Sitting at his usual post behind the backboard, legs awkwardly bent backwards at the knees, Lior Levy intently follows every play of the men's basketball game.
"Oh no," he whispers under his breath when the Tigers' opponent hits a three-pointer. His hands are folded in his lap as his five-foot frame leans in towards the game, absorbing every move the Princeton players make.
He's only nine, but Lior may well be Princeton's biggest fan. As the son of assistant coach Howard Levy '85, he's been coming to games since before he could walk. These days, though, he's more than a fan — he's part of the Tiger team. For the past three years, Lior has served as one of Princeton's ball boys.
After years of watching Princeton games from the sidelines, Lior asked his dad if he could be a ball boy because he thought it would "fun." Former head coach John Thompson III '88 was more than happy to let then-six-year-old Lior and his best friend, Zack DiGregorio, help out.
This year, Lior and Zack are part of a five-man ball boy team that keeps the Tigers' games up and running. The boys attend every home game and sit behind the backboards, eagerly waiting for timeouts to run onto the court and wipe off the players' sweat. Both boys also help during warm-ups, rebounding for the players and grabbing balls that go out of bounds.
"The best part is definitely getting to watch the games and interacting with the players," Lior says.
The boys are experts – watching every game has surely made them more knowledgeable about basketball than the average fan. Lior is the more emotional of the two – he "gets excited every time the team plays" and "goes wild" when sitting in the stands and not acting as a ball boy.
Zack, a portrait of childhood innocence with his smaller stature and blond hair, is the more calculating ball boy. At the beginning of the second half of a recent game, he immediately asked, "Did you know they made a scoring error in the first half?" He is just as focused on the game as Lior, calling out fouls before the referee does.
The job has contributed to both boys' love of the sport and aspirations to attend Princeton as students. While Lior is a natural athlete who also plays soccer and baseball, his most memorable athletic moments have come through basketball. Zack also plays basketball and enjoys the sport, as Lior quotes for his friend, "a lot a lot a lot a lot." Both have lofty athletic aspirations. For Lior, "number one is to play basketball for Princeton. And number two is to be on the Knicks and dominate."
Zack's dreams differ only slightly.
"Well. . . I really like basketball," he says, "but I think I would rather play pro baseball for the Yankees. And I want to go to Princeton."
Zack's and Lior's constant interaction with the players and referees, in addition to their ability to analyze the game, makes it difficult to remember that they are, in fact, children. Until halftime, that is.
"Yessss...it's halftime," Lior exclaims. "I have one dollar to buy candy – my mom won't let me buy a cheeseburger, I wonder why."
But even more exciting than a cheeseburger is a chance to hang out with the Tigers. Both boys light up when interacting with Princeton's players, specifically when rebounding. But don't ask who their favorites are – You won't get an answer.
"We're friends with everyone," Lior says. "Everyone is really nice to us. I mean, we all joke around."
But surely the job must have its drawbacks. Wiping off the players' sweat?
"Oh, I don't really mind," Zack said.
"It isn't that bad – you get used to it. I always try to do a really good job wiping under the Princeton basket," Lior added.
He shimmies his towel up and down the orange paint, using a technique that reminds one of an old lady scrubbing a washboard vigorously, cleaning up every spare drop of sweat.
And then comes that other sticky subject for all fourth grade boys: girls.
"Between girls and us, it's war!" Lior exclaims.
Moments later, sophomore guard Max Schafer playfully jabs Lior. "So, Lior, how's your girlfriend?"
"What girlfriend?" Lior's round cheeks turn an instant shade of red, the gaps in his wide smile exposed.
"You know...I think her name's Sarah," Schafer jibes.
"What! I don't have a girlfriend."
Well, not yet anyway. For now, Lior and Zack have their priorities straight — and Princeton basketball is number one on the list.
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