Former Bradley standout Leti Lerma made her return to The Hilltop in August 2019 and as she prepares for her third year as a member of the Women's Basketball coaching staff in 2021-22, she has been promoted to Assistant Coach from her previous role as Video Coordinator/Assistant Director of Basketball Operations.
"We are thrilled that Leti will be increasing her role on our staff, as she now will be able to teach and mentor our student-athletes," said Head Coach Andrea Gorski of Lerma's promotion to assistant coach. "Leti is a natural coach and our program is going to benefit from her basketball knowledge, as well as her 'team-first' mentality."
Her first two seasons as a member of the staff arguably have been the best two seasons in program history, culminating in the first Missouri Valley Conference championship and NCAA Tournament appearance for the Braves in 2020-21.Â
On the heels of a record-setting 2019-20 campaign, Bradley finished fifth in the MVC standings this past year before claiming the first MVC Tournament title in school history. The Braves, who finished the 2020-21 season with a 17-12 overall mark and went 10-8 in Valley play, had never reached the MVC Championship game prior to the 78-70 victory over Drake to earn the squad’s first NCAA Tournament appearance.Â
In her first year as a member of the Bradley Women’s Basketball staff, the Braves posted school records for overall (22) and MVC (13) wins, capping a shortened 2019-20 season with a 22-7 overall record. Bradley took third in the Valley standings for the first time in school history, posting a 13-5 league mark and produced a trio of All-MVC first-team picks. The Braves were well-positioned to earn a postseason tournament bid in 2020 when the season was abruptly halted as the team prepared for its short trip to Moline, Ill. for the Hoops in the Heartland MVC Women's Basketball Championship.
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After graduating from Bradley in May 2017, Lerma spent two seasons playing professionally both for the St. Louis Surge of the Global Women’s Basketball Association in addition to playing overseas with CSU Alba Iulia (Romania).
Lerma was First-Team All-Missouri Valley Conference selection as a senior in 2016-17 during fifth-year head coach Andrea Gorski’s first season at BU, becoming the first Brave in nearly a decade to earn the honor, and was also a MVC All-Defensive Team selection. She finished her career as Bradley’s all-time leading rebounder, pulling down what was then a Bradley season-record 324 boards during her final season. Lerma was 12th in the nation in rebounds per game as a senior (10.8 rpg) and was 10th in offensive boards per outing that same year.Â
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The Muscatine, Iowa, native was one of four players in the nation and the first in the MVC since 2011-12 to collect 350 points, 320 rebounds, 65 assists, 15 blocks and 40 or more steals, turning in 13 double-doubles when she averaged 11.7 points and 10.8 rebounds per game as a senior.Â
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Following her graduation, Lerma served as color commentator for ESPN3 broadcasts of Bradley Women’s Basketball games along with working as part of the Bradley Athletics Marketing team, where she assisted with video and graphic design projects.
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