Ryan Turell

Ryan K. Turell (born February 3, 1999) is an American professional basketball player for Hapoel Haifa of the Liga Leumit. Turell played college basketball for Yeshiva University in the Skyline Conference. As a senior in 2021–22, he was the highest scorer across all levels of college basketball with 27.1 points per game and was named NABC DIII National Player of the Year, Skyline Conference Player of the Year, and D3hoops.com Region 3 Player of the Year. He led Yeshiva University to one of the longest winning streaks in NCAA Division III men's college basketball history.

Turell was selected in the first round of the 2022 NBA G League draft by the Motor City Cruise, becoming the first Orthodox Jew selected in the G League draft.

Early and personal life Turell was born in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Valley Village, the youngest of three children of Brad and Laurel Turell (two sons and a daughter). According to a 2021 ESPN story, the Turell children "grew up in a household with twin focuses: basketball and Judaism". As a child, his father Brad had played basketball against future NBA player Kiki VanDeWeghe, in college he had played basketball as a guard at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and as an adult he had performed public relations work for VanDeWeghe. The elder Turells' later choice for their children's education had its roots in the journeys both took to Orthodox Judaism. Brad, who had been raised as a Reform Jew, began studying with an Orthodox rabbi in his late twenties, at the time intending only to learn more about Judaism, but he eventually embraced Orthodox Judaism. Laurel, the daughter of Southern Baptist evangelical singers, was dating Brad at the time. After she met Brad's teacher, she eventually chose to convert to Judaism, and became Orthodox at the same time as Brad. Turell said that if he were to play in the NBA he would play on the Sabbath, but would walk to games and practices scheduled for the Sabbath. He also played for Earl Watson Elite, a premier Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) team. In 2018, he received a McDonald's All-American Game nomination, and was California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) Division IV State Player of the Year and First Team Division IV.

Turell received several offers from NCAA Division I schools. However, late in his senior year of high school, by which time the family was living in another Los Angeles neighborhood, Sherman Oaks, Ryan surprised both of his parents when he told them that he would attend his brother's alma mater. Brad recalled, "I said, 'Why in the world would you want to go to Yeshiva?' And Ryan said, 'Why in the world did you send me to Valley Torah High School?'" In the same ESPN story, when Ryan heard his father's recalling of the incident, he added, "And Emek", referring to Emek Hebrew Academy, the Jewish day school he attended before Valley Torah.

College career In 2018, Turell began playing college basketball on the Yeshiva University Maccabees team. Yeshiva University is a small Jewish university in Washington Heights in New York City, with about 2,600 undergrads.

In 2018–19, as a freshman, Turell averaged 20.2 points (tops in the Skyline Conference), 5.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 1.4 steals per game. He shot .539 from the field (3rd in the conference).421 from three-point range, and .806 from the line (4th).

In 2019–20, as a sophomore, he averaged 23.9 points (tops in the conference), 5.8 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 0.8 steals per game.

In Turell's G-League debut during the regular season on December 27, 2022, he recorded a season-high 21 points, 2 rebounds and 1 steal as the Cruise fell 108 - 115 to the Capital City Go-Go. In his first season with the Cruise, Turell played in 31 of the team's 32 regular season games and averaged 4.0 points and 1.7 rebounds in 14.2 minutes per game. The Cruise would miss the playoffs that year with a 17 - 15 record.

On October 21, 2023, Turell signed with the Detroit Pistons, but was waived the same day. He rejoined the Cruise for the 2023–24 season.

For his second season with the Cruise, Turell played in less games total (23 compared to 31 in his first season) and averaged less minutes per game (11.9 down from 14.2) while averaging 5.0 points and 2.0 rebounds. In Turell's final game of the 2023 - 2024 season on March 29, 2024, he recorded a career-high 34 points while also grabbing 6 rebounds as the Cruise were defeated by the Raptors 905 104 - 109. The Cruise would miss the playoffs again with a 16 - 18 record.

Ironi Ness Ziona (2024–2025) On July 2, 2024, Turell signed with Ironi Ness Ziona of the Israeli Basketball Premier League.

Hapoel Haifa B.C (2025–present) On November 17, 2025, Turell signed with Hapoel Haifa B.C. of the Israeli Lega Leumit.