Two years of Israeli military experience has helped guard Shir Levy lead Washington State by example
In third-year Washington State women’s basketball coach Kamie Ethridge’s swift turnaround of a program that often dwelled in the Pac-12 Conference’s basement, loftier expectations had to be set.
Workouts became harder. Recruiting was more thorough and diligent. Defeatist attitudes were shown the door.
In a deep, tradition-rich conference loaded with Top 25 regulars with superior resources, shifting the culture and embracing the game’s minutiae would be the surest road to ascension for the Cougars, a team with just a single NCAA Tournament berth in its long history.
Ethridge, whose middle-of-the-pack Cougars (9-8, 7-8 Pac-12) visit Arizona State (9-7, 4-7) on Sunday, demands punctuality, accountability, sharpness, mental fortitude and pedal-to-the-floor effort.
Junior guard Shir Levy has faced stiffer stipulations.
Levy, who turns 24 in November, spent two years in the Israeli army before stepping foot on Pullman soil.
“It’s in reverse order for her,” Ethridge said.”She did something really serious before starting her college basketball career, not the other way around. You can recognize the military in her right away.
“She is like an adult. You tell her to do something and she does that and more.”
Levy, who was raised in the city of Ness Ziona and played for the Israeli national team, was required to serve two years in her country’s army after turning 18, per Israel law.
She spent one month in boot camp and learned how to shoot a gun before she was placed on a military base in Tel Aviv.
Because of her status as one of the country’s top women’s basketball players for her age group, Levy was allowed to still play while serving her two-year military term.
“It made me a better person, in a way,” Levi said. “Because I combined the frames of basketball and serving in the army full time. It taught me how to function under demands.
“It wasn’t always easy to be a soldier and a basketball player.”
Her military duties were mostly administrative and computer-related, Levy said. She also made food for the gun-toting soldiers doing the more harrowing work.
Between her time working on the base and playing on the Israeli team, nearly every minute of her day was regimented.
“I didn’t face conflict, but I know soldiers were out facing conflict every day,” Levy said. “It was very different, but a great country and a great place to live.”
WSU, which has players from eight countries, had long been a destination for foreign talent. That caught Levy’s attention on the recruiting trail when the roster included names of players she often faced in FIBA European tournaments.
The 5-foot-11 wing, who was nearly 21 when she began her freshman season, made an immediate impact, starting 19 games.
Levy started 28 games as a sophomore in primarily a defensive role, averaging 12.9 minutes a game on a team littered with senior talents such as Borislava Hristova, the school’s all-time leading scorer, and Chanelle Molina, who recently signed a WNBA contract (Indiana Fever).
As a junior, Levy has been relegated to a more limited role (5 minutes a game) due to the emergence of a fabulous freshman who plays the same position: Charlisse Leger-Walker. Leger-Walker, a candidate for national freshman of the year, is averaging 18.9 points, five rebounds and three assists to lead the Cougars, who earned their first Top 25 ranking in program history last month.
Ethridge considers Levy a reliable utility player who leads by example.
Four years older than several teammates, she’s the adult on the floor.
“Every team needs a player like her. She is a perfectionist and the ultimate high achiever,” Ethridge said. “What she does, she does with all of her heart. There are no shortcuts with her.”
Levy, a psychology major and the daughter of a vice principal mother and English-teaching father, has adjusted to her new role.
“I am very invested in my team and teammates,” she said. “I love this program, this team.
“It’s my home. I’m all about the success of the team.”