TAMPA, Fla. — As the Gaza War rages into its fifth month, the fighting between Israel and the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas hits close to home for University of South Florida women’s basketball player Romi Levy.
“That day, I woke up and said, ‘Whoa.’ Something big happened,” Levy said. “I started looking and thought that can’t be real. What is going on?”
That day was Oct. 7, 2023. Levy’s home country of Israel was attacked.
“I was speechless. I remember waking up, staring at the TV; this is basically a dream,” she said. “That can’t be real. Israel is such a small country but really strong. Things like that you don’t ever imagine is going to happen. That was the first shock; what is going on for me being away from home.”
Levy feels almost guilty for being so far from home while her home is being torn apart. She had high school friends killed in the invasion, and her cousin was shot while on the front lines of the war.
“It was really hard. Definitely the day that it happened, I told the coach, and they reached out to me,” Levy said. “They asked me, ‘Do you want to be here right now?’ ‘It’s okay, don’t feel bad if you need to take a day off.’ Nobody knows how to handle situations like this.”
Basketball is Levy’s therapy. Her time spent at the USF facilities takes her mind away from violence happening 6,000 miles away.
“Basketball is kind of like my escape,” she said. “Sitting at home and watching the news all day will not do any good for me. I come to practice and focus as much on basketball for two or three hours.”
On the court, she is having a career year averaging 12 points per game for the Bulls. Prior to USF, she spent two injury-riddled seasons at Auburn University.
“I think I am finally enjoying doing it again,” Levy said. “I am having fun playing on the court. I am having fun playing basketball and learning from (head coach) Jose Fernandez every single day. When I am having fun, I’m just being myself. The outcome just shows.”
And she’s not afraid to show her love for her family back home.
“First game, I was wearing this little wristband that said…’Israel is Alive,’” she said. “It’s a little reminder all the time when I get on the court that there are people going through really hard times right now.”
