With the news of Fran McCaffery's appointment as head coach of Penn men's basketball, freshman guard AJ Levine has left the transfer portal just over 24 hours after entering and decided to continue to wear the Red and Blue.
Levine joined the transfer portal on Tuesday, a day after teammate sophomore guard Sam Brown also entered and remains as of Thursday. At the time, no head coach of Penn men's basketball was named.
"Entering the portal was a safety just in case I didn't like the hire or I felt like [Penn] wasn't really a good fit anymore," Levine said.
After reports revealed McCaffery's hire was "imminent" on Wednesday night, Levine reposted the news on Twitter and announced that he was leaving the transfer portal the next morning.
"I really like his style of play. I've watched a lot of Iowa basketball," Levine commented on McCaffery. "I like how excited he is for this job. … I think he's gonna really, really work for this team."
McCaffery was announced as head coach of Penn men's basketball on Thursday. McCaffery is a 1982 Wharton graduate who played for Penn men's basketball. He previously served as head coach at Iowa for 15 seasons, notably its most successful coach with 297 total victories. His 12 NCAA tournament appearances in his coaching career are the most of any Ivy League basketball coach — at the time of their hiring — in history.
Levine confirmed that he and the rest of the Penn men's basketball team met McCaffery for the first time on Thursday.
"We were already excited when we heard about it. He blows [it] out of the water with his plan for us and really just his excitement to be here." Levine said.
Levine specifically noted that while he hasn't spoken to McCaffery much, Levine is excited for next season and that "Penn is serious about winning."
"We're serious about making a run in March [Madness]," Levine said. "We're not just an Ivy League team that's gonna go try and upset Villanova once a year. We're trying to be a team that's gonna really go at people."
Levine previously told The Daily Pennsylvanian in February that he "won't go [his] career without making March Madness."
Penn men's basketball has been declining in recent years. After winning 23 Ivy League championships from 1970 to 2006, the Quakers’ last three coaches won a combined two conference crowns. This past season, the Quakers finished seventh in the Ancient Eight for the second season in a row.
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