By Amy Farnum Novin, NCAA


Franklin Pierce University’s Johannah Leedham is already one of the best Division II women’s basketball players in the nation after two short years with the Ravens’ program, and this summer, she is beginning a quest to compete in the 2012 Summer Olympic Games in London.

Leedham, a native of Ellesmere Port, England, was voted the 2008 WBCA/State Farm Division II Player of the Year, and was recently selected as a member of the 16-person Great Britain Women’s Senior National Team Training Squad. Great Britain was promoted to the EuroBasket Division A last winter and seeks to remain in Europe’s highest division to earn an automatic berth in the 2012 Olympics.

While growing up in England, Leedham primarily played netball, a derivative of basketball that is popular in places like the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand. She was first introduced to basketball at a youth games event in England in 1999, and the following year Leedham began playing competitively when she was 14 years old.

Leedham’s basketball career quickly skyrocketed as she became a two-time U-18 Player of the Year in England, while building a strong international resume. Last summer, she sparked Great Britain’s U-20 squad to a bronze medal at the 2007 FIBA European Division B Championships in Lithuania. She led the team with 22.1 points and 8.6 rebounds per game.

As Leedham’s career has progressed, so has the sport of basketball’s popularity in Great Britain.

“Basketball has come a long way in Great Britain,” said Leedham. “There is so much more support in the setup that it has enabled things to really take off for the programs. It grew especially after the Commonwealth Games in 2006 when both Great Britain’s men’s and women’s teams placed third. This was a huge accomplishment.”

The success of the program led to the squad’s promotion to EuroBasket Division A, which will much more competitive.

”We are playing against better countries now, and for me, I have never played for the women, and have only played in Division B,” said Leedham. “I have still seen some outstanding young players who are all professional, but now this will be a totally new level of play for me.”

Leedham is spending the summer training in Great Britain, and will join the team on July 19 in Cardiff, Wales. The squad will begin playing games on Aug. 20, competing in eight qualifying contests. Games will run until Sept. 13, and Leedham will miss the first week of school on the campus located in Rindge, N.H.

“I think I can bring my scoring ability, team play and defense to the squad,” said Leedham. “The team has some very good players on it so I am excited to see where I will fit, and I am hoping to bring as much as I can offer.”

At FPU, Leedham helped the Ravens to their best season in program history last year as they advanced to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight and won their first Northeast Region Championship. She led the Ravens in scoring with 23.0 points per game, the third-best average in the nation.

”Playing at Franklin Pierce has helped improve my game,” said Leedham. “I think I have become a lot more patient and a better team player. If you develop those skills they will always help you wherever you play.”
If Great Britain qualifies for the 2012 Olympics, Leedham will have the opportunity of playing the sport she loves in her home country as London will host the Games.

“I never even thought about playing in the Olympics,” said Leedham. “Because I started playing so late compared to others, I never thought of it. But now since the sport has grown so much in the country, and I have been able to develop my game so much, playing in the Olympics is now in my sights rather than my dreams.”