View source for Amanda Levens

{{Short description|American basketball player and coach}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2024}}{{Infobox college coach
| name = Amanda Levens
| image = Amanda Levens.jpg
| alt = 
| caption = Levens in 2017
| current_title = Head coach
| current_team = [[Nevada Wolf Pack women's basketball|Nevada]]
| current_conference = [[Mountain West Conference|MW]]
| current_record = {{Winning percentage|105|111|record=y}}
| contract = 
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1979|1|24}}
| birth_place = [[Belvidere, Illinois]], U.S.
| death_date = 
| death_place = 
| alma_mater = 
| player_years1 = 1997–1999
| player_team1 = [[Old Dominion Lady Monarchs basketball|Old Dominion]]
| player_years2 = 2000–2002
| player_team2 = [[Arizona State Sun Devils women's basketball|Arizona State]]
| player_positions = [[Guard (basketball)|Guard]]
| coach_years1 = 2003–2008
| coach_team1 = [[Nevada Wolf Pack women's basketball|Nevada]] (asst.)
| coach_years2 = 2008–2012
| coach_team2 = [[SIU Edwardsville Cougars women's basketball|SIU Edwardsville]]
| coach_years3 = 2012–2017
| coach_team3 = Arizona State (assoc. HC)
| coach_years4 = 2017–present
| coach_team4 = Nevada
| overall_record = {{Winning percentage|147|187|record=y}}
| bowl_record = 
| tournament_record = 3–4 ([[Women's Basketball Invitational|WBI]])
| championships = 
| awards = 
'''As a player'''
* 2x [[List of All-Pac-12 Conference women's basketball teams|All Pac-10]] (2001, 2002)
| coaching_records = 
}}
'''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, Reno|University of Nevada]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Amanda Levens – Women's Basketball Coach|url=https://nevadawolfpack.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/coaches/amanda-levens/976|access-date=2021-11-18|website=University of Nevada Athletics|language=en}}</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 (NCAA)|Division I]]. From 2012 to 2017, she was associate head coach at [[Arizona State Sun Devils women's basketball|Arizona State]] before being hired at Nevada as head coach.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Amanda Levens|url=https://thesundevils.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/coaches/amanda-levens/421|url-status=live|access-date=2021-11-18|website=ASU|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211118163559/https://thesundevils.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/coaches/amanda-levens/421 |archive-date=2021-11-18 }}</ref>

==Early life and education==
Born in [[Belvidere, Illinois]], Levens graduated from [[Belvidere High School (Illinois)|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">{{cite web|url=https://thesundevils.com/sports/2013/4/17/208252093.aspx|title=Player Bio: Amanda Levens|work=TheSunDevils.com|publisher=Arizona State University|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20021220084421/http://thesundevils.ocsn.com/sports/w-baskbl/mtt/levens_amanda00.html|archivedate=December 20, 2002|url-status=dead|accessdate=October 19, 2021}}</ref>

In the fall of 1997, Levens enrolled at [[Old Dominion University]] and began playing at [[point guard]] for the [[Old Dominion Monarchs women's basketball|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 Division I women's basketball tournament|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 Division I women's basketball tournament|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 [[Arizona State Sun Devils women's basketball|Sun Devils]]. At Arizona State, she broke the school's season records for most [[Three-point field goal|three-point shots]] made, with 60 in 2001 and [[free throw]]s, 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 [[Pacific-10 Conference|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">{{Cite web|url=http://www.siuecougars.com/sports/w-baskbl/mtt/levens_amanda00.html|title=Amanda Levens|publisher=SIU Edwardsville|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120120024527/http://www.siuecougars.com/sports/w-baskbl/mtt/levens_amanda00.html|archivedate=January 20, 2012|url-status=dead|accessdate=October 19, 2021}}</ref><ref name="ASU player"/>
In 2007 she earned her master's degree in educational leadership from Nevada.<ref name="Levens hired">{{Cite web|url=http://www.nevadawolfpack.com/sports/w-baskbl/spec-rel/042408aaa.html|title=Amanda Levens Hired as the Head Women's Basketball Coach at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville|website=www.nevadawolfpack.com|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402143421/http://www.nevadawolfpack.com/sports/w-baskbl/spec-rel/042408aaa.html|archivedate=April 2, 2015|url-status=dead|accessdate=October 19, 2021}}</ref>

===College playing statistics===

Source<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://web1.ncaa.org/stats/StatsSrv/careerplayer|title=NCAA Statistics|website=web1.ncaa.org|access-date=2021-06-13}}</ref><ref name="ASU player"/>

{{NBA player statistics legend}}
{| class="wikitable"
|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
| colspan="10" |''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, Reno|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>{{cite web |url=http://www.siue.edu/ATHLETIC/WBB/20082009/0424.html |title=2007-2008 SIUE Women's Basketball - Levens Named New Head Coach |accessdate=2008-06-15 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080517051548/http://www.siue.edu/ATHLETIC/WBB/20082009/0424.html |archivedate=2008-05-17 }} 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>{{Cite web|title=UT Martin's Newsome, Eastern Illinois' Nixon; and SIUE's Hempen and Levens Earn Top OVC Women's Basketball Honors|url=http://ovcsports.com/news/2012/2/28/84065.aspx|access-date=2021-06-13|website=ovcsports.com|language=en}}</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>{{Cite web|url=http://www.womensbasketballinvitational.com/|title=WBI|website=WBI|access-date=2016-05-08}}</ref>

===Arizona State assistant (2012–2017)===
On April 20, 2012, Levens returned to Arizona State as associate head coach under [[Charli Turner Thorne]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.thesundevils.com/sports/w-baskbl/spec-rel/042012aaa.html |title=Former Sun Devil Amanda Levens Named ASU Women's Basketball Associate Head Coach|accessdate=October 19, 2021|url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120511015356/http://www.thesundevils.com/sports/w-baskbl/spec-rel/042012aaa.html |archivedate=2012-05-11 }}</ref> During her five-year tenure as the top assistant, Arizona State appeared in the Sweet 16 of the [[2015 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament|2015 NCAA tournament]] and won the 2015–16 [[Pac-12 Conference]] regular season title.<ref name="Nevada">{{cite web|url=https://nevadawolfpack.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster/coaches/amanda-levens/2022|title=Amanda Levens|work=NevadaWolfPack.com|publisher=University of Nevada, Reno|accessdate=October 19, 2021}}</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">{{Cite news|last=Murray|first=Chris|url=https://www.rgj.com/story/sports/college/nevada/2017/06/09/packs-amanda-levens-mom-first-and-coach-second/102644410/|title=For Pack's Amanda Levens, a mom first and coach second|work=Reno Gazette Journal|date=June 9, 2017|access-date=October 21, 2021|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20170402232206/http://www.nevadawolfpack.com/sports/w-baskbl/spec-rel/033117aaa.html|archivedate=April 2, 2017|title= Levens named Wolf Pack women's basketball coach|url=http://www.nevadawolfpack.com/sports/w-baskbl/spec-rel/033117aaa.html|publisher=University of Nevada, Reno|date=March 31, 2017|accessdate=October 19, 2021|url-status=dead}}</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">{{Cite web|url=http://stats.ncaa.org/teams/history/WBB/466|title = NCAA Statistics}}</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 [[impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on sports|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>{{cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/womens-college-basketball/standings/_/season/2022/group/44|title=Mountain West Women's College Basketball Standings - 2021-22|publisher=ESPN|accessdate=March 9, 2023}}</ref><reF>{{cite web|url=https://nevadawolfpack.com/news/2022/3/20/womens-basketball-pack-campaign-closes-with-loss-to-bowling-green.aspx|title=Pack campaign closes with loss to Bowling Green|publisher=University of Nevada, Reno|work=NevadaWolfPack.com|date=March 20, 2022|accessdate=March 9, 2023}}</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>{{cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/womens-college-basketball/standings/_/group/44|title=Mountain West Women's College Basketball Standings - 2022-23|publisher=ESPN|accessdate=March 9, 2023}}</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"/>

==Head coaching record==
{{CBB Yearly Record Start
|type=coach
|conference=
|postseason=
|poll=no
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Subhead
|name=[[SIU Edwardsville Cougars women's basketball|SIU Edwardsville Cougars]]
|startyear=2008
|conference=[[NCAA Division I independent schools (basketball)|NCAA Division I independent]]
|endyear=2011
|}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
 | championship =
 | season = 2008–09
 | name = SIU Edwardsville
 | overall = 5–24
 | conference =
 | confstanding =
 | postseason =
 | ranking = no
 | ranking2 = no
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
 | championship =
 | season = 2009–10
 | name = SIU Edwardsville
 | overall = 8–21
 | conference =
 | confstanding =
 | postseason =
 | ranking = no
 | ranking2 = no
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
 | championship =
 | season = 2010–11
 | name = SIU Edwardsville
 | overall = 11–19
 | conference =
 | confstanding =
 | postseason =
 | ranking = no
 | ranking2 = no
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Subhead|
|name=SIU Edwardsville Cougars
|startyear=2011
|conference=[[Ohio Valley Conference]]
|endyear=2012
|}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
 | championship =
 | season = 2011–12
 | name = SIU Edwardsville
 | overall = 18–12
 | conference = 12–4
 | confstanding = 3rd
 | postseason = [[2012 Women's Basketball Invitational|WBI First Round]]
 | ranking = no
 | ranking2 = no
}}
{{CBB yearly record subtotal
| name = SIU Edwardsville
| overall = {{Winning percentage|42|76|record=y}}
| confrecord = {{Winning percentage|12|4|record=y}}
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Subhead
|name=[[Nevada Wolf Pack women's basketball|Nevada Wolf Pack]]
|startyear=2017
|conference=[[Mountain West Conference]]
|endyear=
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
 | championship =
 | season = [[2017–18 NCAA Division I women's basketball season|2017–18]]
 | name = [[2017–18 Nevada Wolf Pack women's basketball team|Nevada]]
 | overall = 19–17
 | conference = 7–11
 | confstanding = 7th
| postseason = [[2018 Women's Basketball Invitational|WBI Semifinal]]
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
 | championship =
 | season = [[2018–19 NCAA Division I women's basketball season|2018–19]]
 | name = [[2018–19 Nevada Wolf Pack women's basketball team|Nevada]]
 | overall = 12–19
 | conference = 7–11
 | confstanding = T–7th
| postseason = 
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
 | championship =
 | season = [[2019–20 NCAA Division I women's basketball season|2019–20]]
 | name = [[2019–20 Nevada Wolf Pack women's basketball team|Nevada]]
 | overall = 15–16
 | conference = 7–11
 | confstanding = T–7th
| postseason = 
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
 | championship =
 | season = [[2020–21 NCAA Division I women's basketball season|2020–21]]
 | name = [[2020–21 Nevada Wolf Pack women's basketball team|Nevada]]
 | overall = 13–9
 | conference = 9–7
 | confstanding = 5th
| postseason = 
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
 | championship =
 | season = [[2021–22 NCAA Division I women's basketball season|2021–22]]
 | name = [[2021–22 Nevada Wolf Pack women's basketball team|Nevada]]
 | overall = 20–13
 | conference = 11–6
 | confstanding = T–3rd
| postseason = [[2022 Women's Basketball Invitational|WBI Third Place]]
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
 | championship =
 | season = [[2022–23 NCAA Division I women's basketball season|2022–23]]
 | name = [[2022–23 Nevada Wolf Pack women's basketball team|Nevada]]
 | overall = 10–21
 | conference = 6–12
 | confstanding = 8th
 | postseason = 
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
 | championship =
 | season = [[2023–24 NCAA Division I women's basketball season|2023–24]]
 | name = [[2023–24 Nevada Wolf Pack women's basketball team|Nevada]]
 | overall = 16–16
 | conference = 10–8
 | confstanding = T–4th
 | postseason = 
}}
{{CBB yearly record subtotal
| name = Nevada
| overall = {{Winning percentage|105|111|record=y}}
| confrecord = {{Winning percentage|51|54|record=y}}
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record End
|overall= {{Winning percentage|147|187|record=y}}
|legend=no
}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{Mountain West Conference women's basketball coach navbox}}
{{Nevada Wolf Pack women's basketball coach navbox}}{{Ohio Valley Conference Women's Basketball Coach of the Year navbox}}{{DEFAULTSORT:Levens, Amanda}}
[[Category:1979 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:American women's basketball coaches]]
[[Category:American women's basketball players]]
[[Category:Arizona State Sun Devils women's basketball coaches]]
[[Category:Arizona State Sun Devils women's basketball players]]
[[Category:Basketball coaches from Illinois]]
[[Category:Basketball players from Illinois]]
[[Category:Nevada Wolf Pack women's basketball coaches]]
[[Category:Old Dominion Monarchs women's basketball players]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Belvidere, Illinois]]
[[Category:SIU Edwardsville Cougars women's basketball coaches]]
[[Category:Guards (basketball)]]
[[Category:American lesbian sportswomen]]
[[Category:LGBTQ basketball players]]
[[Category:21st-century American LGBTQ people]]