From the Foul Line to the Classroom

Dean of Student Life Sam Permutt coaches Browning’s seventh and eighth ‘Black’ basketball team, Dec. 4, 2019. Before becoming a teacher, Mr. Permutt played professional basketball in Israel. (Al Pareira)

Before becoming a teacher, Sam Permutt, Browning’s new dean of student life, had an entirely different career—he played professional basketball in Israel. Mr. Permutt’s experiences as part of a team helped him discover his passion for teamwork and community building, and eventually led to his decision to pursue a career in education.

Mr. Permutt plays for Haverford College, 2009.

“Going to Israel helped me learn a lot about myself. It exposed the fact that what I loved about playing basketball was less about the game itself and much more about interpersonal and group dynamics and creating culture,” he said.

Mr. Permutt played Division III basketball at Haverford College, and upon graduation he decided to pursue the sport professionally.

“Playing basketball had been such an amazing experience for me that the idea of playing professionally was really appealing,” he said. 

After some networking and a tryout, Mr. Permutt landed an offer with an Israeli team, Maccabi Hod HaSharon.

Despite never having lived in a foriegn country, Mr. Permutt adapted quickly.

“Almost everybody spoke English, the weather was great, and the food was great,” he said.

While in college, Mr. Permutt trained constantly to improve his game and his team as a whole, but his teammates in Israel were not as group-oriented as in college.

“Coming from a small college where my basketball experience had been so much about community, to then go to play in another country where the culture was not quite the same,” he said. “I was really committed in college, but playing professionally I pretty quickly lost that work ethic and became disenchanted.” 

Mr. Permutt plays for Israeli team Maccabi Hod HaSharon, 2011.

Mr. Permutt eventually decided to return to the United States and begin a new career. 

“What I thought I loved in college was playing basketball, but what I really loved was the challenge of working towards a common goal with a group of self-reflective people,” he said. 

When Mr. Permutt came to this realization, he initially considered becoming a coach before deciding on a career in the classroom. 

“The majority of professionals that I knew in education were self-aware and growth-oriented,” he said. “With young people, it was just exciting to think about their potential.”

Mr. Permutt’s interest in community-building, discovered through basketball, has led him to his current position at Browning, where he focuses on interacting with the students and building a strong community within the school. He still embraces his  love of basketball by coaching the School’s seventh and eighth grade ‘Black’ team.