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Ryan Turell
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Ryan K. Turell (born February 3, 1999) is an American professional basketball player for Ironi Ness Ziona of the Israeli Basketball Premier League. Turell played college basketball for Yeshiva University in the Skyline Conference. As a senior in 2021–22, he was the highest scorer across all levels of college basketball with 27.1 points per game and was named NABC DIII National Player of the Year, Skyline Conference Player of the Year, and D3hoops.com Region 3 Player of the Year. He led Yeshiva University to one of the longest winning streaks in NCAA Division III men's college basketball history.
Key Information
Turell was selected in the first round of the 2022 NBA G League draft by the Motor City Cruise, becoming the first Orthodox Jew selected in the G League draft.
Early and personal life
[edit]Turell was born in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Valley Village, the youngest of three children of Brad and Laurel Turell (two sons and a daughter). According to a 2021 ESPN story, the Turell children "grew up in a household with twin focuses: basketball and Judaism". As a child, his father Brad had played basketball against future NBA player Kiki VanDeWeghe, in college he had played basketball as a guard at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and as an adult he had performed public relations work for VanDeWeghe.[1] The elder Turells' later choice for their children's education had its roots in the journeys both took to Orthodox Judaism. Brad, who had been raised as a Reform Jew, began studying with an Orthodox rabbi in his late twenties, at the time intending only to learn more about Judaism, but he eventually embraced Orthodox Judaism. Laurel, the daughter of Southern Baptist evangelical singers, was dating Brad at the time. After she met Brad's teacher, she eventually chose to convert to Judaism, and became Orthodox at the same time as Brad.[2]
Brad hired dribbling and shooting coaches for both his sons when Ryan was in kindergarten. The older son, Jack, went on to play basketball at Yeshiva University, an NCAA Division III school.[2]
Ryan is a religious Orthodox Jew, keeps kosher, observes the Jewish Sabbath, and wears a yarmulke on his head—even while playing basketball.[1][3] Turell said that if he were to play in the NBA he would play on the Sabbath, but would walk to games and practices scheduled for the Sabbath.[3] He heard antisemitic slurs on the basketball court while playing both in high school and in college. His goal is to play in the NBA, and eventually to play in Israel. He practices from the NBA three-point line, shooting daily until he sinks at least 300 three-point shots.[1]
High school career
[edit]Turell attended and played as a shooting guard on the varsity basketball team at Valley Torah High School, a Jewish school with a student body of 135.[4][1][5] He also played for Earl Watson Elite, a premier Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) team.[1] Playing for the high school, as a junior in 2016-17 he averaged 25.3 points per game, and as a senior in 2017-18 he averaged 34.3 points per game.[6] In 2018, he received a McDonald's All-American Game nomination, and was California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) Division IV State Player of the Year and First Team Division IV.[5][7]
Turell received several offers from NCAA Division I schools. However, late in his senior year of high school, by which time the family was living in another Los Angeles neighborhood, Sherman Oaks, Ryan surprised both of his parents when he told them that he would attend his brother's alma mater. Brad recalled, "I said, 'Why in the world would you want to go to Yeshiva?' And Ryan said, 'Why in the world did you send me to Valley Torah High School?'" In the same ESPN story, when Ryan heard his father's recalling of the incident, he added, "And Emek", referring to Emek Hebrew Academy, the Jewish day school he attended before Valley Torah.[2]
College career
[edit]In 2018, Turell began playing college basketball on the Yeshiva University Maccabees team. Yeshiva University is a small Jewish university in Washington Heights in New York City, with about 2,600 undergrads.[1] Some nicknamed him "the Jewish Larry Bird."[1] He led Yeshiva University to one of the longest winning streaks in NCAA Division III men's college basketball history, a 50-game streak that was broken in December 2021.[1][8]
In 2018–19, as a freshman, Turell averaged 20.2 points (tops in the Skyline Conference), 5.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 1.4 steals per game.[9] He shot .539 from the field (3rd in the conference), .421 from three-point range, and .806 from the line (4th).[9] He was named Skyline Conference Freshman of the Year, Skyline Conference All-First Team, D3hoops.com Atlantic Region Rookie of the Year, and Jewish Sports Review Second Team All-American.[9][10]
In 2019–20, as a sophomore, he averaged 23.9 points (tops in the conference), 5.8 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 0.8 steals per game.[9][10] Turell shot .636 from the field (leading the conference), .462 from three-point range, and .795 from the line.[9][10] He was named Skyline Conference Player of the Year, Skyline Conference All-First Team, D3hoops.com Atlantic Region Player of the Year, D3hoops.com All-America First Team, D3hoops.com All-Atlantic First Team, National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) All-Atlantic First Team, and NABC DIII All-America Second Team, and Jewish Sports Review First Team All-American.[9][10]
In 2020–21, as a junior, in a season limited to seven games by the COVID-19 pandemic, Turell averaged 26.0 points, 8.3 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 1.4 steals per game.[9] Turell shot .512 from the field, .421 from three-point range, and .773 from the line.[9] He was D3hoops.com All-Atlantic/Mid-Atlantic Player of the Year, D3hoops.com All-America First Team, and a Basketball Times Preseason All-American.[10]
In 2021–22, as a senior, Turell averaged 27.1 points (leading all levels of college basketball), 5.5 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.4 steals per game.[9][10] He shot .587 from the field, .468 from three-point range, and .761 from the line.[9] He was named NABC DIII National Player of the Year, NABC DIII All-America First Team, NABC All-District Atlantic First Team, NABC District 3 First Team, Skyline Conference Player of the Year for the second season in a row, and Skyline Conference All-First Team for the third time in his career, D3hoops.com Region 3 Player of the Year, and D3hoops.com All-America First Team for the third straight year.[9][10]
Professional career
[edit]Motor City Cruise (2022–2024)
[edit]In the 2022 NBA G League draft, the Motor City Cruise, the affiliate of the Detroit Pistons, selected Turell with the 27th pick in the First Round. Turell became the first Orthodox Jew selected in the G League draft.[11]
In Turell's G-League debut during the regular season on December 27, 2022, he recorded a season-high 21 points, 2 rebounds and 1 steal as the Cruise fell 108 - 115 to the Capital City Go-Go.[12] In his first season with the Cruise, Turell played in 31 of the team's 32 regular season games and averaged 4.0 points and 1.7 rebounds in 14.2 minutes per game. The Cruise would miss the playoffs that year with a 17 - 15 record.
On October 21, 2023, Turell signed with the Detroit Pistons,[13] but was waived the same day.[14] He rejoined the Cruise for the 2023–24 season.[15]
For his second season with the Cruise, Turell played in less games total (23 compared to 31 in his first season) and averaged less minutes per game (11.9 down from 14.2) while averaging 5.0 points and 2.0 rebounds. In Turell's final game of the 2023 - 2024 season on March 29, 2024, he recorded a career-high 34 points while also grabbing 6 rebounds as the Cruise were defeated by the Raptors 905 104 - 109.[16] The Cruise would miss the playoffs again with a 16 - 18 record.
Ironi Ness Ziona (2024–2025)
[edit]On July 2, 2024, Turell signed with Ironi Ness Ziona of the Israeli Basketball Premier League.[17]
Hapoel Haifa B.C (2025–present)
[edit]On November 17, 2025, Turell signed with Hapoel Haifa B.C. of the Israeli Lega Leumit.[18]
See also
[edit]- List of select Jewish basketball players
- Dave Kufeld, the first Orthodox Jew selected in the NBA draft
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f g h David Waldstein (February 4, 2022). "The Nation’s Top Scorer Plays for a School and a People; Ryan Turell leads all N.C.A.A. basketball players in scoring and hopes to play in the N.B.A. But first, he plans to prove that Yeshiva, a small Jewish university, is as good as its record.", The New York Times.
- ^ a b c Belsky, Gary (November 5, 2021). "The longest winning streak in men's college basketball belongs to ... Yeshiva University". ESPN. Retrieved November 1, 2022.
- ^ a b Louis Keene (November 8, 2022). "Ryan Turell makes basketball history in pro debut: The first Orthodox Jewish player on the court". The Forward.
- ^ "Ryan Turell - Basketball Recruiting - Player Profiles". ESPN.
- ^ a b Peleg, Oren (January 31, 2018). "Valley Torah's Turell Makes Elite Players List". Jewish Journal.
- ^ "Ryan Turell's High School Basketball Stats". MaxPreps.
- ^ Tennis, Mark (April 24, 2018). "Boys BB: Divisional All-State 2018". Cal-Hi Sports.
- ^ Gary Belsky (November 5, 2021). "The most unlikely college hoops powerhouse, centuries in the making". ESPN.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Ryan Turell Player Profile, Motor City Cruise". RealGM.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Ryan Turell - Men's Basketball". Yeshiva University Athletics.
- ^ Lopez, Andrew (October 23, 2022). "Turell first Orthodox Jew taken in G League draft". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 23, 2022.
- ^ https://stats.gleague.nba.com/game/2022200003/
- ^ Pistons PR [@Pistons_PR] (October 21, 2023). "The @DetroitPistons announced today that the team has signed Treveon Graham, David Nwaba, Nate Roberts and Ryan Turell to Exibit [sic] 10 contracts" (Tweet). Retrieved October 30, 2023 – via Twitter.
- ^ Adams, Luke (October 21, 2023). "Pistons Sign, Waive David Nwaba, Three Others". HoopsRumors.com. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
- ^ Motor City Cruise [@MotorCityCruise] (October 30, 2023). "The engine is revving, and we're ready to roll! Check out the Motor City Cruise training camp roster - we're ready to work! #HustleAndDrive" (Tweet). Retrieved November 8, 2023 – via Twitter.
- ^ https://stats.gleague.nba.com/game/2022300508/
- ^ "ברוך הבא, ראיין טורל!". IroniNZ.com (in Hebrew). July 2, 2024. Retrieved July 3, 2024.
- ^ "שחה אלינו מנהרייה וטס איתנו דוך לאילת". X. November 17, 2025. Retrieved January 9, 2026.
External links
[edit]Ryan Turell
View on GrokipediaEarly life and background
Family and upbringing
Ryan Turell was born in Valley Village, a neighborhood in Los Angeles, California, as the youngest of three children to parents Brad and Laurel Turell.[8][9] His father, Brad, works as a communications executive at a Los Angeles talent agency, while his mother, Laurel, has been actively involved in family support during his career, including arranging logistics for events like Passover seders.[8] Turell's parents converted to Orthodox Judaism before his birth; his father was born Jewish but raised in the Reform tradition, a more liberal denomination, prior to the family's adoption of stricter Orthodox observance.[10][11] This upbringing instilled a strong religious commitment from an early age, shaping his daily life around Shabbat observance and kosher dietary laws, even as he pursued basketball intensely.[10] The Turell household emphasized both Judaism and basketball, with family members frequently attending his games and traveling from California to support his professional debut in the G League.[8][9] As a child, Turell initially resisted wearing a kippah during informal pickup games but grew to embrace his Orthodox identity publicly, reflecting the gradual integration of faith and athletics fostered by his parents.[11]Religious commitment and its influence on career choices
Ryan Turell, raised in an Orthodox Jewish household in Southern California, has centered his basketball pursuits on adherence to halachic standards, including Shabbat observance, kosher dietary laws, and wearing a kippah during games.[10][12] His commitment manifested early in forgoing Division I scholarship offers from secular universities to enroll at Yeshiva University in 2018, an Orthodox institution where he could fulfill daily Torah study and prayer requirements alongside athletics.[6][13] This decision, driven by a desire to maintain religious immersion unavailable at higher-division programs with demanding travel and scheduling, limited his national exposure but enabled Yeshiva's 2021-2022 season record of 27 wins and one loss, including a Skyline Conference championship.[14] Turell's Sabbath practices—no driving, electronics use, or non-essential labor—shaped his professional trajectory by necessitating accommodations from teams.[15] He resolved to participate in Shabbat games if venues were walkable from his residence, citing rabbinic allowances for physical exertion in permissible contexts, which permitted his 2022 G League draft selection by the Motor City Cruise as the 27th overall pick—the first for an Orthodox Jew.[16][17] The Pistons organization, affiliates of the Cruise, supported his observance by arranging walkable logistics for Friday night and Saturday contests during his 2022-2024 tenure, where he averaged 14.6 points per game in 2022-2023 despite injury limitations.[18] These constraints, including missed scouting due to holiday absences, contributed to Turell going undrafted in the 2022 NBA Draft and pursuing overseas options post-G League.[19] In July 2024, he signed a one-year contract with Ironi Ness Ziona of the Israeli Premier League, citing the fulfillment of a longstanding dream to compete in the Jewish state, where league schedules often align with religious calendars and cultural norms facilitate observance without extensive negotiation.[20][21] This transition underscores how Turell's faith prioritized environments enabling both elite competition and uncompromised religious life over potential NBA pathways requiring fuller scheduling flexibility.[22]High school career
Achievements at Valley Torah High School
At Valley Torah High School in Valley Village, California, Ryan Turell excelled as a versatile guard, averaging 29.9 points, 11.5 rebounds, 7.8 assists, 3.0 steals, and 2.0 blocks per game across 60 career games.[23] His junior year (2016-17) featured 25.3 points, 12.4 rebounds, 9.6 assists, 8.4 steals (noting the unusually high figure reported), and 2.6 blocks per game in 29 contests.[23] Turell's senior season (2017-18) marked his peak, with averages of 34.3 points, 10.6 rebounds, 7.4 assists, 7.1 steals, and 4.2 blocks over 31 games, leading all California high school players in scoring.[23] He recorded a high of 60 points in one game that year.[24] For these performances, Turell earned California Division IV State Player of the Year honors, a McDonald's All-American Game nomination, and Jewish Hoops America's National Player of the Year award for 2017-18.[4][25]College career
Performance and records at Yeshiva University
During his four-year tenure with the Yeshiva University Maccabees from 2018 to 2022, Ryan Turell established himself as the program's most prolific scorer, averaging 24 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 3.2 assists per game across 90 appearances.[26] His efficiency from the field and ability to generate offense in a Division III context, where Yeshiva competes in the Skyline Conference, highlighted his dominance against limited competition, though his raw scoring output drew national attention.[12] In his senior season of 2021–22, Turell led all divisions of NCAA men's basketball in scoring with a 27.1 points per game average, accumulating 786 points over 29 games to set Yeshiva's single-season scoring record.[27] [28] He achieved this while shooting 58.7% from the field and 46.8% from three-point range, recording 30-plus points in nine games, including a program-record 51 points against Purchase College on February 19, 2022.[27] [12] Turell's performance earned him the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Division III National Player of the Year award on March 17, 2022.[29] Turell concluded his collegiate career as Yeshiva's all-time leading scorer with 2,158 points, surpassing previous benchmarks in a program historically constrained by its small enrollment and religious scheduling limitations.[26] His records underscore a reliance on individual volume scoring, with career totals reflecting consistent high-output games rather than balanced team systems, as evidenced by his top rankings in Yeshiva's historical points ledgers for multiple seasons.[30]Professional career
G League tenure with Motor City Cruise (2022–2024)
Ryan Turell was selected by the Motor City Cruise, the NBA G League affiliate of the Detroit Pistons, with the 27th overall pick in the 2022 G League Draft on October 22, 2022.[16] [31] He made his professional debut on November 8, 2022, entering late in a game against the Grand Rapids Gold to applause from the crowd, marking him as the first Orthodox Jewish player in G League history.[32] [33] In the 2022–23 season, Turell appeared in 31 games for the Cruise, averaging 5.5 points, 1.2 rebounds, and 0.5 assists per game in 14.2 minutes of play.[34] His season highlight came on December 27, 2022, when he scored a then-career-high 21 points on 8-of-10 shooting in a loss to the Capital City Go-Go.[35] On October 21, 2023, Turell signed an Exhibit 10 contract with the Detroit Pistons but was waived the same day, allowing him to rejoin the Cruise for the 2023–24 season.[36] [37] That year, he played in 23 games, averaging 3.5 points and 1.7 rebounds in 11.9 minutes.[34] Turell achieved a career-high 34 points, along with 6 rebounds, on March 29, 2024, in a loss to the Raptors 905, shooting 63% from the field including five three-pointers.[2] Over his two seasons with the Cruise, Turell totaled 4.4 points and 1.9 rebounds per game across 54 appearances.[34]| Season | GP | MPG | PPG | RPG | APG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022–23 | 31 | 14.2 | 5.5 | 1.2 | 0.5 |
| 2023–24 | 23 | 11.9 | 3.5 | 1.7 | 0.5 |
