With seven years at the helm of the Nevada women’s basketball program, Amanda Levens is set to begin her eighth season as head coach in 2024-25.
In her time leading the Pack, Levens has produced 12 All-Conference players, five professional players and is third in program history in wins. Academically, her teams have collected 29 Mountain West Scholar Athlete awards.
During the 2023-24 season, Levens guided Nevada women's basketball to a fourth-place finish in the Mountain West. It was the second time in the last three years Nevada finished in the top four in its conference. In addition to guiding Audrey Roden and Izzy Sullivan to All-Mountain West honors, Levens led the 2023-24 team to finish in the top 10 in program history in several categories: 2nd - 3-pointers, 5th - Steals, 6th - Field Goals, 9th - Points.
In 2022-23, Levens played an instrumental role in guiding Alyssa Jimenez to six double-doubles en route to All-Mountain West Honorable Mention honors. The season also saw four players pass the 500 career point mark. Academically, Megan Ormiston earned a spot on the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District team under Levens' watch.
Levens guided the Pack to one of the best seasons in program history in 2021-22, recording the second-most wins in Nevada women's basketball with 20. After finishing third in the Mountain West, the Pack received their second invitation to the Women's Basketball Invitational under Levens. Under Levens' direction, Da'ja Hamilton earned a spot on the All-Mountain West team while Jimenez was named to the conference's All-Defensive Team and Roden received All-Mountain West Newcomer Team honors. The Pack also made their mark nationally, with their 80.9 free throw percentage ranking fourth in the nation and being the 11th-best in all NCAA Division I women's basketball history. Levens was instrumental in guiding senior guard Kylie Jimenez, who accumulated a 3.19 assist to turnover ratio that ranked second in the country.
It was a year of significant growth for the program in 2020-21, despite a shortened season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Levens helped guide the Wolf Pack to a 13-9 overall record and a 9-7 mark in Mountain West play. Nevada, which was picked 10th in the preseason head coaches poll, finished fifth in the conference standings to earn a first round bye in the 2021 MW Championship, its first bye in the conference tournament since the 2013-14 season where it held the No. 3 seed. Nevada’s 13-9 overall record also marked the program’s first winning record since 2017-18 when it went 19-17 overall. The Pack closed the regular season winning eight of its last 10 games, including a stretch of five consecutive wins to end the regular season. In the second-to-last game of the regular season Levens reached a career milestone as she secured career win No. 100 after a 59-56 road victory at Air Force.
In 2019-20 the Wolf Pack recorded its second winning non-conference record in the last three seasons, finishing non-league action with a 7-4 record, which included a 3-0 start to the season. Playing a tough Mountain West schedule, the Pack posted a 7-11 mark in conference games to tie for seventh in the regular season standings after being picked to finish ninth in the preseason poll. For the third consecutive season Nevada was victorious in the opening round of the Mountain West tournament, defeating New Mexico 74-64. Under Levens’ direction, the Wolf Pack has won five conference tournament games in the last three seasons.
Year two brought with it new challenges, with an especially young roster that included six freshmen. With just four key returners from the previous season, five of those six freshmen were thrust into major roles on the team. By the time the season had ended, that group of rookies had played 35.8 percent of the team’s minutes and set the pieces in place for the future of the program.
Despite finishing the 2018-19 season with a 12-19 record, and a 7-11 mark in Mountain West play, Levens had developed a pair of student-athletes into first-time all-conference performers. Jade Redmon and Terae Briggs both produced career years in their senior seasons, with Redmon being selected to the All-Mountain West Team and Briggs earning an All-Mountain West Honorable Mention. Redmon led the team averaging over 15 points per game, which ranked in the top five in the conference, and scored in double figures in all but one game. Briggs was the team’s top post player, collecting a career-high 10 double-doubles during the year.
Levens had a great debut season in 2017-18 as the Wolf Pack’s head coach. The Pack finished nonconference action, which included a visit from the nation’s No. 1 team in UConn, at 7-4, making Levens the only head coach in program history to post a winning nonconference record in their first season. As Mountain West play went on, the Pack had a string of single-digit losses but turned it around as the conference tournament loomed.
Nevada won its final two games of the regular season, including a 20-point win over intrastate rival and co-regular season champion UNLV, to ride some momentum into the Mountain West Tournament. Prior to the start of the tournament, former student-athlete Teige Zeller earned All-Mountain West honors under Levens’ guidance after posting a career season. Entering the tournament as the No. 7 seed, the Wolf Pack earned three consecutive thrilling victories to reach its first Mountain West Championship game and just its second ever conference title game. Nevada knocked off San Diego State in overtime in the opening round, then took down No. 2 UNLV in double overtime and No. 3 Wyoming by four points to square off against No. 1 Boise State in the championship. While the Pack lost to the Broncos on a last second buzzer beater, the tone had been set for the future.
Following the conference tournament, the Wolf Pack accepted a bid to the Women’s Basketball Invitational (WBI) to make just its fourth postseason appearance and first since 2011. Nevada won two games during its WBI run, the most wins the program has had in a postseason tournament, and eventually bowed out to Central Arkansas in the semifinals.
Under Levens’ direction, Nevada finished the 2017-18 season with 19 wins, tied for the second most in program history and making Levens the winningest first year head coach. In addition to the win total, the conference championship game appearance, and postseason run, the Wolf Pack set multiple team records, including points, rebounds, field goals made and assists. Nevada finished the year in the top five in the Mountain West in scoring offense, 3-point field goal percentage, rebounding margin, assists and field goal percentage, just to name a few.
Before taking over at Nevada, Levens spent five seasons as the associate head coach at her alma mater, Arizona State, where she coached seven All-Pac 12 honorees. During her five-year appointment the Sun Devils collected over 100 wins, posted four 20-win seasons and finished as the Pac-12 regular season champions in 2015-16. ASU has made four consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances and advanced to the Sweet 16 in 2014-15. During its most recent trip to the tournament this year, the Sun Devils nearly knocked off No. 1 seed South Carolina in the second round. In addition, the Sun Devils have been ranked academically in the top 25 by the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association.
Prior to her appointment at Arizona State, Levens was the head coach at Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville and led the program during its transition to Division I. Hired at the age of 29, she was one of the youngest head coaches at the NCAA Division I level. During her four-year tenure, Levens took the Cougars from five wins in 2008-09 to 18 wins in 2011-12. She was named the Ohio Valley Conference Coach of the Year after her team finished 12-4 in league play and secured third place after being picked eighth in the preseason poll.
Levens is no stranger to Nevada as she previously served as an assistant coach with the Wolf Pack for five seasons under former head coach Kim Gervasoni. During her first tenure with the Pack, Levens was responsible for recruiting the 2005-06 Western Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year, Brandi Fitzgerald, along with a junior college All-American and four members of the WAC All-Freshmen Team. In total, she helped develop 16 student-athletes who earned All-WAC academic honors. Additionally, Nevada made its first-ever postseason appearance in the Women’s National Invitational Tournament in 2006-07.
As a player in college, Levens began her career at Old Dominion University and helped lead the Monarchs to a pair of NCAA Sweet 16 appearances. After two years at ODU, she transferred to Arizona State and played her final two years from 2000-02. While at ASU, she twice earned first team All-Pac-10 honors and was named an AP Honorable Mention All-America in 2002. Levens finished her Sun Devil career as one of three players to score 1,000 points in two seasons. She was inducted into the Arizona State University Sports Hall of Fame in 2012. Following her collegiate career she signed a free agent contract with the Charlotte Sting of the WNBA.
Levens is a native of Belvidere, Illinois, where she was a three-time all-state selection at Belvidere High School. She had her No. 11 jersey retired at Belvidere High School in 2010. She earned her bachelor’s degree in history from Arizona State in 2002 and earned her master’s degree in higher education administration from Nevada in 2007. She married Ashley Elliott in May of 2019 and has two sons, David and Davon.
The File on Amanda Levens
Born: Jan. 24, 1979
Hometown: Belvidere, Ill.
Education: Bachelor's - Arizona State University (2002); Master’s - University of Nevada (2007)
Overall Head Coaching Record: 147-186 (11 seasons)
Nevada Head Coaching Record: 105-110 (7 seasons)
Coaching Experience
2017-present: Nevada, head coach
2012-17: Arizona State, associate head coach
2008-12: Southern Illinois - Edwardsville, head coach
2003-08: Nevada, assistant coach
Playing Experience
Old Dominion (1997-99)
Arizona State (1999-2002)
