Amanda Levens

Template:Short description Template:Use mdy datesTemplate:Infobox college coach Amanda Kay Levens (born January 24, 1979) is an American women's college basketball coach. She is currently the head coach at the University of Nevada.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Previously, she was hired as head coach at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE) in 2008, when the school began a five-year transition to the NCAA's Division I. From 2012 to 2017, she was associate head coach at Arizona State before being hired at Nevada as head coach.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Early life and education

Born in Belvidere, Illinois, Levens graduated from Belvidere High School in 1997. At Belvidere High, she was a three-time All State and Amateur Athletic Union All-American honoree in basketball.<ref name="ASU player">Template:Cite web</ref>

In the fall of 1997, Levens enrolled at Old Dominion University and began playing at point guard for the Old Dominion Monarchs. In her first season in 1997–98, Levens played in 29 games and averaged 3.1 points as Old Dominion made a run to the Sweet 16 round of the 1998 NCAA tournament. Then in 1998–99, Levens started 23 of 32 games, averaging 21.0 minutes and 6.7 points. Old Dominion made a second straight Sweet 16 appearance in the 1999 NCAA Tournament.<ref name="ASU player"/>

After two seasons at Old Dominion, Levens transferred to Arizona State University, where she was a star member of the Sun Devils. At Arizona State, she broke the school's season records for most three-point shots made, with 60 in 2001 and free throws, with 167 in 2002. In her Arizona State career, Levens scored 1,020 points, an average of 15.9 points per game; dished out 240 assists, a 3.8 per game average; and recovered 218 rebounds for 3.4 per game. In both seasons at ASU, she was a member of the All Pac-10 First Team, and she received an honorable mention on the 2002 Associated Press All-America Team.<ref name="ASU player"/> After graduating from Arizona State with a bachelor's degree in history, Levens signed a free agent contract with the Charlotte Sting of the Women's National Basketball Association, but she was released before the regular season began.<ref name="SIUE">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="ASU player"/> In 2007 she earned her master's degree in educational leadership from Nevada.<ref name="Levens hired">Template:Cite web</ref>

College playing statistics

Source<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="ASU player"/>

Year	Team	GP	Points	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
1997–98	Old Dominion University	29	89	38.2%	34.6%	79.2%	0.9	0.4	0.3	0.1	3.1
1998–99	Old Dominion University	32	213	37.9%	29.4%	76.3%	2.0	2.5	1.1	0.0	6.7
1999–00	Arizona State	Did not play due to NCAA transfer rules
2000–01	Arizona State	31	470	38.2%	41.4%	79.8%	3.4	3.1	0.8	0.1	15.2
2001–02	Arizona State	33	550	38.4%	35.0%	77.3%	3.4	4.4	0.9	–	16.7
Career		125	1,322	38.2%	36.3%	78.1%	2.5	2.7	0.8	0.0	10.6

Coaching career

Nevada assistant (2003–2008)

From 2003 to 2008, Levens was an assistant coach for the women's basketball program headed by Kim Gervasoni at the University of Nevada.<ref name="Levens hired" />

SIU Edwardsville (2008–2012)

In April 2008, she was selected as the fourth head coach of the SIU Edwardsville Cougars.<ref>Template:Cite web Southern Illinois University Edwardsville press release</ref> SIUE joined the Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) in 2008 and played its first full conference schedule in the 2011–12 season. Prior to that first season, Leven's Cougars were picked by the league's coaches to finish eighth of the eleven teams. After SIUE finished the season in third place, with a conference record of 12 wins and 4 losses, Levens was named the 2012 Ohio Valley Conference Women's Basketball Coach of the Year.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Although the Cougars would not be eligible for OVC or NCAA post-season competition until the 2012–13 season, they were invited to play in the 2012 Women's Basketball Invitational (WBI) tournament.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Arizona State assistant (2012–2017)

On April 20, 2012, Levens returned to Arizona State as associate head coach under Charli Turner Thorne.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> During her five-year tenure as the top assistant, Arizona State appeared in the Sweet 16 of the 2015 NCAA tournament and won the 2015–16 Pac-12 Conference regular season title.<ref name="Nevada">Template:Cite web</ref>

Nevada (2017–present)

On March 31, 2017, Levens returned to Nevada to be head coach, following the retirement of Jane Albright.<ref name="mom first">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Inheriting a team that finished 11–19 the previous season, Levens led Nevada to a 19–17 record and appearance in the 2018 Women's Basketball Invitational semifinals.<ref name="NCAA Nevada">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Nevada"/> The 19 wins were the most for any Nevada first-year head coach in program history.<ref name="Nevada"/> However, with an inexperienced roster with six freshmen and only four experienced returning players, Nevada went 12–19 in 2018–19.<ref name="Nevada"/>

In 2019–20, Nevada improved to 15–16. Then in 2020–21, with the season shortened due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Nevada finished 13–9, including a 9–7 record and fifth place finish in the Mountain West Conference standings, the best under Levens.<ref name="Nevada"/> Nevada improved further in 2021–22 with a 20–13 record, including 11–6 in Mountain West games for a third place tie in conference standings, and an appearance in the 2022 Women's Basketball Invitational third place game.<reF>Template:Cite web</ref><reF>Template:Cite web</reF>

However, the 2022–23 Nevada team had just half as many wins at 10–21, finishing eighth in the Mountain West standings at 6–12 in conference play.<reF>Template:Cite web</reF>

Personal life

In 2015, Levens adopted two boys, aged four and three at the time.<ref name="mom first"/> Levens married Ashley Elliott, an assistant coach on her staff, in 2019.<ref name="Nevada"/>