Orthodox Jew Attends Towson?

Tamir Goodman, an Orthodox Jew who turned down a basketball scholarship to the University of Maryland, is prepared to make an oral commitment to Towson University.

"He's going to Towson, provided all the details can be worked out," Harold Katz, who coached Goodman for years and remains a close friend, said Tuesday.

Goodman expected to play for Maryland but turned down the offer last month after meeting with Terrapins coach Gary Williams. Goodman, 17, said he rejected the scholarship after it became apparent the coaching staff was uncomfortable with his refusal to play on Saturdays, the Jewish Sabbath.

Goodman, who is part of a very tight family, did not want to attend college far from his Maryland home.

"He picked Maryland because it was close to home. He still wants to stay home, so he went with Towson," Katz said. "If things go as planned, he will sign a letter of intent in November."

Towson officials refused comment Tuesday, citing NCAA rules that prohibit a school from talking about prospective student-athletes until they sign a national letter of intent.

The level of competition Goodman would face at Towson isn't as daunting as what he would have encountered at Maryland, a member of the highly competitive Atlantic Coast Conference. Towson plays in the America East.

The 6-foot-3, 159-pound Goodman averaged 35.4 points a game last year for the Talmudical Academy, a Jewish day school near Baltimore that has an enrollment of only 72 students.

Goodman transferred to Takoma Academy, a Seventh-day Adventist school in Takoma Park, for his senior year.

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