Wednesday, December 23, 1998
Levandusky good find, good fit
Sophomore guard one of top scorers for 8-1 Muskies
BY MICHAEL PERRY
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Nicole Levandusky's great uncle was just trying to help.
A Hamilton resident, Andy Levandusky sent a highlight film of his great niece, then a senior at tiny Palmerton (Pa.) High School, to Xavier's women's basketball coaches in March 1997.
“At first I blew it off ... until he said Miami liked her,” XU coach Melanie Balcomb said. “Then I got nervous because I certainly didn't want somebody to get a kid without us even looking at her ... and then she kicks our butt when we played Miami.”
Turns out, Miami was not recruiting Levandusky. Balcomb didn't know that at the time.
She had never heard of Levandusky. But after watching film, Balcomb liked what she saw and dispatched assistant coach Kristin Schneider to Pennsylvania. Balcomb soon followed. So did a scholarship offer.
Worked out pretty well, too.
Going into Xavier's Atlantic 10 Conference opener tonight against Dayton (7 p.m., Schmidt Fieldhouse), Levandusky is the No.2 scorer for the 8-1 Musketeers.
The 5-foot-9 sophomore guard has started 21 consecutive games dating back to last season, when she also tied a school record with 81 steals.
Said Balcomb: “I know a couple coaches in the league have made comments to their assistants like, "How'd you let this kid get out of the area?' and, "Where did this kid come from?'”
Palmerton, Pa., population 5,400, is near Allentown. She set a high school record with 2,662 points but mostly attracted interest from Division II state schools such as Millersville and East Stroudsburg.
Xavier and Levandusky turned out to be a good fit. She wanted a small school and a sports management program. She committed the day after returning from her official visit.
She appeared in all 29 games as a freshman and was XU's best defensive player.
“Originally coach recruited me for my scoring abilities,” Levandusky said. “She didn't know I could play defense. I shocked her with that.”
Her biggest flaw was allowing missed shots to bother her and affect the rest of her play. After the season, Balcomb told Levandusky she would need to be mentally tougher.
“She's one of those never-satisfied-with-herself kids,” Balcomb said. “I don't have to yell at her very often. She's already beating herself up usually.”
Balcomb told Levandusky she would remain XU's defensive stopper but would become a main offensive threat, too.
“When I played summer league, I didn't let anything I did wrong bother me and just went out and had fun,” Levandusky said. “And it continued into this year.”
She is averaging 16.1 points a game, leads the team with 22 three-pointers and has scored 20 points or more three times, including a career-high 28 against North Carolina-Charlotte. She hit a big three-pointer that tied XU's game against Ohio State, then made a steal that led to Nikki Kremer's game-clinching free throws.
“I feel like I still have so much more I can do and so much more I can show people,” she said. “I think I'm just starting to finally come out my shell.”
HOTZ OUT: Junior Kim Hotz hyperextended her knee in practice Monday and is expected to miss tonight's game. Taru Tuukkanen will start instead.
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 Levandusky good find, good fit
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