HAFTR's Kevin Levy nets 1,000 career points, clinches Yeshiva League playoff win

Kevin Levy, from Woodmere, hit a high school career highlight during the first round of the Metropolitan Yeshiva High School Athletic League Basketball playoffs.

Kevin, a senior guard at Hebrew Academy of the Five Towns and Rockaway High School in Cedarhurst and captain of the varsity basketball team, scored his 1,000th point of his career during the last minute of the team’s first playoff game against Waterbury Yeshiva of Durham, Connecticut.

“It takes a lot of hard work,” David Levy, Kevin’s father said. “This was something that required a lot of dedicated time.”

The Feb. 20 home game was close, 58-56, as HAFTR won.

With 42 seconds left in the fourth quarter, Levy was fouled. He nailed both free throws to hit and exceed the milestone.

“We tried to keep it quiet because we didn’t want to put a lot of pressure on him,” David said, once he and the other spectators knew his son was going to reach this accomplishment. “Every time it he shot the ball, we were like could this be it?”

Levy was interviewed on the HAFTR Athletics live stream about the feat.

“Once the game was over, a ton of emotions ran through me,” Kevin wrote in an email. “It was like a fast forward movie of all images from games I’ve played.”

Immediately after the accomplishment, the game resumed, Joe Hoenig, HAFTR’s varsity coach said.
“When he scored it, it wasn’t celebrated in our school, it was a very tight game,” Hoenig said. “Kevin is very humble, he wasn’t celebrating it either.”

Hoenig said the team was determined to advance in the bracket.

“As a team, they were focused on that game,” he said.
During his junior season, Kevin suffered a torn labrum injury resulting in missing multiple games.

Dedicated to being the best basketball player he could be, Kevin played in multiple outside leagues including the Amateur Athletic League, getting to the gym at 5:45 a.m. before school and dedicating extra time after practice, David said of his son.

“You put in 10 hours a month more than other kids, and multiply that by 10 years it adds up,” David said.

Kevin’s older brother, Jason Mishkin, a former HAFTR varsity basketball player had a successful high school athletic career, an achievement Kevin aspired to, David said.

“Kevin grew up watching him and wanting to be him,” David said.

Kevin was also part of the United States U18 Basketball Team, a team of 18-year-old athletes from around the country playing at the Pan America Maccabi Games that brought home the gold medal in Argentina. The games celebrate Jewish athletics.

The path for next year is still unclear for Kevin, but he has been accepted into University of Maryland and Yeshiva University.

“I’d like to finish off my HS career with a Championship!” Kevin wrote.

HAFTR defeated Ramaz of New York City in the quarterfinals of MYHSAL playoffs 65-52, and advanced to the semifinals, against Magen David on  March 6. Magen David prevailed 64-50.