Virginia Tech’s Seth Greenberg named head coach for USA Open Men’s Basketball Team

The head men’s basketball coach at Virginia Tech, Seth Greenberg, has been named the head coach for the USA Open Men’s Basketball Team competing at the 19th World Maccabiah Games in Israel, July 2013.
Greenberg just completed his ninth season as head coach at Virginia Tech where the Hokies have made five consecutive and six total post-season appearances during his tenure.
“We at Maccabi USA are very excited that Seth Greenberg has accepted this appointment as head coach for the Open Men’s Basketball Team,” says Marc Rosenberg, chairman, USA Open Men’s Basketball. “As a two-time Atlantic Coast Conference Coach of the year, he has the leadership and ability to lead Team USA to a Gold Medal at the 19th Maccabiah Games.”
Greenberg has a career record of 383– 293 in 22 seasons as a collegiate head coach and a 170–123 record in nine seasons at Virginia Tech. Since coming to Virginia Tech, Greenberg’s Hokies have three wins over No. 1 ranked teams, including a 64–60 victory over top-ranked Duke on Feb. 26, 2011. He has also been named the ACC Coach of the Year in 2005 and 2008. Additionally, Greenberg was inducted into the National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 2010.
When asked why he volunteered to be the coach for Maccabi USA’s Open Men’s Basketball Team, Greenberg says, “This volunteer position is important to me because anytime you can represent your country and your faith in the same event, it’s something very special. Having participated previously as an assistant coach at the 13th Maccabiah Games in 1989, it was a life-altering experience. I look forward to representing the USA and bringing a great group of athletes with me to Israel to share that same experience.”
Greenberg will use his network of contacts around the country to identify the best, young, Jewish players. He hopes to put together a team that plays with great passion, great energy and sense of purpose.
“I want good, young people that are going to work hard, be good teammates, be trusting of each other and understand what a tremendous experience this will be for them,” Greenberg says of the team he will be recruiting. “I want them to be highly competitive, tough players with a high basketball IQ. It is really important to me to have a team that is committed to playing winning basketball, committed to competing at the highest level and understand that it’s the good of the group and playing to win is the ultimate goal.”
Applications for the team are available at www.maccabiusa.com and details for the tryouts will be posted on the site as soon as they are confirmed.
The Maccabiah Games are about more than just sport. For two unforgettable weeks, Jewish athletes of all ages and backgrounds convene to share their culture, history and values in Israel, while competing. The World Maccabiah Games, sanctioned by the International Olympic Committee, is the third largest international sporting event in the world.