July 30, 2001

Champaign, Ill. - Illinois Head Coach Theresa Grentz announced today that Brett Leonard, a 5-5 point guard from Glenbrook South High School in Glenview, Ill., is transferring to Illinois to play basketball. Leonard comes to Illinois after two seasons at Arizona State.

Leonard was named honorable mention high school All-America twice by Street and Smith's magazine and was rated among the top-100 senior athletes in the country by Blue Star Report in 1999. Leonard started at point guard during her freshman, sophomore, and junior seasons before suffering a tear of her anterior cruciate ligament in her left knee early in her senior season. In her three years as a starter, Glenbrook South won three Central Suburban League titles and posted a combined 77-11 record.

Leonard earned AAU All-America accolades in 1998 and earned all-state recognition by the Associated Press, the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association, the Champaign News-Gazette, the Chicago Tribune and the Chicago Sun-Times. Statistically, she set her high school's single-game assist record with 190 assists in 1997 and averaged 17.7 points, 5.5 assists and 4.2 steals per game during her junior year of 1998.

Leonard appeared in all 31 ASU games in 2001, averaging 3.1 points and 1.6 rebounds per game while amassing 51 assists 18 steals and 11 three pointers. She started seven games and appeared in 22 games a freshman in 2000 despite missing the first seven contests with a separated shoulder. Leonard added 39 assists and averaged 1.5 points and 1.8 assists per contest while also earning the Coaches Award for hustle and teamwork.

"I really enjoyed recruiting Brett Leonard," said Illinois Head Coach Theresa Grentz. "She is work oriented and a selfless player. She has an effervescent smile. I was disappointed when she didn't choose Illinois originally, but we wished her well. Brett brings great leadership at the point guard and a championship attitude having played for the Pac-10 champions last year."