Women's Basketball | June 4

DeKALB, IL - Northern Illinois University Head Women's Basketball Coach Jacey Brooks announced on Thursday the addition of Leah Earnest as an assistant coach to her coaching staff.

"We are thrilled to welcome Leah to our NIU women's basketball family," Brooks said. "Her experience as both a standout player and assistant coach will make an immediate impact on our program. Leah has a genuine passion for developing student-athletes and building meaningful relationships that extend beyond the court. Her energy, work ethic, and commitment to excellence align perfectly with the culture we're building here at NIU. We are excited for the impact she will have on our program as we continue to move Huskie women's basketball forward."

Earnest comes to DeKalb after serving as an assistant coach at Wisconsin-Stevens Point last season. The Pointers started the year 11-0 and reached the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournament. She guided Maija Rice and Karissa Smith to All-WIAC honors. Rice led the conference in scoring with 17.3 points per game and was an All-Region and WBCA Collegiate All-Star Game selection.

"I'm so excited to join the NIU women's basketball family," said Earnest. "I cannot thank Coach Brooks enough for the opportunity. I'm eager to get to work with our student-athletes and contribute to the growth of the team. Go Huskies!"

Earnest played collegiately at Valparaiso and was a two-time All-Missouri Valley Conference selection. In 2024 she was a Second Team All-MVC selection after leading the Beacons with 16.5 points, 7.1 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game. She was the first Valpo player in over 30 years to lead the team in scoring, rebounding and assists. She followed that up with First Team All-MVC honors in 2025. Earnest was fourth in the conference in scoring at 17.4 points per game and seventh in rebounding at 7.5 per game. She finished her career as Valpo's all-time leader in games played at 145 and rebounds with 887, as well as the program's third all-time leading scorer with 1,664 points.

Earnest earned her Bachelors of Science in Exercise Science and Masters of Business Administration from Valparaiso University. She was a College Sports Communicators Academic All-District honoree in 2023 and 2024 and was named to the MVC Third Team Academic All-Conference in 2025.

—NIU—