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Penn point guard David Klatsky will join teammate Dan Solomito and four other Ivy Leaguers on Team USA in the World Maccabiah Games this summer. (Stefan Miltchev/DP File Photo)

David Klatsky has never been to Israel. Neither has Dan Solomito. In just over two months, though, that will change. On July 7, the point guard and small forward on the Penn men's basketball team will make the long trip overseas to the Jewish homeland. Both Klatsky and Solomito will represent the United States in the 2001 World Maccabiah Games from July 7-July 27. The Maccabiah Games, which are held every four years, bring together Jewish athletes from across the world. "It's a great honor," Solomito said. "The pool is only Jewish Americans, but believe it or not, the competition was pretty stiff." Klatsky and Solomito, who both describe themselves as not very religious, are excited for their first trip to Israel. "We both realize our heritage, we both realize the religion and the history," Solomito said. "We're both excited to see what Israel is like." And they will both get that chance this summer. For a time though, neither was sure if they would be making the trip together. Klatsky was selected right after the first tryout, but it took a little longer for Solomito to get the nod. "We both kind of told each other, 'We both better make this,'" Solomito recalled. "After the first tryout, [Klatsky] was selected and he kind of yapped in my ear about it. It's a good opportunity for us to play together." And even though they'll be playing thousands of miles away, it will feel a lot like home. Of the 12 players selected for the Unites States team, half are from the Ivy League. Andrew Gellert of Harvard, and Paul Vitelli, Justin Simon and Matt Minoff of Yale will join the Quakers duo. Columbia's Marc Simon will also be one of the squad's four alternates. Klatsky and Solomito are not surprised by the influx of Ivy Leaguers on the squad. "If you're Jewish and play basketball, you'll probably go to the Ivy League," Klatsky said. "So it really doesn't surprise me." Team USA will also have some big-name players on the roster, including Doug Gottlieb, a former standout point guard on Oklahoma St., and David Blutenthal, a USC forward who was a key member of the Trojans' Elite Eight run last season. Tamir Goodman, an Orthodox Jew once tabbed the "Jewish Jordan," will be an alternate on the team. Originally recruited by Maryland, this roster snub marks the continual downfall of the Towson guard, who often finds himself choosing between basketball and his strong devotion to Judaism. "He's a 6'2" pale-skin red-head and he can do some wild things with the ball," Solomito said of Goodman. "But he couldn't make the second tryout and there wasn't a lot of understanding." Clemson head man Larry Shyatt will coach the team, which will practice at Clemson for a week before departing New York for Israel on July 7. Games are scheduled from July 16-26.

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