Athlete of the Week: Sacred Heart Prep's Charlotte Levison
SHP Advances to Tuesday’s NorCal Division IV Semifinal vs St. Joseph Notre Dame
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And being as the left-handed sharpshooter is still just a freshman, not only has Levison’s hot hand been a benefit to the Sacred Heart Prep girls’ basketball this season, it bodes well for the program in the years to come.
All but one San Mateo County team was eliminated from the California Interscholastic Federation Northern California playoffs Saturday, and Levison was a big reason why SHP was that one team. The freshman point guard has earned Daily Journal Athlete of the Week honors after her second monster game of the postseason, notching a double-double with 26 points and a career-high 10 rebounds as the Gators — the No. 6 seed in the Division IV bracket — upset No. 3 Foothill-Sacramento 61-43.
“We were really excited because we knew coming into this game, as the underdogs, that we needed to prove a point to the other team and it was going to need to be a team effort,” Levison said.
Levison’s other postseason outburst featured a different facet of her game — the 3-point shot. In the Central Coast Section Division IV semifinals, a 72-46 win over Oceana on Feb. 28, Levison scored a career-high 33 points, knocking down five 3s, all coming in the first quarter.
Against Foothill, however, Levison attacked the basket with abandon, helping the Gators keep pace amid a frantic first quarter that ended with the two teams deadlocked at 18-18. Much of Foothill’s offensive firepower came from junior point guard Makaila Sanders, who evoked memories of Levison’s 3-point show from the week before.
Sanders drained a pair of rangy 3-pointers from way back of the arc in the first quarter. Instead of allowing Sanders to draw out the SHP defense, however, junior forward Tatum Angotti stayed true to the defensive game plan of not allowing Sanders the ability to drive the lanes.
“[Angotti] is one of our best defenders on the team and she just kept [Sanders] in front of her,” Levison said. “She’s pretty lengthy so [Sanders] couldn’t get over her.”
Meanwhile, Levison was able to execute the dribble-drive offense to give SHP the upper hand early in the second quarter. The Gators went on to outscore Foothill in each of the final three periods.
“She was able to drive lanes and really attack the basket,” SHP assistant coach Andrea Hernandez said. “And she was able to give us a few and-1 plays … that were really able to give us energy on our end.”
Levison is one of four freshmen on the SHP roster, a majority of which is composed by underclassmen. The Gators have just two seniors in 6-1 center Natalie Zimits and 5-8 forward Lagi Pakola; they also have just two juniors in Angotti, a 6-1 forward, and 5-7 guard Grace Battles.
While there is skill aplenty among the upperclassman foursome, the Gators’ underclassman magic has been undeniable. Sophomore guard Zoe Zaharias was the only other SHP player to score in double digits Saturday, totaling 12 points. Freshman guard Denise Stine was also a key contributor both sides of the ball, providing tough defense while, on offense, sharing the point guard duties with Levison.
In addition to her ability to go large in the scoring column, Levison with her fiery play is as central to defining the Gators’ personality as any. It was a needed void to fill entering the season after four-year varsity standout, point guard Riley Hemm, graduated after SHP’s 2015-16 CCS Division IV championship campaign.
“[Levison] has done really well,” Hernandez said. “She is very passionate, so when she’s in the game or even in practices, she brings in a lot of passion and gets her teammates going as well.”
Hernandez and SHP head coach Melanie Murphy first took notice of Levison when she played for Murphy’s AAU summer team last year. Levison said she knew there was an opportunity to make headway towards a varsity promotion as a freshman. And the kid took it and ran with it.
“I knew I had to step up,” Levison said. “In the summer I worked really hard to get my game up to a higher level. So I think the coaches saw that work and trusted me to go in and play.”
A rare combination of grace and grit, Levison attributes her fearlessness in taking on contact to growing up with her twin brother, Daniel. And she takes pride in the fact the two of them have grown up beating the heck out of one another on the court.
“We fight a lot,” Levison said. “So I guess I’m kind of used to the contact.”
With SHP advancing to Tuesday’s Northern California Division IV semifinal, travelling to St. Joseph Notre Dame-Alameda for a 7 p.m. tipoff, Levison and a majority of the young Gators are in unchartered territory. That figures to change in the seasons to come, however, as the core group looks to be setting a foundation for some successful years to follow.
“I think that’s what coaches really hope for,” Hernandez said, “is when you have a young team, being able to cultivate a culture and really use the pieces you have to put together what kind of ball club you want to be in the next year or two.”
Or three — because the kid is just getting going.
Back
Once Charlotte Levison gets going, good luck trying to stop her.
And being as the left-handed sharpshooter is still just a freshman, not only has Levison’s hot hand been a benefit to the Sacred Heart Prep girls’ basketball this season, it bodes well for the program in the years to come.
All but one San Mateo County team was eliminated from the California Interscholastic Federation Northern California playoffs Saturday, and Levison was a big reason why SHP was that one team. The freshman point guard has earned Daily Journal Athlete of the Week honors after her second monster game of the postseason, notching a double-double with 26 points and a career-high 10 rebounds as the Gators — the No. 6 seed in the Division IV bracket — upset No. 3 Foothill-Sacramento 61-43.
“We were really excited because we knew coming into this game, as the underdogs, that we needed to prove a point to the other team and it was going to need to be a team effort,” Levison said.
Levison’s other postseason outburst featured a different facet of her game — the 3-point shot. In the Central Coast Section Division IV semifinals, a 72-46 win over Oceana on Feb. 28, Levison scored a career-high 33 points, knocking down five 3s, all coming in the first quarter.
Against Foothill, however, Levison attacked the basket with abandon, helping the Gators keep pace amid a frantic first quarter that ended with the two teams deadlocked at 18-18. Much of Foothill’s offensive firepower came from junior point guard Makaila Sanders, who evoked memories of Levison’s 3-point show from the week before.
Sanders drained a pair of rangy 3-pointers from way back of the arc in the first quarter. Instead of allowing Sanders to draw out the SHP defense, however, junior forward Tatum Angotti stayed true to the defensive game plan of not allowing Sanders the ability to drive the lanes.
“[Angotti] is one of our best defenders on the team and she just kept [Sanders] in front of her,” Levison said. “She’s pretty lengthy so [Sanders] couldn’t get over her.”
Meanwhile, Levison was able to execute the dribble-drive offense to give SHP the upper hand early in the second quarter. The Gators went on to outscore Foothill in each of the final three periods.
“She was able to drive lanes and really attack the basket,” SHP assistant coach Andrea Hernandez said. “And she was able to give us a few and-1 plays … that were really able to give us energy on our end.”
Levison is one of four freshmen on the SHP roster, a majority of which is composed by underclassmen. The Gators have just two seniors in 6-1 center Natalie Zimits and 5-8 forward Lagi Pakola; they also have just two juniors in Angotti, a 6-1 forward, and 5-7 guard Grace Battles.
While there is skill aplenty among the upperclassman foursome, the Gators’ underclassman magic has been undeniable. Sophomore guard Zoe Zaharias was the only other SHP player to score in double digits Saturday, totaling 12 points. Freshman guard Denise Stine was also a key contributor both sides of the ball, providing tough defense while, on offense, sharing the point guard duties with Levison.
In addition to her ability to go large in the scoring column, Levison with her fiery play is as central to defining the Gators’ personality as any. It was a needed void to fill entering the season after four-year varsity standout, point guard Riley Hemm, graduated after SHP’s 2015-16 CCS Division IV championship campaign.
“[Levison] has done really well,” Hernandez said. “She is very passionate, so when she’s in the game or even in practices, she brings in a lot of passion and gets her teammates going as well.”
Hernandez and SHP head coach Melanie Murphy first took notice of Levison when she played for Murphy’s AAU summer team last year. Levison said she knew there was an opportunity to make headway towards a varsity promotion as a freshman. And the kid took it and ran with it.
“I knew I had to step up,” Levison said. “In the summer I worked really hard to get my game up to a higher level. So I think the coaches saw that work and trusted me to go in and play.”
A rare combination of grace and grit, Levison attributes her fearlessness in taking on contact to growing up with her twin brother, Daniel. And she takes pride in the fact the two of them have grown up beating the heck out of one another on the court.
“We fight a lot,” Levison said. “So I guess I’m kind of used to the contact.”
With SHP advancing to Tuesday’s Northern California Division IV semifinal, travelling to St. Joseph Notre Dame-Alameda for a 7 p.m. tipoff, Levison and a majority of the young Gators are in unchartered territory. That figures to change in the seasons to come, however, as the core group looks to be setting a foundation for some successful years to follow.
“I think that’s what coaches really hope for,” Hernandez said, “is when you have a young team, being able to cultivate a culture and really use the pieces you have to put together what kind of ball club you want to be in the next year or two.”
Or three — because the kid is just getting going.
Sacred Heart Schools Atherton
Founded by the Society of the Sacred Heart, SHS is a Catholic, independent, co-ed day school for students in preschool through grade 12
