“There Is No Joy in Pikesville” (Cheap Seats, 1/11) is marred by unfortunate exaggeration. First, regarding Tamir Goodman’s “rather anonymous senior season”: Goodman was second-team all-league in the very competitive Beltway Conference, which includes regional—and sometimes nationally ranked—powerhouses Montrose Christian and Riverdale Baptist. Furthermore, not only was he chosen for the prestigious Capital All Stars team to play in the McDonald’s Classic against a team of national high school all-stars, but he engineered an exciting come-from-behind victory for the locals and was named co-MVP in that game. He wasn’t drafted by the NBA, but “anonymous”?

Also, perhaps invoking a stereotype about studious, religious, or Jewish kids, the article describes the pre-Goodman Talmudical Academy players as “deserved underdogs who usually lost.” In fact, despite its limited availability of practice time relative to its opponents’, due to Jewish Sabbath observance and a very long school day that includes both Hebrew and secular studies as well as daily religious services, the Talmudical Academy team won its league championship a year or two before Goodman joined the team, and, if my memory serves, had more wins than losses most seasons.

Tenleytown