In the days after Hamas militants killed about 1,200 people on October 7, Yarden Garzon struggled to eat or sleep. The war breaking out between Israel and the Gaza Strip distraught her as she watched the news in Bloomington, Indiana, where she is a second-year guard. Arden, who was born and raised in Israel, worries about her friends, family and country. “I think I was more nervous than my mom,” Garzon said. “The first week was really scary.”
Garzon’s parents are half a world away from her, at home in Ra’anana, Israel, an affluent suburb north of Tel Aviv and about 50 miles from the center of the war. Still, her family has spent the past two months in the house’s bomb shelter as the death toll rose. Air raid sirens rang across the sky.
Of Garzón’s three siblings, only her sister Lior Garzón is also in the United States. She is a senior at Oklahoma State University and a preseason honorable mention all-conference forward for the Cowgirls. “This is one of my most important seasons,” Real said. “I don’t know what to do. Stay. Go home, be with your family. It’s really a question of what to do.”
She stayed. But it’s been 82 days since the Garzon people’s world changed. Since then, they have played key roles in their respective schools. Both started every game and averaged double-digit points per game. They are also dealing with grief.
Growing up, they knew what to do when the alarm went off. The sounds didn’t come every day or every week – Arden describes her childhood as peaceful – but Lior said they were always prepared for what might happen. Her father, Eitan Garzon, recalled his daughters being playing a game when an alarm went off. Everyone rushed to shelter, but the game eventually returned to normal.
The Garzons have long been interested in basketball, even when there were other options. As a child, Lior danced and swam, Eitan said. She also tried judo and tennis. Arden is a talented painter and also plays volleyball. Nonetheless, the area’s outdoor courts are the most attractive. “After all, every route I send them on, they come back to basketball,” said Eitan, who also played basketball growing up. Their success has become a matter of pride – both Real and Aden represented Israel at last summer’s European Championships in Tel Aviv – and the start of a tour around the world.
When Arden walks into Indiana’s Simon Scott Assembly Hall, or Cooke Hall, she tries to focus on the sport. The gym “is like that safe place,” she said.
“When I focus on basketball, I clear my mind,” she added.
But if she had her phone in her hand, it would be hard to ignore the news in the area. Lior tried to convince her sister, who already had a daily habit of watching the news, to take regular breaks without necessarily keeping track of minute-to-minute updates. Lior admits she felt anxious early on in training, wondering “What if something happens now?”
Before an Oklahoma State game, Lior Garzon wrote a message in Hebrew on her sneakers. (Courtesy of Oregon State University Athletics)
It’s almost impossible to figure out what’s going on in both of their worlds. Lior painted a Star of David on two of her Nike sneakers. On her left shoe, she wrote in Hebrew: “You can never kill our spirit.” In early November, after Oklahoma State lost to Colorado, the Buffaloes were on handshake The coaches told her they missed her and her family.
Earlier this season, she cried during a moment of silence at an Oklahoma football game for the thousands killed in combat. Her teammates prepared a gift basket for her filled with Hershey’s Kisses milk chocolate and a Starbucks gift card. “To have this moment and realize that other people care and know what you’re going through, I think that’s really special,” Lior said.
In Indiana, some fans attended an early December game against Stetson wearing blue shirts with “We Stand with Arden” written on the front and a Star of David inside a basketball. Assistant coach Rhet Wierzba hosted Yaden for a Shabbat dinner shortly after the war broke out, wearing an Israeli flag lapel pin on his jacket in support of the sophomore. Just days after the initial attack, Indians players held up a flag for a photo. “We can do little things to let her know how much she is loved,” Wierzba said.
Indiana University sophomore Yarden Garzon has the support of his teammates as he deals with the conflict in his home country. (Courtesy of Indiana University Athletics)
Before Indiana’s Nov. 9 opener, Arden took a black marker and wrote “Take ’em home” on the tape wrapped around her left wrist, named Noam Avigdorri. Avigdori, a 12-year-old girl who was held hostage at the time, writes below. Avigdori returned to Israel after 50 days in captivity, but Yaden continues to raise awareness for those abducted.
Eitan said the gestures were done without any prompting. “It comes from them, not us,” he said in a telephone interview. Still, their parents sent photos and videos of the acts to their Israeli friends. They are just small shows of support. “The little things are the big things,” Eitan said. Even a brief moment of joy is still a moment of joy.
Eitan said he and his wife often talk to their daughter more than once a day. They tried to stay calm and reassured them of their safety. But Eitan said it was “difficult” for both men to accept. “Talking about it is different because we just have to touch or hug them.” Still, Lior said having a Yarden in the United States would help. “It feels like we’re in the same boat,” she said. The sisters texted every day, talking about school happenings, their plans and the war. Community has always been key.
It took Real a while to focus on basketball. Even the sports she played since childhood couldn’t distract her. “Why would I like it when people are fighting for their lives right now?” she asked.
However, more than a third of the way through the season, she finds herself enjoying it. She draws strength from feeling more purpose. “I think my thinking right now is (that) this is the best way for me to represent Israel and just show how strong we are and that no one can really kill our spirit,” she said.
The words were written on her sneakers. With every step, she was moving forward.
(Photo: Sean Riley/ Competitor; Photos of Yarden and Lior Garzon: Jeffrey Brown/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images, Michael Hickey/Getty Images via OSU Athletics)
