Nadav Henefeld made a 5,500 mile-journey home last month, not to his native Israel, but to Connecticut, to play in the Jim Calhoun Celebrity Classic Charity All-Star Game at the Mohegan Sun Arena.

All of the players invited to play are former UConn players. The game benefits the Cardiac Center at the University of Connecticut Medical Center in Farmington, CT.

For someone who only played one year of basketball at the University of Connecticut, Henefeld's name has not lost its cachet after 16 years of absence.

Henefeld, adapted some of his Israeli Defense Force mentality to the Huskies’ defensive game and used it to trap opposing players against the sideline, then used his 6-foot, 7-inch body to smother them and force them into turnovers. Even if he didn’t score a single point, his defense and his offensive passes endeared him to the thousands of UConn fans who came to every game.

Tate George, the point guard who carried UConn into the Elite Eight that season with a last-second shot against Clemson, told Brian Koonz, my friend and former co-worker at the News-Times in Danbury, CT, : "’I remember Nadav picked up the American game right away. Actually, he was a lot better in games than he was in practice, especially defensively,’" he said "’Nadav was a quiet guy, but on the floor, he was our strength. He took a lot of chances going after steals, which we really didn't understand at first,’" George recalled. "’He always used to say to us, 'If I can get my hands on it, I've got it. Halfway through the season, we finally figured out that we just needed to let him do his thing.’"

Henefeld and George weren’t the only stars on the team. There were others. However, from a fan’s point of view, Henefeld turned this team into something new; something UConn fans weren’t used to seeing. They played the game with solid skills and an élan that intimidated other teams. They were worthy of being in the newly formed Big East and more so, nationally ranked. They were the beginning of Calhoun’s UConn dynasty, and its benchmark.

But Connecticut almost missed out on Henefeld.

After fulfilling his required military service in Israel, Henefeld set out for the US and St. John’s University in Queens, Long Island. He had heard a lot about the powerhouse New York team and hoped to play for them. But when the Johnny’s treeless and grassless campus didn’t meet his vision of what an American campus should look like, he changed his mind, picked up his luggage and prepared to return to Israel. Fortunately, for Huskies’ fans, a St. Johns’ trainer called a friend at UConn who gave the word to Coach Calhoun, who said if Henefeld could report to the Storrs, CT. gymnasium the following day, he would get a tryout.

The rest, as they say, is history.

Koonz wrote "For one, magical season at . . . UConn, . . . Henefeld carried a state on the tail of his comet." By the time Henefeld returned to Tel Aviv the next spring, he had left an indelible imprint on perhaps the most significant season in UConn history; the season when the Huskies finally turned the corner to begin their ascent as one of the nation's top programs.

Before there were two national championships at UConn, there was the "Dream Season" in 1989-90, when Henefeld and the Huskies came within a jump shot of the Final Four.

Because of the recent war with Hezbollah, and Henefeld’s remarks in the first person to Koonz, I am taking the liberty to use the rest of this article as Koonz wrote it and as it appeared in the News-Times. Koonz is the UConn beat writer for Huskies basketball and football.

"Henefeld flew to America on the heels of Hezbollah rockets leaving pock marks of horror in his homeland, a month-long exchange of death and destruction along the Lebanese border.

"’It's not an easy time in Israel,’" Henefeld conceded before the game. "’Israel is a country that cannot accept this situation. A third of the population is sitting in shelters for more than 30 days or has come down to Tel Aviv to live.

"’It doesn't matter what the rest of the people and the rest of the world say right now because for us, it's a matter of existence,’" Henefeld added. "’It's a matter of taking care of the people of Israel. It's not a matter of diplomacy or politics.’"

Henefeld, isn't convinced the cease-fire recently adopted by the United Nations is the right answer. If anything, Henefeld believes it's a Band-Aid response to a hemorrhaging problem.

"’It's not a real solution,’" Henefeld said flatly. "’But hopefully, it'll be strong enough from where we start now to build something solid for the future.

"’This is a situation that I really believe was forced on Israel. It wasn't something Israel was looking for,’" Henefeld said. "’But on the other hand, Israel can't just let itself sit on the outside and not take care of its citizens.’"

Calhoun, for one, is sympathetic to Henefeld's reality of bomb shelters and sirens.

"’I've been to games in arenas in Tel Aviv that were surrounded by tanks,’" Calhoun said. "’To be down two or three points, or five points in a game, is nothing compared to playing basketball games under the threat of hostilities.’"

This is the armor Henefeld carried with him 17 years ago to Storrs. Back then, the Huskies had never seen anything like him.

During his one season in Storrs, Henefeld set the NCAA freshman record with 138 steals. The 1990 Big East Rookie of the Year went on to average 11.6 points, 5.6 rebounds, 3.7 steals and 2.9 assists.

Even now, four years after his retirement from Maccabi Tel-Aviv, the most storied professional team in Israel, Henefeld counts his days at UConn among his most cherished.

Apparently, he's not the only one.

Several fans approached Henefeld before the game looking for an autograph or a handshake. He was only too happy to oblige.

"’I think I'm so lucky,’" Henefeld grinned. "’I'm so proud that these people really remember me and talk to me about that year and how special it was. It's a big thrill for me.

"’To come back here is the most uplifting feeling I can have,’" Henefeld said. "’If I was a little bit closer, I would come back every other weekend. It's great. It's like I never left.’"

Fortunately for Henefeld, the best things in life never change. It's the other things, like Hezbollah rockets screaming through the sky, that can't change soon enough."

Who is the most Jewish Team in Major League Baseball?

There have been several Major League Baseball teams with two Jewish players simultaneously, and possibly another that had three. But to the best of my research and knowledge, the current Boston Red Sox are the first to have four Jewish players at one time.

Last week, when teams were allowed to expand their rosters to 40 players for the rest of the season, the Bosox brought up Craig Breslow of Trumbull, CT from their Pawtucket, RI AAA farm team. Breslow, a left-handed pitcher, joins Gabe Kapler, a right fielder, and Kevin Youkilis, a 3rd-baseman on the active roster, while Adam Stern, who is was up earlier this season, is on the 60-day injured reserve list, effectively ending his season. The native Canadian appeared in 10-games this season and batted .150, with four RBI.

Youkilis, often called the "Greek God of Walks –mistakenly- has been enjoying a fine season despite the Sox being all but out of the pennant race, has 13 homeruns, 66 RBI, and a decent .284 batting average.

Kapler, a reserve outfielder behind Manny Ramirez, Coco Crisp, Eric Hinske and Trot Nixon, has two homers, nine RBI and is batting .250.

As for the team with possibly three Jews, how about the Dodgers with Sandy Koufax and the Sherry brothers? I haven’t checked this one out, but I think it’s a good guess.