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 received in 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 am excited to bring my competitive edge, energy, and winning spirit to this team and strive for success both on and off the court with my players for many years to come.”
A native of Wheatley, Arkansas, Leak has an extensive history with both basketball and Arkansas-Pine Bluff. She had four siblings who attended and graduated from the HBCU. On the basketball side, she has multiple family members who have 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 shone brightly at Palestine-Wheatley High School, earning honors as the 2001 Gatorade Player of the Year, Parade All-American team, and the 2001 Arkansas State All-Star game MVP. Before leading Palestine-Wheatley to a state title in 2001, she played with the 2000 USA U19 Qualifying Olympic Team under UConn head coach Geno Auriemma.
Following her stellar high school career, Leak enrolled at Louisiana Tech University and continued her hooping success. 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 of her seasons. The Bulldogs were particularly successful in their 2003-04 campaign, going 29-3 overall, dropping just one game in the WAC, and making it out of 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 elite production 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 began at Forest City High School, then went to West Memphis for four years. She led the Blue Devils to their first Arkansas state final since 2003, a feat that earned her the Arkansas High School Coach of the Year in 2023. She’s now jumping from the high school level to the collegiate realm 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 of an incredibly strong group of candidates and is uniquely poised to lead our program forward. Her dynamic personality and extremely high-level basketball intelligence will enable her to come in and make an immediate impact. Most importantly, she truly cares about the student-athletes experience and will inspire our women to achieve greatness on and off the court.”
Despite her success at the high school level, Leak has some big shoes to fill as she follows former head coach Dawn Thornton, who accepted the same position at Alabama A&M. Thornton led Arkansas-Pine Bluff’s women’s basketball team for five years. The Golden Lions were most successful in Thornton’s last season as they made their first SWAC Championship game. They also set a record in overall wins by going 17-16. UAPB had signature wins over SMU and Arkansas, the latter of which was their first victory over a Power Five school in program history.
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