Levy teaches Tigers tricks of the trade

Chances are, you've seen Howard Levy.

Maybe the six-foot, 10-inch Class of 1985 Princeton graduate and former standout basketball center has blocked your view at a men's basketball game — you, seated behind the home bench, and he, now an assistant coach, seated to the right of head coach Joe Scott '87.

Or, perhaps while lunching in the Wilcox dining hall, the Wilson College faculty fellow has loomed large over your shoulder as you waited in line for some "vegetarian vegetable" soup.

But while Levy's height makes him memorable, it does not make him approachable. It may be for this reason that if Levy were given Shirley Tilghman's job for a day, he would not make his first order of business pumping more money into the basketball program or improving the food on campus — which, incidentally, he considers "fantastic."

Instead, he'd do his best to meet more average students — and get them interested in Princeton basketball.

"School's only in session for about five of our home games this year," Levy says. "Students don't really have a chance to see the team play a lot or develop a real connection with them. It would be great if there was a way to play more home games when school is in session so we can get students to see what we're trying to do here and generate good feelings and support for the team."

If students were to make a similar effort to get to know Levy, they would discover a man who, since graduating, has put together a résumé so diverse and successful that his brief flirtation with the glamorous world of professional basketball in no way defines his career.

After playing on Ivy League championship teams in 1983 and 1984, which went a combined 3-2 in the NCAA tournament, Levy left with the school record for career field goal percentage (.647) — a mark that seems unlikely to be broken.

Soon after graduating, Levy earned a gold medal playing with the U.S. in the 1985 Maccabiah games, which he calls "the Jewish Olympics."

Using that experience as a springboard, Levy earned a tryout with the NBA's New Jersey Nets. "A lot of guys say they were the last guy cut," he says, "but I think I actually was that year."

Undeterred, Levy went on to play for the Continental Basketball Association's Albany Patroons for a season — where future nine-time NBA champion Phil Jackson coached him — before spending a year playing professionally in Australia.

In 1987, Levy decided to trade his sneakers for a suit, becoming an assistant coach at Trenton State, now known as The College of New Jersey. He subsequently held a similar position at George Washington University while working towards the law degree he earned in 1990.

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Levy's choice to become a coach was motivated primarily by his struggles dealing with teammates unfamiliar with the Princeton style of basketball, which he learned under the tutelage of the legendary coach Pete Carril.

"It's hard to play anywhere else after playing at Princeton if you really believe in the way we do things. It's not that way too many other places, and you get frustrated quickly when you're not playing with guys who are trying to win and who really care about teamwork."

Fittingly, it was when Carril retired in 1995 that Levy returned to his alma mater to work as an assistant under new head coach Bill Carmody. Putting aside the goal of spreading the Princeton style throughout the basketball world — not to mention his promising law career — Levy now dedicates much of his time to preserving the basketball experience that led to his blossoming as a player.

"We're trying to do the same things that Coach Carril was trying to do with us," Levy says. "We try to teach our players to become men and to do things for themselves in pursuit of a collective goal. It's really about more than basketball. If a guy's open you pass him the ball. There's no question. You're not thinking about yourself. That's an attractive way to coach. It's an attractive way to be as a person."

On the court, Levy's main task is working with the Tigers' big men. One of the primary benefactors of Levy's willingness to share his expertise in the low-post offense has been All-Ivy League senior center Judson Wallace, Princeton's leading scorer the past two seasons.

"It's kind of hard for a guy like me, who is all about fancy stuff — like dribbling behind my back — to appreciate the old-school hook," Wallace admits. "Coach Levy introduced the shot to me and is always telling me it's unstoppable. He is definitely responsible for my hook shot."

Outside of Princeton, Levy's responsibilities are similarly impressive. He commutes each day to New York City, where the offices of HYP — short for hypnotic — Hats are located. He founded the apparel business in 1991 with two friends.

Levy also remains active with the Maccabiah games in Israel. This year he will be coaching the United States team in the Youth Division. Two of his protégés, junior guard Scott Greenman and forward Harrison Schaen '08, will play in the Open Division. The location of the games is especially significant to Levy because his wife, Riva, is from Israel.

Levy's family is nearly as ubiquitous on campus as he is. Daughters Mia and Noa and son Lior often accompany him to meals in Wilcox Hall, and Lior serves as one of the men's basketball team ball boys.

Ultimately, Levy's energies are devoted to crafting a basketball team in his image and in the image of his predecessors. If he has his way, the Tigers will be polished enough on the court that the entire campus will have no choice but to appreciate the off-the-court principles he has ingrained in his players.