Penn recruit AJ Levine is a slam dunk for York. Oh, sure, the 6-foot guard can dunk. However ‘he does every part.’

York senior AJ Levine made a steal at midcourt, dribbled into the lane for what usually is a breakaway layup and reached for the sky.

Up and up Levine went, till he efficiently dunked the ball.

The feat, one thing hardly ever seen from a 6-foot level guard, despatched York’s pupil part right into a frenzy.

“It was positively cool to see, and it was positively a momentum play that bought us going,” York senior middle Braden Richardson stated. “It bought the group going and bought everybody going.”

It bought Levine pumped up, too, throughout that West Suburban Convention Silver Division recreation towards Lyons in December.

“I’ve devoted a number of time to my athleticism,” he stated. “I’ve been dunking for some time now. However to be constantly assured sufficient to do it in a recreation, it’s been just about since this previous summer time. In summer time league, I really bought a number of dunks as a result of lots of people weren’t anticipating me to dunk.”

That’s nonetheless the case, as Levine is being considered about deploying his newfound ability.

“I’ve been somewhat drained with (having to play protection in) the 1-2-2,” he stated. “I’m operating all over, in order that was really my first dunk of the season. I maintain going up there and laying it in simply to be protected. But it surely was early within the recreation, and my legs felt good, so I made a decision to go for one.”

York coach Mike Dunn feels good every time Levine is on the courtroom, no matter what he’s doing. Dunks are simply the most recent, and doubtless least vital, of the Penn recruit’s many skills.

“He’s one of many hardest staff I’ve ever coached, clearly, for basketball within the weight room, however to get into an Ivy League faculty says quite a bit about what he does within the classroom,” Dunn stated. “He’s a unbelievable child who is admittedly enjoying good basketball for us.”

Levine is in his third varsity season. He was the sixth man as a sophomore earlier than turning into a starter final season, when he averaged 17.0 factors, 3.9 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.9 steals to earn all-conference honors.

That bought him observed by school recruiters, principally from high-academic Division III colleges. However Levine, who stated he has a 4.7 GPA, had different concepts.

“I all the time put lecturers first, and after I realized I wished to go DI, the Ivy League was what I had my eyes set on,” he stated. “That’s why I performed for (AAU group) Younger & Reckless in the summertime. They did their tournaments on the East Coast, so it made it simpler for me to be seen by the Ivy League.”

By way of Sunday, Levine was averaging 15.8 factors, 3.2 rebounds, 4.5 assists and three.9 steals for the Dukes (15-3, 6-0), who’re happy to have such a succesful chief. He began the week needing simply 13 factors to succeed in 1,000 in his profession.

“He does every part,” Richardson stated. “He pushes us in apply, and he makes every one in every of us get higher. He’ll make the additional cross to get us lively and concerned in performs. Our group is unselfish.”

That unselfishness begins with Levine.

“I feel as a 6-foot level guard, you want confidence,” he stated. “You want somewhat little bit of cockiness. You’ll want to imagine in your self and know that if the ball’s in your palms, you’ve got to have the ability to get others higher, get your self to attain.

“So I feel my recreation is making others higher and simply prepared us to win. If I want to attain, I’ll, and if I must cross, I’ll. I do no matter I can to make us win basketball video games.”

The Dukes have been doing much more of that than they did final season, after they completed 13-18 towards a troublesome schedule. They misplaced twice every to 2022 Class 4A state champion Glenbard West, 2023 4A state semifinalist Downers Grove North and Hinsdale Central, which went 31-4.

Levine and his teammates had been decided to keep away from one other shedding document.

“It was the primary level proper after final season,” Levine stated. “We met with our coaches, and all of us stated we’re not taking one other yr like that.

“It’s our senior yr. We’re not taking something as a right. We now have to verify we benefit from each recreation, coming into each recreation understanding that is our final season enjoying collectively.”

Certainly, that is the final hurrah for a gaggle of eight seniors who’ve performed collectively since elementary faculty: Levine, Richardson, fellow starters Kyle Waltz, Ryan Pechous and Brendan Molis, plus key reserves Max Burnison, Nick Dizonno and Chris Pomatto.

Levine wasn’t all the time the chief of the pack.

“Not after we had been youthful, however he’s positively put within the work by late center faculty and early highschool,” Richardson stated. “He’s positively devoted his life to basketball.”

Now Levine is dedicated to main.

“He’s bought an excellent voice,” Dunn stated. “What I imply by that’s he’s like one other coach on the ground. He’s very clever. His basketball IQ may be very excessive, and he tells our teaching workers what he sees on the market, and it helps us make changes that make us higher.

“We belief one another. I feel that’s an important factor.”

Levine trusts in his teammates, too, and expects nice issues.

“This season, all of us put in that further work, and all of it got here collectively to verify this season is a particular season,” Levine stated. “I don’t assume there’s a cap to what this group could possibly be.

“When all people’s firing, we are able to beat any group within the state. We beat Mount Carmel over the summer time, so I feel this group could possibly be actually, actually particular so long as we keep assured in one another and maintain enjoying how we’re enjoying.”

Matt Le Cren is a contract reporter for Pioneer Press.