Four games into the 2011-12 season, the Carleton Ravens women’s basketball team is looking to build on its most successful campaign since the launch of the program.
As with every year, the recruitment process often goes a long way in determining a team’s success. Without the ability to effectively replace outgoing players, it’s difficult for varsity programs to maintain any level of success.
The women graduated two influential players over the summer, in the form of fifth-year guards Bailey Lomas and Courtney Smith.
For head coach Taffe Charles, one of the recruits tasked with filling that void is point guard Chloe Levy.
Charles said he hopes Levy can help to ease some of the ball-handling responsibilities that often fall on the shoulders of star guard Alyson Bush.
“Her ball handling is very good and she is also a very good athlete,” Charles said. “Some people think they can play the point, but she has the ability to dribble with both hands, that is really important for a true point guard.”
But had it not been for her father, Ravens fans may have never gotten the chance to see Levy in action.
“My dad coached my sister’s basketball team when I was younger, and at tournaments they would always be short players and he would make me play,” Levy said with a laugh. “I never really wanted to play at the time, but after a while I started to enjoy it.”
After experimenting with volleyball early in her high school career, the Whitby, Ont., native decided to join a basketball team during the summer of 2006, where she competed in a tournament at the Ravens’ Nest.
It has been basketball ever since.
If she had any lingering doubts about her decision, they were dispelled after her final year at Father Leo Austin Secondary School. Levy led the Wildcats to an undefeated season in her senior year, which culminated with an appearance in the Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations (OFSAA) championships.
Levy said that experience helped her get ready for the high-pressure situations that she will be facing throughout her tenure as a Raven.
“At OFSAA, we’d always be playing teams that were better than us,” she said. “We had to persevere and play hard every game, so that was a good learning experience.”
One thing that has taken some time to get familiar with is the jump in intensity level at the varsity level. While Charles said she’s doing well so far, he acknowledged the adjustment simply comes with time.
“She’s probably had more intense practices in one week with us than she’s had in her entire life, so its something she is getting used to,” he said. “Once you start figuring out how intense the best players and best teams in Canada are, then her athleticism and talent will shine through.”
Levy said the difference between high school and university basketball is becoming more apparent every time she takes the court.
“In practice, [Charles] really pushes me, and he keeps telling me to compete and just bring it every game,” she said. “You can’t let down for even a second. You can’t really take breaks, ever.”
While the 5’6″ guard has only seen an average of seven minutes of action per game this season, Charles said he expects that number to increase as the season continues.
“We’ve played some really tough teams early on. They’re experience level was pretty high and that meant we had to play our veterans more than I would have liked,” he said. “But I’m confident that we’ll have to play [Levy] more for sure.”
