Florida Atlantic University Women's Basketball

A respected head coach with a proven track record of building championship-caliber programs, LeAnn Freeland was hired April 1, 2025, as the head women's basketball coach at Florida Atlantic University. The announcement was made by Vice President and Director of Athletics Brian White, who signed Freeland to a five-year contract following an impressive run leading nearby Nova Southeastern University. As NSU's head coach, she led the Sharks to the NCAA Tournament eight times, including four Elite Eight appearances and one Final Four, in her 13 seasons in Fort Lauderdale. As head coach at both NSU (2011-25) and previously University of Indianapolis (2007-11), Freeland has won 70 percent of her career games (363-159) with six conference championships, 11 NCAA Tournament appearances in 17 seasons, four Elite Eights and one Final Four (2014). She was named Coach of the Year in the Sunshine State Conference (SSC) in 2015, 2016 and 2024. "LeAnn is a winner in every sense of the word," said White, "She has won at every stop in her collegiate career whether it be as a head coach, an assistant coach or as a player. I am thrilled to welcome LeAnn and her husband John to Florida Atlantic and excited for the championship mindset she will bring to our women's basketball program. She built both Nova Southeastern and UIndy to powerful Division II programs, doing so with student-athletes that embodied her gritty, hard-working and tough playing style. I'm confident the future of FAU women's bask

Hughes arrives in Boca Raton after serving as an assistant coach at Nova Southeastern from 2022-25. At Nova Southeastern, she assisted the Sharks to winning seasons in each of her three years on staff with Coach Freeland. In the 2024-25 season, the Sharks finished with a 25-6 season, good for third in the SSC, with a conference record of 16-4. For the third consecutive season NSU found themselves in the NCAA Tournament, earning the No. 3 seed in the South Region Tournament. It was the Sharks’ first time making three consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances since 2013-2015. Hughes helped guide Aubrey Stupp to first team All-SSC and Payton Graber to third team and All-Defensive All-SSC. Graber also selected for the D2CCA All-South Region Team. The 2023-24 season saw NSU finish with a 25-6 overall record and an 18-2 SSC record. In her second season as an assistant, Hughes helped Nova Southeastern to its second consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance while achieving a program-record 20-game winning streak in the process. The Sharks ranked as high as No.11 in the WBCA rankings. Nova Southeastern won the SSC regular season title for the first time since the 2015-16 season. In the NCAA Tournament, the Sharks earned the No. 4 seed in the South Region Tournament, where they advanced to the Sweet 16. Five different Sharks received SSC honors, which included Nicole Scales and Morgan Kane (All-SSC First Team), Aubrey Stupp (All-SSC Third Team), and India Shepherd (All-SSC Defensive Team).

Brooklyn Kohlheim makes her return to Paradise in the spring of 2025, reuniting with newly-hired Head Coach LeAnn Freeland, after previously being on staff together at Nova Southeastern and University of Indianapolis. MEET COACH KOHLHEIM Kohlheim arrives from Mercyhurst University, where she served as the head coach from 2019-2025. She has more than 14 years of playing and coaching experience throughout the NCAA Division I and Division II levels. In just her second season with Mercyhurst, Kohlheim led the Lakers to a 5-0 start, matching the best start in program history since the 2016-17 season. The 2023-24 season was the Lakers’ best season under Kohlheim, finishing with an overall record of 18-11 and 14-8 in conference play. Mercyhurst also tied a program record, rattling off 11 wins in a row. As a team, the Lakers shot 42% from the field. It was also the first time in 6 years the Lakers made the PSAC postseason. Prior to her arrival at Lake Erie, Kohlheim was an assistant coach at Michigan Tech where she spent the 2017-18 season with the Huskies and helped lead them to a 23-6 overall record. The Huskies climbed as high as No. 13 in the Women's Basketball Coaches Association Poll. Michigan Tech was later crowned the GLIAC North Champions and received an at-large bid into the 2018 Division II NCAA Tournament. The team also finished the season with the highest team GPA in Division II. Prior to coaching at Michigan Tech, Kohlheim returned to NSU after serving as the assistant

Jonathan Caudle enters his first year as an Assistant Director of Athletic Communications at Florida Atlantic University, joining the Owls’ staff in August 2...

Keri Jewett-Giles enters her first season with the Owls as an assistant coach in 2026-27. Jewett-Giles arrives in Paradise after serving as an assistant coach at Florida SouthWestern during the 2025-26 season. With the Buccaneers, Jewett-Giles helped lead FSW to a 19-12 record and a FCSAA quarterfinal finish this past season. She also helped coach All-FCSAA Team and First Team All-Citrus Conference selection Chelsea Bishop, as well as First Team All-Citrus Conference honoree Destinie Gordon, and Second Team All-Citrus Conference selections Amelia Williams and Kiara Harris. Prior to joining the Bucs, Jewett-Giles began her coaching career at her alma mater during the 2024-25 season, helping guide FGCU to a 30-4 record, tying for the sixth-most single-season wins in program history. After a perfect 18-0 conference regular season, the Eagles won their eighth straight and 12th overall ASUN Tournament title, earning the program's 11th NCAA Tournament appearance. Jewett-Giles shared the bench alongside her former coaches Karl Smesko and Chelsea Lyles at FGCU, both of whom are now leading the WNBA's Atlanta Dream. As a player, Jewett-Giles had a legendary career at both FGCU and Southern Miss. She was named to the ASUN All-Decade Team, racking up 957 career points at FGCU after scoring 507 points at Southern Miss, finishing with 1,464 points throughout her collegiate career. As a senior with the Eagles, Jewett-Giles was named the 2019-20 ASUN Player of the Year and a WBCA Honorable

At Florida Atlantic Joined the Florida Atlantic strength and conditioning staff as an assistant in August of 2025 Designs and implements strength and conditi...

McKenah Peters was announced as an assistant coach for Florida Atlantic's staff in the spring of 2025, reuniting with newly-hired Head Coach LeAnn Freeland, after previously being on staff together at Nova Southeastern. Peters comes to FAU after serving as an assistant coach at Nova Southeastern from 2022-2025. Since becoming an assistant, she has had winning seasons in each of her three years on staff with Coach Freeland. In the 2024-25 season, the Sharks finished with a 25-6 season, good for third in the SSC, with a conference record of 16-4. For the third consecutive season NSU found themselves in the NCAA Tournament, earning the No. 3 seed in the South Region Tournament. It was the Sharks’ first time making three consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances since 2013-2015. Peters helped guide Aubrey Stupp to first team All-SSC and Payton Graber to third team and All-Defensive All-SSC. Graber also selected for the D2CCA All-South Region Team. The 2023-24 season saw NSU finish with a 25-6 overall record and an 18-2 SSC record. In her second season as an assistant, Peters helped Nova Southeastern to its second consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance while achieving a program-record 20-game winning streak in the process. The Sharks ranked as high as No.11 in the WBCA rankings. Nova Southeastern won the SSC regular season title for the first time since the 2015-16 season. In the NCAA Tournament, the Sharks earned the No. 4 seed in the South Region Tournament, where they advanced to

Reshawna Valentine is an Assistant Athletic Trainer at Florida Atlantic University serving the women's basketball and women's golf teams, joining the program in August 2025. She comes from California State University-Bakersfield, where she began as an assistant athletic trainer in September 2024, working with men's and women's soccer, women's indoor volleyball, men's and women's basketball, men's wrestling, softball, track and field, women's golf, and beach volleyball. At Bakersfield, she helped with onboarding and medically clearing incoming athletes, prevented and assessed athletic injuries, developed rehabilitation programs, and maintained communication with colleagues and physicians regarding injury status. Previously, Valentine served as an Assistant Athletic Trainer at California State University-Chico starting in August 2021, assisting with women's volleyball, softball, men's and women's basketball, and other sports. She holds a Master of Science in Athletic Training from Northern Arizona University, a Bachelor of Science in Exercise and Wellness from Arizona State University, and an Associate of Arts degree from Yavapai College. Valentine is a BOC Certified Athletic Trainer, a member of the National Athletic Trainers' Association, California Athletic Trainers' Association, and Far West Athletic Trainers' Association, holds Basic Life Support Provider certification from the American Heart Association, and possesses a Dry Needling Level I Certification.