Jon Marks
Her son having just arrived on the University of Pennsylvania’s campus when the pro-Palestinian protests started in September 2024 had Kari Levine worried.
“I said ‘AJ, you might have to deal with this just because of your last name,” said the mother of the Quakers’ starting point guard, AJ Levine, who’s managed to avoid confrontations off the court while making an impact between the lines. “I said ‘You have to understand it’s not a personal thing against you in particular if somebody approaches you.’ Fortunately, he hasn’t had any issues. But I was worried at one point.”
If AJ, a surprisingly effective rebounder for someone who stands at 6 feet tall, had similar concerns, he’s managed to avoid any potentially sticky situations.
“Talking about it here at Penn is difficult because some people feel strongly about things,” explained Levine, who’s averaging 8.3 points, 3.0 rebounds and 4.1 assists for first year coach Fran McCaffery’s 13-11 Quakers, who saw their four-game winning streak snapped on Feb. 21 at Yale. “You’ve got to be smart about what you say around campus.”
“It’s not worth getting into it with them, so my best chance is to avoid confrontation with some people. I’ve done a pretty good job not letting anything escalate,” he added.
On the court, though, it’s been a different story for the 19-year-old sophomore from Elmhurst, Illinois, located just outside Chicago. After averaging 4.0 points during his freshman year under Steve Donahue, he’s more than doubled that while also becoming a thief on the defensive end of late, coming up with 11 of his 44 steals in recent wins over Columbia and Cornell.
“It’s been a great transition,” said Levine, who credits McCaffery for turning the team and himself in the right direction. “He’s taught me so well how to see the game; to manage the game. It’s making me a true point guard and lets me play a lot more. Last year I wasn’t as confident.”
“He’s really improved,” said McCaffery, back coaching at his alma mater 44 years after playing there. “To start with, he has talent. He’s quick and he can shoot the ball. We like to play fast — up-tempo — and he’s perfect for that. When he can go and play off two feet and just move the ball, he engineers victories. I told him that’s his job description: to engineer victories.”
Born Andrew Joseph, AJ admits he wasn’t that highly recruited, but was sold on Penn during his visit. It’s worked out well, especially once he was accepted into the famed Wharton School as a finance major.
The only drawback is that prevents him from going to Israel and playing in the Maccabiah Games, since he’s committed to a summer internship program.
“This summer, I’m going to be doing wealth management in Chicago, and the following summer, I’ll in New York for investment banking,” said Levine, who’s already lined up a position in the Big Apple following graduation. “But Ryan (Penn freshman Ryan Altman, who’s had to redshirt this season due to an injury) is going to play there this summer.”
Speaking of Altman, he joined Levine for a Rosh Hashanah dinner last September, along with Quaker assistant coaches Michael Fink and Ben Luber.
“We had a Rosh Hashanah dinner with Coach Fink that was awesome,” said Levine. “It was my first time doing it and gave me a little bit more exposure to it.”
While both his parents are Jewish, religion wasn’t a part of AJ’s and his sister Kylie’s upbringing.
“When we were raising our children, we looked at both religions,” said Kari Levine, who came from an intermarried home. “So AJ was not bar mitzvahed and did not go to Hebrew school.”
That’s not to say the Levines didn’t have quite a family history, though AJ was unaware that two of his great-great-grandparents were Holocaust survivors.
“I grew up in a Jewish house where we practiced the holidays,” said Brett Levine, a pediatric specialist originally from Long Island, now living in McLean, Virginia, who has visited Israel a few times. “We didn’t make the kids do it. But both my great-grandfather and great-grandmother were in concentration camps. I didn’t know my great-grandfather, but my great-grandmother talked about it a little bit.”
AJ is happy having his parents near enough to campus that they can make it to most of his games. And he’s quickly establishing himself as the latest Jewish standout Penn hoopster, joining an elite group that includes Dave Wohl, Steve Bilsky, Jeff Neuman, Bruce Lefkowitz and Zack Rosen.
Still, he said there’s room for growth.
“I’m never satisfied with how I play,” said Levine, who’s even managed to throw down a couple of dunks this season. “But the jump I’ve made in the Ivy League has been just what I’ve been waiting for. I was ready for it and want to continue to improve.”
With AJ Levine at the helm, not only has he, but so have the Quakers.
Jon Marks is a freelance writer.