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Former WNBA player, coach at UAPB

Erica Leak is looking to make a name for herself as a coach in college basketball after achieving plenty of success as a player at Louisiana Tech.

Erica Leak, a former WNBA draftee, is replacing Dawn Thornton as the next head coach of the women's basketball program at the University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff. The Golden Lions sought a candidate with an experienced basketball background, which they obtained by hiring Leak, who has played and coached at multiple levels.

“I am grateful to Athletic Director Chris Robinson and Chancellor Laurence Alexander for entrusting me with the responsibility of leading the Golden Lion program,” Leak said at her press conference. “I look forward to bringing my competitive edge, energy and winning spirit to this team and striving with my players for success on and off the field for many years to come.”

Leak is a native of Wheatley, Arkansas and has a long history in both basketball and Arkansas-Pine Bluff. She had four siblings who attended and graduated from HBCUs. On the basketball front, she has several family members who played Division I basketball: her brother, Jason Smith, played at Ole Miss; Carl Baker, her nephew, played at Arkansas; and her sister Angela Gardner also played.

Leak excelled at Palestine-Wheatley High School and was named the 2001 Gatorade Player of the Year, Parade All-American Team and MVP of the 2001 Arkansas State All-Star Game. Before leading Palestine-Wheatley to the state championship in 2001, she played for the USA U19 Olympic qualifying team in 2000 under UConn head coach Geno Auriemma.

After her outstanding high school career, Leak enrolled at Louisiana Tech University and continued her success in basketball. She was the Western Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year, a four-time WAC champion and led Louisiana Tech to the NCAA Tournament in all four seasons. The Bulldogs were particularly successful in their 2003-04 season, going 29-3 overall, losing only one game in the WAC and managing to advance through the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament. They defeated Montana and #14 Texas Tech before falling to #1 Duke the following week. Due to her excellence in college, the Washington Mystics selected Leak with the 19th pick in the 2005 WNBA Draft.

After her time in the WNBA, Erica Leak started her coaching career. He started at Forest City High School and then went to West Memphis for four years. She led the Blue Devils to their first Arkansas state final since 2003, a performance that earned her the 2023 Arkansas High School Coach of the Year award. She is now jumping from the high school level to the college level with Arkansas Pine-Bluff.

“I am thrilled to welcome Coach Leak and her family to Golden Lions Nation,” said UAPB Athletic Director Chris Robinson. “She rose to the top from an incredibly strong group of candidates and is uniquely positioned to advance our program. Her dynamic personality and extremely high basketball intelligence will allow her to make an immediate impact. Most importantly, she truly cares about the student-athlete experience and will inspire our women to achieve great things on and off the field.”

Despite her success at the high school level, Leak has some big shoes to fill as she succeeds former head coach Dawn Thornton, who accepted the same position at Alabama A&M. Thornton led the Arkansas-Pine Bluff women's basketball team for five years. The Golden Lions were at their most successful in Thornton's final season when they played in their first SWAC championship game. They also set a record in overall wins at 17-16. UAPB picked up signature wins against SMU and Arkansas, the latter being the first win over a Power Five school in program history.