U.S. coach parades search for lifemate at Maccabiah Games

JERUSALEM -- Denver basketball coach and sixth-grade teacher Todd Schayes, who was in Israel for the Maccabiah Games, hoped to return with more than a medal. When he was not on the court, he was busy courting, in what must be one of the most original dating tactics ever practiced in the Holy Land.

Schayes, 36 and 6-foot-3, and obviously with a good sense of humor, marched in the Maccabiah opening parade in Jerusalem last month carrying a banner that read (in Hebrew): "Single American male looking for Israeli wife. Staying at the Hilton Hotel, Tel Aviv."

Within a couple of days, more than 3,000 girls (and some mothers) had called the hotel, leading Schayes to apologize to both the switchboard operators and the hundreds of women he hasn't had a chance to call back.

Helping him set up dates was his friend Bill Berris (an adman, happily married with kids), who put the shy Schayes up to carrying the sign and ensured the best media coverage.

Without Berris, Israelis might have seen just one more good-looking American guy with a placard reading, "Hi, Mom and Dad."

The magnitude of the response and media hoopla has overwhelmed Schayes, who stresses that it wasn't some kind of stunt for a good time but a sincere attempt to find "a nice Jewish girl."

So what's he looking for? "Well, I think a couple has to be best friends as well as lovers. I'm not perfect and I'm not looking for the perfect girl." But good looks, intelligence and a sense of humor wouldn't hurt.

His friends and family -- his uncle is Hall of Fame basketball star Dolph Schayes -- have not quite taken in what's been going on in his life since he gave out a clear sign he wanted a partner. But Schayes says his parents would be happy for him to marry an Israeli girl. They're also OK with him living either in Israel or back in Denver, where he regularly attends a Conservative synagogue.

Although he believes good communication is important, Schayes admits his Hebrew is basic "but improving."

If he can't find the one special girl out of a choice of thousands, Schayes will not continue playing the field here.

"I enjoy being single and by myself, and wouldn't want to marry someone for all the wrong reasons," he says. But at least he has given Israeli girls a sporting chance of helping him combine the hoop and the chuppah.

Meanwhile, the two Maccabiah basketball teams Schayes coached each went home with medals: a silver and a bronze.