defensive Player of the Year Award and Henry Zimmerman Free Throw Accuracy Award. He additionally was named to the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Honors Court, which recognizes men’s college basketball student-athletes who excel in academics.

At the end of his junior season at Harvard, Silverstein made the hard choice as a student-athlete to focus on his studies and take a redshirt year. “I needed a change of scenery basketball-wise, and I only had one year left academically so I decided to finish my degree,” he said. “I wasn’t part of the team, I was just a student, which was great but I missed playing basketball.”

While attending Harvard, Silverstein quickly found a home at Chabad, and spent three to four times a week at its building studying Torah, eating Shabbat dinner, and hanging out with friends. “Harvard has a very proud, vibrant, and open Jewish community,” he said. He also spent time at the campus Hillel, utilizing its kosher dining hall. He felt grateful to have such a strong community to make his transition to college easier.

After graduating from Harvard earlier this year, Silverstein entered the transfer portal. He was grateful for his time at the prestigious school, but described both the benefits and disadvantages of Harvard being a student-first school, as he knew there would be tradeoffs of playing a sport there. “I wanted the opportunity to really focus on basketball, with a team that was competitive and really believed in me,” Silverstein said. California Baptist University reached out to him, and he quickly built up a great relationship with the coaching staff, which led to him committing in April of this year.

Silverstein knew that there could be challenges associated with attending a Baptist university as a Jewish student, but was met with nothing but support and respect. He grew up in an observant Jewish family who kept kosher and lived three blocks from their synagogue, and he was involved in every Hebrew school session, JCC camp, and BBYO event he could be part of. “Being Jewish is without a doubt the most important part of my identity, and it’s what I relate to the strongest in my life,” Silverstein said.

While playing at Cal Baptist, he’s been able to continue observing all of his family’s traditions, with help from Trader Joes’ kosher chicken and weekly team meals. “They’ll always set aside some fish for me because they know I keep kosher,” Silverstein said of the thoughtful accommodations the team provides him with. He’s also connected with the Chabad in Riverside, the town that surrounds the school, and has been able to attend events, meals, and more.

When October 7th occurred, and anti-Semitism took over many college campuses, Silverstein had seen Harvard in the news multiple times for the violent riots that were occurring. He felt lucky to be on a campus that didn’t have strong opinions on the conflict, and had not experienced any anti-Semitic acts at Cal Baptist since his arrival, yet couldn’t help but worry about what was happening at Harvard. “Last year was tough for everyone,” Silverstein said. “But knowing how strong the community at Harvard was helped me and other people get through it together.”

With a strong support system behind him, Silverstein has been able to focus on playing basketball this season. The Cal Baptist Lancers have played 10 games so far this season, with a 5-5 overall record. Silverstein has been an important addition to the team, averaging 28.5 minutes per game with six blocks, 13 steals and 44 total points. He has continued to show why he can be an impact player on both offense and defense, and is focused on helping the team be the best it can be. “Our goal is to win our conference and make it to March Madness,” Silverstein said. “I think we’ve got the team to do it, and if we play to our abilities, there’s no reason we can’t.” He mentioned the team’s tough schedule and competitive conference, but feels that the Lancers have the depth and talent to finish the job.

After the conclusion of the team’s season, Silverstein will weigh his options and decide what’s next. He has another year of eligibility, but also has his sights set on playing professionally. “The NBA is of course the dream, and if that doesn’t work out, I do want to spend more time in Israel, and if I’m able to play there that would be awesome,” he said. “I would love to play as long as my body lets me.”

For someone who loves the game of basketball as much as Silverstein, there is no slowing down any time soon. “For me, just to be 23 years old and keep playing basketball, I think that’s my biggest accomplishment,” he said. Many of the players he grew up with have stopped playing, but Silverstein knows that he wants to continue playing for a long time, and won’t take anything for granted in the process. “Playing DI basketball was a lifelong dream of mine, and the fact that I’m still playing and get to do what I love to do is amazing.”

While continuing to make an impact on the court at Cal Baptist, Silverstein is an inspiring Jewish athlete who hopes to remain a dominant playmaker for years to come.