GLENN GUILBEAU, Tiger Rag Editor
LSU freshman guard Ron Zipper grew up in Ashkelon, Israel – just 10 miles from the Gaza Strip on the Mediterranean Sea.
His family and neighbors have safe rooms in their homes the way so many Americans have back patios with barbecue pits.
“Yeah, every house has a safe room,” Zipper told Tiger Rag in a recent interview. “It was not that safe there a few weeks before I left last June. Every day and every night, there were alarms, and you’re going to a safe room, and you just pray.”
Zipper said that just as Israel and Hamas – the Islamic Resistance Movement terrorist organization – stopped the fighting in Gaza in the second week of October and vowed to release hostages and prisoners via an agreement pushed by President Donald Trump and his administration.
Zipper was with his parents Gil and Zehava and younger brother Adam and sister Shira after Israel attacked Hamas ally Iran in mid-June after decades of Cold War.
“We started the war with Iran on June 13,” Zipper said. “They sent rockets, and we sent rockets. It was not safe. We’d go in the safe room, just pray.”
Zipper had a flight scheduled for June 23 to the United States and to Baton Rouge after signing with LSU in early May, but the airport near his home shut down because of the fighting.
“I didn’t know what to do,” he said. “I thought about maybe taking a boat to Cyprus (an island nation in the Mediterranean 250 miles from Ashkelon). And then get to the U.S. But it was crazy. It was like 24 hours on the ship, and you’re getting dizzy. I didn’t want to take a risk. So, I just waited.”
The Israel-Iran conflicted ended on June 25, and a shaky Israel-Hamas ceasefire has continued from a war that began in 2023.
“A couple days after that break in the war, I flew here at the end of June,” Zipper said. “Now, it’s safer. My family is safe. Israel and Hamas stopping the war made a very happy day in Israel.”
And Zipper has been enjoying the LSU-American life while practicing and getting ready for the 2025-26 season.
Tiger Rag Exclusive: “I’m not thinking, ‘Oh, man, I’ve got to win this number of games. I’ve got to advance this far in the Tournament.’” But LSU basketball coach Matt McMahon must improve significantly.https://t.co/332kxuyyud
— Glenn Guilbeau (@SportBeatTweet) October 14, 2025
“After three months, I miss home sometimes,” he said. “But I think I’m in the right place. I’m getting better, improving and getting comfortable. Happy that I’m here.”
LSU OPENS SEASON SUNDAY WITH EXHIBITION
Zipper and the Tigers open the season with an exhibition game at Central Florida at 11 a.m. Sunday in Orlando, Florida. LSU beat UCF, 109-102, last season in three overtimes in a tournament at White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia.
LSU opens the regular season on Wednesday, Nov. 5, against Tarleton State at 7 p.m.
So far, Zipper has eaten crawfish and alligator at the Performance Nutrition Center (PNC) in the football facility. He has eaten seafood at Phil’s Oyster Bar.
“Never had anything like crawfish and alligator,” Zipper said. “That’s crazy. I tried it. It’s fine. But I miss the food in Israel – humus and shawarma. You have it here, but not as good. But there is good food here.”
He also went to his first American football game – Louisiana Tech at LSU on Sept. 6 in Tiger Stadium.
“I didn’t realize how big it is here,” he said. “It’s amazing – the weekends, the tailgate. It’s giving me an experience. I have a lot of fun.”
A Business major, Zipper is enjoying classes and the campus as opposed to pro basketball, where he played for Hapoel Be’er Sheva near his hometown in one of the top pro leagues.
“I like it. I’m doing stuff all day,” he said. “In Israel, you just go to practice, go to the apartment, the game, and it’s very boring. Here, you’re going to the PNC, school, working out. It’s more productive.”
The facilities blew him away.
“I was like, ‘Wow, this place is amazing,’” he said. “I never had facilities like this, and the kind of professional coaches. All this is very special.”
He is also enjoying playing against athletes his own age, which is 22. In his Israel pro league, he went against players in their late 20s and early 30s.
Still, the left-hander averaged 11.1 points a game last season and shot 36 percent from three-point range. He shot 39 percent beyond the arc his last two seasons.
“It’s a transition. His first day on campus was his first day in the United States of America,” LSU coach Matt McMahon said. “He can really shoot it from three and has good size (6-5, 209) as a wing. That’s an area we need, and he definitely provides that.”
Right now, Zipper is just living the dream.
“I wanted something else,” he said. “I like America. I wanted to get better as a player, get far from my family for now, be alone, be more on my own, and take care of myself. That’s the first thing I wanted to do here. It’s been great.”
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