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.