Jade Leitao has been named Director of Basketball Operations for the UNCG women’s basketball program, according to an announcement Monday by head coach Wendy Palmer. Leitao joins the Spartans after spending one season at Northwood University as an assistant coach.

Leitao owns plenty of basketball experience, including playing professionally for Coimbra Olivais in Portugal from 2006-07. She averaged 18.4 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 3.2 assists per game in helping lead her team to the playoffs and earning a spot on the league’s all-star team.

Leitao was a member of the Cape Verdean national women’s basketball team, participating in the FIBA African Games in 2005 and 2007, as well as the Lusofonia Games (Portuguese Olympics) in 2006 and 2009. This past summer, she spent four weeks in Cape Verde, putting together and running a four-day girls’ basketball clinic.

Leitao spent two years as a graduate assistant at UAB from 2009-11 as the Blazers captured the 2011 WBI championship and posted 20 wins during the 2010-11 campaign.

She played at three different schools during her collegiate career, including the University of Delaware, Mitchell College and Fordham University. Leitao spent the 2001-02 season at Delaware before transferring to Mitchell prior to the 2002-03 campaign. While at Mitchell, she earned first-team All-Region and NJCAA All-Tournament honors after averaging 22.4 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game. Leitao finished fourth in the nation in scoring among Division II Junior Colleges, helping Mitchell to a No. 2 ranking in the nation in 2003.

After moving to Fordham to finish her college career, Leitao appeared in 31 contests her senior season – including receiving the starting nod in 30 of those games. She ranked fourth on the team in scoring (8.9 ppg), as well as assists (57) and steals (30).

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