2025 Ryan Turell Character & Inspiration Award Winner
Jadin Booth, Florida Southern (Click Here)
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Foundation to Combat Antisemitism
We are building a nationwide movement, inspiring people to move off the sidelines and join us as active allies in this fight against hate. Our #🟦 Blue Square has been shared with millions of people in every corner of the world as the universal symbol for fighting Jewish hate and all hate.
To nominate candidates for the Ryan Turell Character & Inspiration Award, please send detailed bio information about the candidate to ryanturellaward@gmail.com. All nominations are due by March 1st.
Zevi Samet Named 2026 Ryan Turell
Character & Inspiration Award Winner
Fort Meyers, FL – Small College Basketball is extremely excited to announce Zevi Samet as the 2026 Ryan Turell Character & Inspiration Award winner. Samet recently completed his highly decorated career at Yeshiva University. The Ryan Turell Character & Inspiration Award is sponsored by the Kraft Family Foundation. Ryan Turell had this to say about Zevi Samet.
"I am incredibly excited about Zevi receiving this award, as he truly embodies what it means to inspire both on and off the court,” mentioned Turell. “A First Team All American athlete, Zevi lives by his motto, 'Bigger than basketball,' bringing his love for God and his Jewish faith into everything that he does. His pregame speeches uplift and unite his teammates, reminding everyone that there is purpose beyond the game. He is truly a role model that so many look up to, and I know he will continue to inspire well beyond his time at YU."
The intent of the Ryan Turell Character & Inspiration Award is two-fold: 1) To keep the story and legacy of Ryan Turell alive and continue to tell his story to the next generation, and 2) To provide a national platform to honor a player that has faced adversity, handled it with tremendous character and perseverance, and ultimately became an inspiration and role model for others. We shall use the various platforms under the Small College Basketball umbrella to fulfill these intentions.
A native of Monsey, NY, Samet made an instant impact at Yeshiva University in his freshman season. Samet finished number one in NCAA Division III in three-point field goals made her game at 3.96. He finished the season with 558 points and was selected as the Region 3 Rookie of the Year and D3hoops.com All Region third team. Samet also finished the season as the Skyline Rookie of the Year and All-Skyline First Team. In his sophomore season, Samet started in all 28 games, averaging 22.7 points and 4.1 rebounds. He was named Skyline First - Team All-Conference, NABC 2023-24 Honors Court and All-MBWA First – Team. Samet also reached 1,000 points during his sophomore campaign, being the fastest in Yeshiva history. Samet has this to say about been named the Ryan Turell Inspiration Award Winner:
"It's an honor to be receiving this award,” exclaimed Samet. “I want to thank God for giving me everything I have in my life, and allowing me to have the career that I had. This couldn't have happened without my family, my teammates, and ultimately my coaches for believing in me throughout my four years at Yeshiva. To be receiving an award named after a former alum of Yeshiva is so special. It's awesome that Ryan put Yeshiva on the map and used it as a platform to inspire others. I thank him for creating that national platform so that when I came in right after he left, I was able to keep building on that platform and be able to play ball on the highest level, but also more importantly, to be able to use that platform to inspire the world! You never know what impact you can make by just doing the right thing. Never forget that!"
In his junior campaign, Samet continued to reach new heights for the Yeshiva program. Samet once gain started in all 28 games, finishing the year averaging 22.6 points per game and 4.1 rebounds. He continued to garner national and conference accolades, being named to the NABC DIII All-American Second Team. Samet was named the Skyline Player of the Year, First-Team All-Conference, and NABC First Team All-District. Furthermore, Samet was named the D3hoops.com Region 3 Most Outstanding Player. In his final season at Yeshiva, Samet continued to rewrite the Yeshiva record books. Finishing the year, averaging 23.8 points per game, 4.1 rebounds, and 2.3 assists. He finished the season with 737 points, fourth in the NCAA. Samet finished his career sixth all time in three-pointers in NCAA history at 403 and 2,564 points, first overall in Yeshiva history. The 2,564 points ranks 13th in NCAA history. Samet set a new single-game record with 52 points against USMMA. He was named NABC First Team All American and D3hoops.com Second Team All American. Samet also received Skyline Player of the Year and First Team All – Skyline. Yeshiva Head Coach Elliot Steinmetz spoke about the extraordinary career on and off the court for Samet:
"What an absolutely deserved honor for Zevi,” stated Steinmetz. “We've been blessed to have such high character student-athletes in our program over the years. Ryan and his teammates set the standard for excellence on and off the court, and Zevi, along with Max and his teammates, have taken it to the next level. We are lucky to have such amazing people to continue raising our program and culture to new levels while setting a stage for the future as well.”
For all of the on-court success, Samet has made an even larger impact off the court. Samet started the initiative Beyond the Court that brought this year’s team closer than ever. The initiative facilitated everything from communal Shabbatons to group outings, all in an effort to get the team closer to both Hashem and each other. Through the diligence and passion of Samet, Beyond the Court has also established a sizeable social media presence. Through these platforms, Samet uses basketball skills as a way to spread the message of Hashem and Judaism at large. Samet also finds time to give back to the community at large, hosting youth basketball clinics to mentor the next generation of basketball players. In his own words “I want to use my platform to inspire. It’s exciting to see kids come and work hard, especially at a young age. It shows that they want to get better, that they want to improve, and I believe that I help them do that.”
2026 marks the second season that the Ryan Turell Character & Inspiration Award has been awarded. Jadin Booth of Florida Southern won the inaugural award in 2025.
Ryan Turell turned down multiple NCAA Division I offers to follow his faith and attend Yeshiva University in New York. During his four year career, Turell led the Maccabees on a historic 50-game win streak and helped the team become the #1 ranked team in all of NCAA Division III for the first time in school history. Turell broke the school’s single game (51), season (786) and career (2,158) scoring records, while shooting 58% from the field and 44.9% from the 3-point line for his career.
In Turell’s senior season he won the Travis Grant Award, given annually to the nation’s leading collegiate scorer averaging 27.1 ppg. He was named as a First Team All – American for three straight years by D3Hoops, and was named as a 2022 NABC NCAA Division III National Player of the Year. He then became the first Orthodox Jew to be drafted and play in the NBA G League for the Motor City Cruise.
Beyond the remarkable playing career, Turell became a worldwide inspiration and role model in the Jewish community at large and a hero in the Orthodox community. His play garnered global attention, while his charisma, character, smile and kindness made him among the most celebrated and recognized small college players of all time. Turell has become a beacon of hope and inspiration to the Jewish community – and far beyond.
For more information on Small College Basketball, please head to smallcollegebasketball.com.
SCB Announces Finalists for 2026 Ryan Turell
Character & Inspiration Award
Fort Meyers, FL – Small College Basketball is excited to announce the 2026 finalists of the Ryan Turrell Character & Inspiration Award. The official announcement was made this afternoon at the Small College Basketball Social in Indianapolis, IN. The Ryan Turell Character & Inspiration Award is sponsored by the Kraft Family Foundation. John McCarthy had this to say about this year’s finalists:
"The Ryan Turell Character & Inspiration Award has tremendous meaning, and is a really special award,” stated McCarthy. “Through this platform, we are thrilled to bring national attention to the remarkable stories of these five finalists. Congratulations to each and every one of them. Their stories inspire us all."
The intent of the Ryan Turell Character & Inspiration Award is two-fold: 1) To keep the story and legacy of Ryan Turell alive and continue to tell his story to the next generation, and 2) To provide a national platform to honor a player that has faced adversity, handled it with tremendous character and perseverance, and ultimately became an inspiration and role model for others. We shall use the various platforms under the Small College Basketball umbrella to fulfill these intentions.
The five finalists include Curtis Harrison of Wheeling University, Luke Chicone of John Carroll University, Mason Brandt of the University of Findlay, Mayson Quartlebaum of Rollins College, and Zevi Samet of Yeshiva University. Below is a brief description of why each of them were nominated for the award.
Curtis embodies not only the mission of the Wheeling University program, but the spirit of the award. Along with a friend, Curtis started the Sole Bros Inc charity, which has since its inception collected and handed out shoes to over 7,000 people. Curtis has also persevered through personal setbacks. After a debilitating injury early in his college career, instead of giving up he worked extremely hard over multiple years to get back to as close to 100% as possible and has contributed to Wheeling’s success this year.
Luke has left his impact at John Carroll University. Returning for his graduate year to earn a teaching certificate, he continues to operate a basketball training company, which allows AAU opportunities for your players in the program. Luke has an amazing ability to lead, while also lifting up those around him through his daily interactions. Furthermore, Luke has taken time to personally connect with a young man with severe depression and has deeply impacted the young man’s life to the point that this young man took time to nominate Luke for this award. He plans to follow in the footsteps of his grandfather Mike Moran, the longtime coach at John Carroll, and his uncles Pete and Pat Moran.
After a very successful high school career, that landed Mason on Sportscenter Top 10 for his extraordinary dunks, he started at University of Findlay in the fall of 2022. After being diagnosed with a chewing disorder in High School, Mason struggled with gaining weight in college. During the summer after his sophomore year in college, Mason was diagnosed with eosinophilic esophagitis (E.O.E). Following this diagnosis and after extensive research and meeting with professionals, a plan was created for Mason to not only gain weight but get his self confidence back. Mason continues to show young kids with E.O.E that anything is possible.
In just a short time at Rollins College, Mayson has left a lasting impact. Mayson battled Hodgkin’s Lymphoma and endured four months of chemotherapy after graduating from University of Missouri St. Louis. He took the entire 2024-25 school year to recover and enrolled at Rollins for his final year. Mayson has worked extremely hard this year, coming back much earlier than expected from multiple injuries. He has also proactively initiated Rollins’ relationship with Team Impact, partnering with a young six-year-old that was diagnosed with cancer.
Zevi has garnered numerous accolades the season, including: Skyline Player of the Year, Skyline First Team All-Conference, Bevo Francis Award Finalist and the Trevor Hudgins Award Finalist. What he has done off the court is just as impressive. Zevi started the Beyond the Court initiative which has facilitated everything from communal Shabbatons to group outings, all in an effort to get the team closer to both Hashem and each other. Thanks to his diligence and passion, Beyond the Court has also established a sizeable social media presence. Through these platforms, he uses basketball skills as a way to spread the message of Hashem and Judaism at large.
2026 marks the second season that the Ryan Turell Character & Inspiration Award has been awarded. Jadin Booth of Florida Southern won the inaugural award in 2025.
Ryan Turell turned down multiple NCAA Division I offers to follow his faith and attend Yeshiva University in New York. During his four year career, Turell led the Maccabees on a historic 50-game win streak and helped the team become the #1 ranked team in all of NCAA Division III for the first time in school history. Turell broke the school’s single game (51), season (786) and career (2,158) scoring records, while shooting 58% from the field and 44.9% from the 3-point line for his career.
In Turell’s senior season he won the Travis Grant Award, given annually to the nation’s leading collegiate scorer averaging 27.1 ppg. He was named as a First Team All – American for three straight years by D3Hoops, and was named as a 2022 NABC NCAA Division III National Player of the Year. He then became the first Orthodox Jew to be drafted and play in the NBA G League for the Motor City Cruise.
Beyond the remarkable playing career, Turell became a worldwide inspiration and role model in the Jewish community at large and a hero in the Orthodox community. His play garnered global attention, while his charisma, character, smile and kindness made him among the most celebrated and recognized small college players of all time. Turell has become a beacon of hope and inspiration to the Jewish community – and far beyond.
The winner of this year’s Ryan Turrell Character and Inspiration Award will be announced on Monday April 6th at halftime of the NCAA Division I National Championship game. For more information on Small College Basketball, please head to smallcollegebasketball.com.
SCB Announces the Creation of the Ryan Turell Character & Inspiration Award
Kansas City, Mo. – Small College Basketball is very excited to announce the creation of the Ryan Turell Character & Inspiration Award under the umbrella of Small College Basketball. This award is proudly sponsored by the Kraft Family Foundation. The award was announced at the 2024 Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on Friday November 1st on the campus of Florida Southern College in Lakeland, FL. John McCarthy had this to say about the creation of the Ryan Turell Character & Inspiration Award:
"We are so honored and excited to launch the Ryan Turell Character & Inspiration Award, as this award has tremendous meaning for Small College Basketball, and beyond,” stated McCarthy. “Ryan is such a wonderful role model and inspiration, not just for the Jewish community worldwide, but for people of all backgrounds and faiths. We are grateful to Ryan and the Turell Family for their support of this award, and we fully intend to use the platform of this award as a force for good.”
The Ryan Turell Character & Inspiration Award will be presented annually to a men’s basketball player at the small college level that has faced adversity, handled great challenges with character and class, and ultimately became an inspiration and role model for others. Ryan Turell had this to stay about the creation of the award:
“I am incredibly grateful to John McCarthy and Small College Basketball for naming the Character & Inspiration Award after me,” mentioned Turell. “Small College Basketball has a very special place in my heart as it was not only the home to my college basketball career, but it helped me reach my goals on and off the court in sports and in life. Through my game, I had the opportunity to not only inspire and unite the worldwide Jewish community, but also bring awareness to the multiplicity of cultures that are united through sports. This award will be presented to a player that has faced adversity, handled it with tremendous character and perseverance, all the while uniting communities and inspiring people to succeed no matter where they came from or what they believe in. This award is bigger than basketball and I am excited to see which student athletes will be leading and inspiring the next generations.”
A native of Southern California, Turell turned down multiple NCAA Division I offers to follow his faith and attend Yeshiva University in New York. During his four year career, Turell led the Maccabees on a historic 50-game win streak and helped the team become the #1 ranked team in all of NCAA Division III for the first time in school history. Turell broke the school’s single game (51), season (786) and career (2,158) scoring records, while shooting 58% from the field and 44.9% from the 3-point line for his career. Yeshiva University Head Coach Elliot Steinmetz had this to say about Turell:
“There is not a more fitting name for an award that represents who Ryan is as a person than the Ryan Turell Character & Inspiration Award,” exclaimed Steinmetz. “Ryan’s makeup as a human being is what parents strive for in developing their kids. His approach, not just to basketball, but to life, diversity and challenge, is inspirational not only to the younger generation, but to those of us who are older and still learning every day how to navigate the world.”
In Turell’s senior season he won the Travis Grant Award, given annually to the nation’s leading collegiate scorer averaging 27.1 ppg. He was named as a First Team All – American for three straight years by D3Hoops, and was named as a 2022 NABC NCAA Division III National Player of the Year. He then became the first Orthodox Jew to be drafted and play in the NBA G League for the Motor City Cruise.
Beyond the remarkable playing career, Turell became a worldwide inspiration and role model in the Jewish community at large and a hero in the Orthodox community. His play garnered global attention, while his charisma, character, smile and kindness made him among the most celebrated and recognized small college players of all time. Turell has become a beacon of hope and inspiration to the Jewish community – and far beyond.
The award will be sponsored by the Kraft Family Foundation, and John McCarthy had this to say about this amazing partnership for the Ryan Turell Character & Inspiration Award:
“Importantly, I’d like to sincerely thank Mr. Robert Kraft and the Kraft Family Foundation for their sponsorship of this award,” stated McCarthy. “As part of this partnership, Small College Basketball is proud to promote the Foundation to Combat Antisemitism. FCAS has built a worldwide movement, inspiring people to move off the sidelines and join the foundation as active allies in this fight against hate. The Blue Square has been shared with millions of people in every corner of the world as the universal symbol for fighting Jewish hate, and ALL hate, and Small College Basketball will proudly distribute the Blue Square to help spread love, and fight hate."
The intent of the Ryan Turell Character & Inspiration Award is two-fold: 1) To keep the story and legacy of Ryan Turell alive and continue to tell his story to the next generation, and 2) To provide a national platform to honor a player that has faced adversity, handled it with tremendous character and perseverance, and ultimately became an inspiration and role model for others. We shall use the various platforms under the Small College Basketball umbrella to fulfill these intentions. For more information on Small College Basketball, please head to smallcollegebasketball.com.
Statement from Ryan Turell
First, I’d like to thank God for allowing me to play the game I love and for putting me in a position to inspire others. I am incredibly grateful to my parents for the foundation they gave me and their endless support and sacrifices throughout my journey.
It is a tremendous honor to have the Small College Basketball Character & Inspiration Award named after me. Small College Basketball has a very special place in my heart as it was not only the home to my college basketball career but laid the foundation for me to reach my goals on and off the court in sports and in life. In choosing Yeshiva University, my goal was to be part of something bigger than basketball—to both create a winning sports culture and to turn a program once underestimated into a national championship contender and inspire Jews and non-Jews alike to set their goals high, be committed to the hard work it takes to excel and great things can happen. This award will spotlight a player who has faced challenges head-on with strength and grace, inspiring others through their actions, regardless of their background or beliefs.
Sports is a great uniter of people, and I am proud that the essence of this award is much bigger than basketball. We hope this award serves as a testament to the impact we can have on others when we stay true to our purpose regardless of who you are, where you come from or who you worship.
Thank you to Small College Basketball, John McCarthy, Robert Kraft and everyone who made this possible. I am forever grateful.
- Ryan Turell