Tanhum Cohen-Mintz (תנחום (תני) כהן-מינץ; also "Tanchum or Tani" and "Cohen-Minz"; October 18, 1939 – October 11, 2014) was an Israeli professional basketball player.[1] He was 6'8 1⁄2" (2.04 m ) tall, and he played at the center position.[2][3]
 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | October 18, 1939 Riga, Latvia |
| Died | October 11, 2014 (aged 75) Tel Aviv, Israel |
| Nationality | Israeli |
| Listed height | 6 ft 8.5 in (2.04 m) |
| Listed weight | 210 lb (95 kg) |
| Career information | |
| Playing career | 1956–1972 |
| Position | Center |
| Career history | |
| 1956–1972 | Maccabi Tel Aviv |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Early life edit
Cohen-Mintz, who was Jewish, was born in Riga, Latvia.[1][4][5][6][7]
Basketball career edit
Cohen-Mintz started his sporting career in tennis, following the footsteps of his mother, Edith Cohen-Mintz, who was Israel's women's tennis champion for several years in the 1950s. He himself was Israel's junior tennis champion. He was viewed on the tennis court by legendary basketball coach Yehoshua Rozin, who was impressed by his height and athletic abilities. Rozin convinced Cohen-Mintz to convert to basketball.
During his club basketball career, he played with Maccabi Tel Aviv.[7][8] He was a starting-five member of the 1964 and 1965 FIBA European Selection All-Star Teams.[3]
He also played with, and was the captain of the senior Israeli national basketball team, representing it 89 times, from 1958–1971, during which time he scored 1,076 points.[3][9]
In 1961, he was selected as Israel's Sportsman of the Year.[3] In 1998, Ma'ariv named him one of the five best basketball players in Israel's history.[3]
Hall of Fame edit
According to some sources, Tanhum Cohen Mintz is a member of the Jewish Sports Hall of Fame, having been inducted in 1992,[10] but his name appears neither in the list of the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame inductees[11] nor in the list of the National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame inductees.[12]
Personal life edit
His son, Uri Cohen-Mintz, is also a former basketball player, and he also played for Israel's national team.
Death edit
Cohen-Mintz died October 11, 2014, at the age of 75, of cancer.[13]
References edit
- ^ a b Bob Wechsler (2008). Day by day in Jewish sports history. KTAV Publishing House, Inc. ISBN 9780881259698. Retrieved July 20, 2011.
- ^ "Russell Puts New "Z-o-o-m" Into Celts Starting Lineup". The Telegraph. November 23, 1966. Retrieved July 20, 2011.
- ^ a b c d e "Cohen-Mintz, Tanny: Jews In Sports @ Virtual Museum". Jewsinsports.org. October 8, 1939. Retrieved July 20, 2011.
- ^ Bernard Postal; Jesse Silver; Roy Silver (1965). Encyclopedia of Jews in sports. Bloch Pub. Co. Retrieved July 20, 2011.
Tanhum Cohen-Mintz.
- ^ Robert Slater (2000). Great Jews in sports. ISBN 9780824604332. Retrieved July 20, 2011.
- ^ Karen Breen; Judith Silverman (1988). Index to collective biographies for young readers. ISBN 9780835223485. Retrieved July 20, 2011.
- ^ a b Allon Sinai (April 14, 2008). "No.22 – Tanhum Cohen-Mintz". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved July 20, 2011.
- ^ Klein, Yossi (April 2, 2008). "Standing tall to be counted". Haaretz. Retrieved July 20, 2011.
- ^ Yaacov Ro'i (2003). The Struggle for Soviet Jewish Emigration, 1948–1967. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9780521522441. Retrieved July 20, 2011.
- ^ Joe Hoffman (May 24, 1992). "Chodorov Tops List Of Inductees to Jewish Sports Hall of Fame". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved July 20, 2011.
- ^ Elected members of the International International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame: Basketball
- ^ National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame inductees/honorees Archived 2007-02-13 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Israeli sports mourns the passing of Cohen-Mintz