An absolute beast on the playing floor during his days wearing the Red and Blue, Bruce Lefkowitz is still the standard by which many of today's players are measured by longtime fans of Penn basketball.
A dominating frontcourt presence throughout the mid-1980s, "Lefko" finished his career with 1,443 points, which at the time of his graduation placed him fifth on Penn's all-time scoring chart and still has him 11th all-time within the program. His career field-goal percentage was 58.7, which to this day remains second all-time at Penn -- a stat enhanced by the fact that he took more shots than any of the top six listed in that category.
In addition, Lefkowitz still remains the all-time leader in free throws made (469) and attempted (666), and he is seventh all-time with 766 career rebounds.
Lefkowitz led Penn in scoring in both his junior and senior seasons, averaging 14.2 points per game in 1985-86 and 18.7 in 1986-87. A four-year starter, he led the Quakers in rebounding all four years he played, a feat that has never been duplicated in the annals of Penn basketball.
Lefkowitz shot 60.6 percent from the field his senior year, making 183-of-302 shots. That percentage is third on Penn's single-season list. The year before, he shot 58.7 percent from the field (105-of-179), a percentage that ranks him sixth on the single-season chart.
On Feb. 27, 1987, Lefkowitz scored 31 points and grabbed 20 rebounds in a 95-92 overtime win at Brown. More than 25 years later, it remains the last time a Penn player has snared 20 or more boards in a game.
Lefkowitz was first-team All-Ivy as a senior, second-team All-Ivy as a junior, and All-Ivy honorable mention as a sophomore. He was second-team All-Big 5 as a senior. As a freshman, Lefkowitz was honored with the program's G. Fred DiBona Award as the program's outstanding newcomer.
Penn won a pair of the Ivy League titles during Lefkowitz's career, in 1984-85 and his senior year of 1986-87 (he was a captain of that team). The Quakers went 10-4 both of those seasons. His junior year, the Red and Blue went 9-5 in league play and tied for second place.
Following his Penn career, Lefkowitz played professionally for the Philadelphia Aces of the United States Basketball League (USBL). In 2009, he was elected to the Westchester County (N.Y.) Athletics Hall of Fame.
