Nevada women’s basketball head coach Amanda Levens has signed a contract extension that will keep her with the Pack through 2027. Levens, who has been at the helm of Nevada women’s basketball since 2017, has accumulated 79 wins, guided nine All-Mountain West honorees and obtained two postseason appearances for the Pack.
“I’m thrilled that we have been able to further our commitment with Coach Levens as the leader of our women’s basketball program,” Athletic Director Stephanie Rempe said. “Amanda is the perfect fit for the University of Nevada. She has worked very hard to build the solid foundation of a championship caliber program that is committed to developing the whole student-athlete. She is committed to giving back to the Reno community and is striving for excellence in all aspects. I am excited about the future of our women’s basketball program.”
Levens directed the Pack to one of the best seasons in program history in 2021-22. Nevada won 20 games, the second-most wins in program history, en route to finishing third in the Mountain West. The Pack obtained its second invite to the Women’s Basketball Invitational under Levens to cap off the year. The 2021-22 team also made national noise, finishing fourth in the nation in free throw percentage with an 80.9 mark. That percentage also ranks 11th all-time in NCAA Division I women’s basketball for a single season.
Under Levens’ guidance, Kylie Jimenez produced a 3.19 assist to turnover ratio that ranked second in the nation last season. Jimenez, who signed a professional basketball contract with Tus Lichterfelde in Germany, is one of five former pupils under Levens to play basketball overseas for the 2022-23 season. Former players under Levens set to compete professionally also include Eliska Stebetakova (Club Maristas Coruna – Spain), Terae Briggs and Marguerite Effa (PAS Giannina – Greece), and Teige Morrell (Zeller) (Joondalup Wolves – Australia).
Levens, a former Nevada assistant coach from 2003-08, became the winningest first-year head coach in program history after posting 19 wins in 2017-18. Her first season at the helm of the Pack was capped off by an invitation to the WBI, Nevada women’s basketball’s first postseason appearance since 2011. Prior to leading Nevada, Levens served as Arizona State’s associate head coach and guided the Sun Devils to four straight NCAA tournament appearances. With Levens playing a key role, Arizona State made its sixth Sweet 16 in program history in 2015. Levens made her first collegiate head coaching stint at SIUE, earning Ohio Valley Conference Coach of the Year honors in 2012.
As a player, Levens became an All-American and two-time All-Pac-10 First Team member at Arizona State. Inducted into the Arizona State Sports Hall of Fame in 2012, Levens finished her playing career by signing with Charlotte Sting of the WNBA.
“This is an amazing opportunity and speaks to what an incredible staff and student-athletes we have had and will continue to have within our program,” Levens said. “I would like to thank the Board of Regents, President Sandoval, Bill Johnson, Doug Knuth, Stephanie Rempe, Rhonda Bennett and Mary Dugan for believing in my staff and I. I am excited to build on our past success by continuing to bring in great people who excel on the court, in the classroom and in our community. My family and I love Reno and look forward to remaining part of this wonderful community.”
Photo Courtesy Nevada Athletics
Tagged with: Nevada
