April 18, 2008

GREEN BAY, Wis. - Amanda Leonhard, a former four-year standout and three-year starter on the Green Bay women's basketball team, returns to the Phoenix as an assistant coach for her alma mater, head coach Matt Bollant announced today.

"I could not be more excited about having Amanda come back to Green Bay to join our staff," said Bollant. "She is a great fit for Green Bay; having been a player here, she understands our system as well as the University. She's hard-working and competitive and I believe she will do a great job here helping our program have great success."

"I am excited for the opportunity to come back to Green Bay," said Leonhard. "I enjoyed my time at North Dakota State and the experience I gained there. I am looking forward to being back home, and I am eager to be part of helping Coach Bollant and his program continue a winning tradition."

Leonhard most recently was an assistant coach at North Dakota State for three seasons. While with the Bison, Leonhard aided NDSU through its final three seasons of its NCAA Division I provisional transition. In 2007-08, the team's first season in the Summit League, NDSU tied for second with a 12-6 mark and finished the year 17-11.

Prior to her arrival in the collegiate ranks, Leonhard spent three seasons as an assistant girl's basketball coach for Green Bay Preble High School for three seasons, aiding the Hornets to a semifinal appearance at the 2003 WIAA Division I State tournament.

In her four seasons as a student-athlete for the Phoenix, Leonhard aided Green Bay in posting an 86-35 record and made three NCAA tournament appearances to go with four regular season conference championships. As a sophomore, Leonhard led the Phoenix in scoring and earned first-team all-conference accolades in 2000.

Leonhard finished her collegiate career ranked 25th in NCAA history in free-throw percentage and is Green Bay's all-time record holder with her .847 clip at the charity stripe. She tallied career totals of 1,097 points, 332 assists, 189 steals and 114 three-point field goals, with the last three totals ranking in the top 10 in team history.

Leonhard also was a standout performer in the classroom, earning academic all-conference honors in 2001 and 2002 while being named to the conference's honor roll three times. She also aided Green Bay in posting the highest team GPA in the nation during the 2000-01 academic year.

The 27-year-old Leonhard is a native of Ladysmith, Wis. She graduated cum laude from the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay in 2003 with a degree in business administration.