Kayla Levine '20 Recruiting Profile

My name is Kayla Levine and I'm a 5'9" shooting guard. I play basketball year round with both my club team and my high school varsity team. In my freshman year of high school, I was a starter for my high school's varsity basketball team. During the 2018-2019 school season, I led my varsity team in scoring for most of the season and led the team in rebounding and blocks. I also led the team to the semi-finals of CIF for the first time in twelve years. This year, I was selected as All-League First Team as well as being selected as All-CIF Second Team for the 2018-2019 season. In the summer of 2017, I tore my ACL while playing in a tournament with my club basketball team. I had to undergo surgery and do physical therapy for 11 months to rehabilitate my knee. This was a major setback, but I pride myself on being resilient and hardworking, so I worked hard to get back to my passion, basketball. This experience really taught me how important it is to keep my head up and fight for what I believe in. While many people would have given up after such a major injury, I used it as inspiration to get back to basketball and to become a better player. Ever since my return, I have played with a new fire. I play every game with fervor, and a new found confidence has really been a driving factor in my play. I work very hard to maintain and improve my quality of play, but I also strive to have good sportsmanship and treat every player and coach with the respect they deserve. While I do focus on my athletics, I don't allow this to distract me from my academics. Academics are very important to me because they not only shape my future, but they also help with my quality of play. Basketball isn't only about physicality, but it also has a mental aspect, and it is important to have a good basketball IQ. I feel that my commitment to hard work as well as a good attitude and strong morals will not only help my game play, but also help to shape me into the person with strong character who I strive to be.