Amanda Levens grew up in Belvidere, Ill., a city 25 miles north of Northern Illinois' campus in DeKalb.
As a basketball-crazed youngster, Levens often attended Saluki games. Northern Illinois’ coach at the time was a woman named Jane Albright, who led the program to 188 wins and four NCAA Tournament appearances over 10 seasons. Albright let Levens, then a middle-schooler, come into the team’s locker room and feel like part of the program, which was a big deal for somebody who dreamed of playing college ball.
On Wednesday, the Wolf Pack officially announced Levens as its head women’s basketball coach.