Waldman, H : Jews In Sports @ Virtual Museum

Waldman, H

H (yes, that is his given name), played college ball at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas (UNLV) and at St. Louis University before playing professionally in Israel. Waldman was supposed to be named Herb after his grandfather, but was named H by his mother instead. A terrific outside shooter, he was named as one of Nevada's 50 greatest athletes of the 20th Century by Sports Illustrated.

Birth and Death Dates:
b. Jan. 21, 1972

Career Highlights:
Waldman was declared The Nevada Player of the Year in 1990 while he was still a student at Clark High School. H went on to play two seasons at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas. In 1990-91, he was a key player off the bench for the defending National Champion Runnin' Rebels. He averaged 2.1 points, 2.3 assists, and 1.0 rebounds per game. That year UNLV dominated its opponents and finished the regular season ranked No. 1 with a 30-0 record behind future NBA stars Larry Johnson, Stacey Augmon, and Greg Anthony. In the NCAA tournament, the Rebels easily made it to the Final Four to set up a rematch of the previous year's National Championship Game with Duke. In an upset, Duke defeated UNLV, 79-77, to dash the Rinnin' Rebels' hopes of a repeat. Waldman played in four games in the tournament and scored two points.

The following year, Waldman shared the point guard spot with Dedan Thomas and enjoyed a very good season. He averaged 4.1 points per game and was a threat from the outside, hitting 52.3 % of his 3-point shots (23-44); he also added 3.0 assists and 1.3 rebounds per game. In coach Jerry Tarkanian's final season, the Rebels had another outstanding team, finishing with a 23-game winning streak and a 26-2 record. The school was placed on probation, however, and could not play in the postseason.

Because UNLV was on probation, H decided to transfer to St. Louis University. After sitting out the 1992-93 season, he jumped right into a starting role for the Billikens in 1993-94. That year, Waldman averaged 10.3 points. 5.2 assists, and 2.7 rebounds per game as he led the Billikens to a 23-5 record, a No. 21 ranking by CNN (No. 24 AP), and an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament. It was the school's first appearance in the NCAA since 1957. In the tournament, the Billikens were a No. 7 seed in the Midwest Region and faced Maryland in the first round. Waldman scored 11 points in the game, but the Billikens lost the match, 74-66.

In 1994-95, Waldman continued to excel and led the Billikens back to the NCAA tournament. He had the best scoring season of his college career, averaging 11.3 points per game (and adding 4.8 assists and 2.4 rebounds) and St. Louis finished with a record of 22-7. In the NCAA tournament, they received another at-large bid and were seeded No. 9 in the East Region. Waldman averaged 6.5 points per game in the tournament. In the first round the Billikens defeated Minnesota, 64-61, in overtime and then lost to Wake Forest, 64-59, in the second round. In 2001, H was inducted into the Billiken Hall of Fame even though he only played two seasons at St. Louis. During those two years, he made his mark, however, as he was named All-Great Midwest Conference and the league's All-tournament team. He was also named the team's best defender and MVP during his career.

After graduating, Waldman went into real estate, but when the Israeli basketball club Hapoel Jerusalem called him, he jumped at the chance to play in Israel. In his first season (1996-97), he won the Israeli Cup with Hapoel. He played two more seasons with Hapoel, averaging in double digits in scoring before moving to Maccabi Ra'anana before the 1999-2000 season. H played in Israel until December, 2000.

Origin:
Las Vegas, Nevada

Career Dates:
Waldman played guard at UNLV from 1990-1992 and at St. Louis from 1993-95. He played professionally in Israel for Hapoel Jerusalem between 1996-1999 and with Maccabi Ra'anana in 1999-2000.

Physical description:
6'3", 200 pounds



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