Meet Rich Howell, Our New Basketball Instructor!
Rich Howell, our new basketball instructor
We are excited to have as our new basketball instructor Richard Howell, former Power Forward for the NC State Wolfpack and professional player in Israel. Born in Brooklyn and raised in Atlanta, former professional basketball player Rich has been playing organized basketball since he was nine years old. After four amazing years at NC State, Rich started his professional basketball career with the Denver Nuggets and Portland Trailblazers before taking his talents to Asia, Italy, France, Dominican Republic. He then settled in Israel for the last seven seasons, gaining Israeli citizenship and representing the Israeli national team. Rich won the championship with Hapoel Jerusalem, then competed in Euro basketball with Israel against Germany, Poland and Italy, battling NBA and top European players around the world.
We talked with Rich to learn more about his experiences and what he will be teaching at the JCC.
Q: What brought you to Raleigh?
A: I was born in Brooklyn and grew up in Atlanta. I moved to Raleigh to go to college at NC State because I wanted to be closer to my mother, who lived a couple hours away. I just fell in love with Raleigh and have felt that way ever since, so after college my wife and I settled here.
Q: What are you going to be teaching for J Sports?
A: I will be teaching children basketball skills, as well as how to be a teammate and learning how to behave in sports. The main thing is to enhance children’s skills and address any weakness they have.
Q: What led you to play in Israel?
A: I played a couple different places. When I got to Israel, I loved it there. I loved the country, the competitiveness. I did well enough that I got to play on the national team. I decided I wanted to be there for the long term.
Q: What did you like about playing professionally in Israel? Any favorite memories?
A: My favorite thing was being in Nahariya, near Haifa. Tel Aviv is a good place to be, but it was a bit too much for me! I like quiet, peaceful places. My favorite memory was winning the championship for Hapoal Jerusalem in 2018.
Rich with his family in Haifa last December.
Q: What was it like to learn Hebrew?
A: When I was in Jerusalem, I started the process of learning Hebrew, but I got to the part where you had to speak differently to men and women, and it was too much for me! [Editor’s note: Modern Hebrew verbs are conjugated based on the gender of the speaker or subject of the sentence.] It was also tricky, because Israelis talk very fast. I’m not fluent, but I know enough to survive and can start conversations.
Q: What do you want people to understand about the basketball program?
A: The overall goal is to grow the JCC program so it’s as big as it can be! Leagues for different age groups, single-sex and co-ed. My experience brings a lot to the table, and I know kids love basketball and sports in general. We want the kids to have fun and enjoy it while learning the game.
Q: Now for a controversial matter. Which is better: falafel or shawarma?
A: Shawarma, of course! I’m not a falafel guy unless it’s extra, extra crispy.
Come meet Rich at our J Hoops Meet & Greet on August 20! Click here to register.