Willy Workman (Hebrew: וילי וורקמן; born March 14, 1990) is an American-Israeli professional basketball player for Hapoel Haifa of the Israeli Premier League. He played college basketball at Amherst. Workman holds dual-American and Israeli citizenship.
 Workman with Hapoel Tel Aviv, 2014 | |
| No. 1 – Hapoel Haifa | |
|---|---|
| Position | Small forward |
| League | Israeli Basketball Premier League |
| Personal information | |
| Born | March 14, 1990 Northampton, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Nationality | American / Israeli |
| Listed height | 198 cm (6 ft 6 in) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Northampton High School (Northampton, Massachusetts) |
| College | Amherst (2009–2013) |
| NBA draft | 2013: undrafted |
| Playing career | 2013–present |
| Career history | |
| 2013–2014 | Hapoel Galil Elyon |
| 2014–2015 | Hapoel Tel Aviv |
| 2015–2016 | Maccabi Ashdod |
| 2016–2020 | Maccabi Haifa |
| 2020–2021 | Hapoel Holon |
| 2021–2022 | Hapoel Jerusalem |
| 2022–2023 | Maccabi Ra'anana |
| 2023–2024 | Bnei Herzliya |
| 2024–present | Hapoel Haifa |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Early life
editWorkman is Jewish[1] and was born to a Jewish mother[2] in Northampton, Massachusetts. He attended Northampton High School before completing a postgraduate year at nearby Deerfield Academy, where he resumed playing basketball after enduring injuries earlier in his high school career.[2] Workman's father, Danny, is a longtime restaurateur.[3] His mother, Dina Fein, is a judge in Springfield, Massachusetts.[4]
College career
editWorkman attended Amherst College from 2009 to 2013, winning the NCAA3 Championship his senior year.[5] He averaged 10.2 points, 6.1 rebounds and 2.9 assists for his four-year career at Amherst, earning D3hoops.com men's All-America Third Team,[6] ECAC Division III New England First Team[7] and NESCAC First Team honors in 2013.[8]
Professional career
editDuring his first season of professional basketball in 2013–14, Workman played for Hapoel Galil Elyon[9] of the Israeli National League, the second-tier league in Israel, and was able to move to the country's top-flight Premier League, when signing with Hapoel Tel Aviv for the 2014–15 season.[10]
He was signed by fellow Premier League side Maccabi Ashdod for 2015-16[11] and inked a contract with Maccabi Haifa prior to the 2016-17 Premier League campaign.[12] That season, Workman helped Haifa to reach the 2017 Israeli League Finals, where they eventually lost to Hapoel Jerusalem.
On February 28, 2018, Workman signed a three-year contract extension with Maccabi Haifa.[13] On March 2, 2018, Workman participated in the Israeli League All-Star Game as a replacement for Oz Blayzer.[14] That season, despite Workman having his best year in the Israeli Premier League in terms of personal averages (6.7 points and 5.4 rebounds per game) - his team, Maccabi Haifa, had finished the season in the last place out of 12 teams and was relegated to the Israeli National League (the second-tier league in Israel).
In the 2018–19 season, Workman won the 2019 Israeli National League Championship title with Haifa, earning a promotion back to the Israeli Premier League. In the 2019–20 season, he averaged 8.1 points and 4.9 rebounds per game. On August 5, 2020, Workman signed with Hapoel Holon.[15]
On July 2, 2021, he signed with Hapoel Jerusalem of the Israeli Premier League.[16]
On August 19, 2022, he signed with Maccabi Ra'anana of the Liga Leumit (basketball).[17]
On June 28, 2023, he signed with Bnei Herzliya of the Israeli Premier League on a two-year contract.[18]
References
edit- ^ "Israel is a slam-dunk for US basketball players; Israel is a land of opportunity...and sometimes romance...for Jewish-American basketball stars"
- ^ a b "A New Journey Begins". Amherst College. October 4, 2013. Retrieved June 4, 2018.
- ^ Lenker, George (January 21, 2014). "10 Northampton restaurants that have stood the test of time". masslive.com. Retrieved January 5, 2019.
- ^ Mass Lawyers Weekly Staff (August 1, 2001). "FEIN, DINA E." Retrieved January 5, 2019.
- ^ "'Willy stuff' helps Amherst to Division III national title". Washington Post. Retrieved May 22, 2017.
- ^ "2013 D3hoops.com men's All-America team". D3hoops. March 28, 2013. Retrieved May 22, 2017.
- ^ "Greenway, Watson & Click Represent GNAC on ECAC Men's Basketball All-Star Team". GNAC. March 8, 2013. Retrieved May 22, 2017.
- ^ "Men's Basketball All-NESCAC Selections Released - NESCAC". www.nescacstats.com. Retrieved May 22, 2017.
- ^ "A New Journey Begins". Amherst College. October 4, 2013. Retrieved May 22, 2017.
- ^ "Hapoel Tel Aviv signs Willy Workman". Sportando. Retrieved May 22, 2017.
- ^ LTD, Art-Up. "Willy Workman". מנהלת ליגת העל בכדורסל. Retrieved May 22, 2017.
- ^ "Maccabi Haifa signs Willy Workman". Sportando. Retrieved May 22, 2017.
- ^ "ווילי וורקמן יישאר ירוק עד 2021". basket.co.il (in Hebrew). Retrieved February 28, 2018.
- ^ "אולסטאר: הזרים גברו על הישראלים". basket.co.il (in Hebrew). March 2, 2018.
- ^ Borghesan, Ennio Terrasi (August 5, 2020). "Hapoel Holon announces Willy Workman". Sportando. Retrieved August 5, 2020.
- ^ Skerletic, Dario (July 11, 2021). "Hapoel Jerusalem inks Willy Workman". Sportando. Retrieved July 11, 2021.
- ^ "ווילי וורקמן חתם במכבי רעננה מהלאומית" (in Hebrew).
- ^ "ווילי וורקמן חתם בבני הרצליה לשנתיים" (in Hebrew). June 28, 2023.