Jason Levin
Jason Aaron Levin
Jason Aaron Levin, or JAL as he called himself, discovered his passion for basketball at a young age. He first started shooting 3-point shots in his driveway, in his hometown of Fox Point, WI. After that first 3-pointer dropped he knew he was destined to follow in his father’s footsteps and play college ball. He spent hours every day perfecting his 3-point shooting, completely ignoring all other aspects of what it takes to be a professional basketball player.
In middle school, he was fortunate to be coached by his supportive father. Having his dad as coach allowed him to play in games and get a feel for shooting 3-point shots under pressure, even though his overall skills were lacking. He did experience a temporary setback in honing his skills when one day he returned home only to find that someone had cut his hoop down. This was devastating for Jason, but he immediately told his dad. His devoted father quickly replaced it, so that Jason could continue practicing 3-point shots.
Heading into high school he wanted to up his workout routine and decided going out to kick a few field goals after school each day would bulk up his legs.
Thankfully, he went to a private school so when he entered high school barely anyone wanted to join the basketball team. The team only had 6 players which allowed him to start his freshman and sophomore year. He was backed up by what he refers to as "the best 6th man of his career, Hubbell Galvin-Darnieder". To this day he still considers Hubbell one of his best friends and owes a lot of his success on the court to his support. His freshman year of school brought some difficult times though. First his dalmatian, Bucky, bit his shooting hand. After the incident, he was left with two wound holes in his shooting hand. Many thought that the hand injury would be career ending, but Jason persevered. He came to the next game with his wounded hand wrapped and told coach “Don’t worry I got this." The coach having only 6 total players on the team didn’t have much choice but to still start Jason. He proceeded to make 10 3-point shots that game. It was a tremendous feat to watch. Later that year, Jason was saddened by the loss of his beloved dog, the same one that bit him. Jason was deeply saddened by the loss but still knew the team needed him in the game after Bucky’s passing. So, he put on his uniform and placed a remembrance on his jersey so that Bucky was with him the whole game. That game was a rough one though having scored only 6 points, only 3-pointers of course. As a Junior, Jason played at the Bradley center, home of the Milwaukee Bucks. This was due to the dad of another player on the team being the head coach of the Bucks at the time but still a notable moment of his career. This was the first taste of what it would be like playing in the NBA and Jason took it to heart and knew he had to bring his A game throughout the experience. This vigor started during the practice shooting. He tried to save a ball that was going out of bounds and completely bit it during his attempt. He got up shook off the embarrassment and went back to shooting his 3-pointers before the game. He got to play 30 seconds on that court during the game and still talks about it to this day. This year ended with Jason's greatest achievement in his beloved sport. He ended the year ranked 6th place in the state for 3-point shots made.
Jason concluded his high school career with a shocking set of stats: 100 - 3 point shots made, no assists (when he got the ball a 3 pointer went up), 1 rebound (which may have been shared), no steals and 9/11 from the free throw line. He ended his career with the lowest free throws ever shot by a starter, due to his ability to never leave the 3-point line and drive to the hoop, fouls were far and few in between. Even when the coach yelled “Ice Jason” a play specifically geared for the named player to drive to the hoop, Jason still shot a 3 pointer. His ability to always shoot the 3 pointer no matter what the play called for was magical to watch. After such a successful high school career he decided to retire and focus on new challenges becoming the most successful wealth manager in the state of Wisconsin, no longer making it rain on the court but making it rain with interest in the boardrooms. To this day there are still a few people who remember his 6th place State rank for making 3 pointers, including Jason himself. He still watches basketball to this day though. And for those who never got the privilege to see him in action in his heyday, he still plays weekly at the JCC, in Milwaukee Wisconsin, still hanging around the 3-point line. For those who never witnessed Jason's shots in his glory days, it's still a wonder to see one of his picture-perfect 3-pointers swish through the net.
References
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