Barrack Hebrew Academy’s Jordan Naim is Main Line Boys Athlete of the Week

The senior midfielder and captain, the MVP of the Cougars’ Tri-County League championship team this fall, scored 18 goals and dished out 12 assists in 14 games and received all-conference honors. He also was team MVP as a sophomore, before spending his junior year in Israel. Barrack Hebrew head coach Aaron Silver cited Naim’s consistently strong leadership as a key to the Cougars’ success this fall.

Q: Tell us a little about your experience in the Tri-County League championship game, in which you had a hat trick. Can you share your most vivid memory of the game with us?

A: We started slow and weren’t creating many goal scoring opportunities to begin. After scoring our team’s first goal, we started to play more confidently and began to create. That first goal was really the moment that turned the game in our favor.

Q: What do you consider the strongest part of your game, and what are you working on most currently?

A: I believe that my knowledge of the game is my strongest suit. My [dealing with] frustration is something that I now work on. 

Q: What do you think was the biggest reward of being team captain, and the biggest challenge?

A: It was an honor to be a captain of this team, mostly because it did not require much from me. Leading a bunch of guys that really know how to play and that show up to every game excited to play made my job as a captain a pretty easy one.

Q: Tell us a little about your start in soccer. Have you always been a midfielder? Who have been your most important soccer mentors, and what was the most important thing each of them taught you?

A: I began playing club soccer at the U8 level with the Ukrainian Nationals and have remained on the team ever since. Through my years there, I have played basically every position besides goalkeeper. I have found that playing as a winger brings out the best player in me, as I am able to create chances from the sideline and send in either crosses or shots. My club coach for the past 10 years, Dan Harmon, has been my greatest mentor. He always pushes me to compete at the highest level and to push myself to be the best player possible.

Q: Briefly describe for us your pre-game preparation (physical, mental) on the day of a game.

A: Our warm-ups start with people joking around and gradually get more and more serious as the game gets closer. 

Q: Do you participate in any other extracurricular activities at Barrack Hebrew other than soccer?

A: I compete in the TEAMS competition with a group of eight students including myself. This competition is engineering-based, where the team takes a test, carries out a build, and writes an essay.

Q: You spent your junior year over in Israel. What was your most memorable experience during your year in Israel – can you share it with us?

A: Hiking across the country in a four day hike was a very memorable moment. 

Q: What is your favorite course at Barrack Hebrew? What do you think you might want to major in at college? Is there a career field that particularly interests you at the present time?

A: Being in the STEAM institute at Barrack has really pushed me to become an engineer later in my life. In the institute, we learn about topics regarding science, technology, engineering and math, and get a great amount of support to create a capstone project at the end of each year. 

Fun facts – Jordan Naim

Favorite book: The Glass Castle.

Favorite author: J.D Sallinger.

Favorite TV show: Rick and Morty.

Favorite movie: The Zohan.

Favorite athlete: Mohamed Salah.

Favorite pre-game pump-up song: “Bombs D’o Leli”

Favorite team: Liverpool.

Favorite place to visit: Israel.

Favorite pre-game meal: Chipotle.

Person I most admire, and why: “I most admire my friend Ben Bernstein. I have known him for over 10 years and have always admired his hard work and overall great attitude.”  

Family members: parents Gideon and Karen, brother Michael, sister Lili.

(To be selected as Main Line Boys Athlete of the Week, a student-athlete must first be nominated by his coach.)

To view a gallery of the Main Line Boys Athletes of the Week from 2013 to present click here