Nearly a month after the resignation of Kathy Olivier, the UCLA women’s basketball team continues the search for her replacement. The Bruins have been without a head coach since Olivier stepped down on March 11, taking an administrative position in the athletic department after 15 years at the helm.
According to women’s basketball sports information director Liza David, statements about the coaching search will not be made at this time as nothing has been finalized. David was unable to reveal the names of any possible candidates.
“The search is progressing,” David said. “We’re not making any comments at this time.”
The Los Angeles Daily News blog, “Inside UCLA with Brian Dohn,” has reported that Tennessee assistant coach Nikki Caldwell is a leading candidate. She has coached at Tennessee for five seasons and has directed the program’s recruiting since 2003.
In March, UCLA associate athletic director Petrina Long, who oversees women’s basketball, indicated that a decision could be delayed until the end of the women’s NCAA Tournament as likely candidates would be coaching in the event.
The Bruins failed to make the tournament, which ended Tuesday night, for the second straight year after closing out the season, 16-15, with a loss to national runner-up Stanford in the Pac-10 Tournament.
“We’re not going to rush,” Long said in March. “It takes an amazing person be a head coach at UCLA, in any sport.”
According to Long, experience would be a key component for any new candidate. She cited the need to match up with university-wide athletic expectations. Coaches with previous experience and long-time assistant coaches were likely to receive priority.
“It’s about championships at UCLA,” Long said in March. “It is important to be on the national scene.”
Under Olivier, the Bruins advanced as far as the Elite Eight in 1999, but struggled to maintain consistency, despite star power that included current WNBA players Noelle Quinn, Nikki Blue and Lisa Willis.
The Daily News blog has also reported that Olivier may be considered for the vacant head coaching position at UNLV, her alma mater.
TENNESSEE REPEATS: The University of Tennessee Lady Volunteers captured their eighth national championship under coach Pat Summitt, including their second consecutive title, with a 64-48 triumph over Stanford on Tuesday night. Lady Vols star Candace Parker scored 17 points and grabbed nine rebounds, helping her squad avenge a loss at Stanford during the regular season.
UCLA faced both teams during the course of the season. After falling at home to Tennessee in a tough contest, the Bruins stunned then-No. 2 Stanford, 69-56, at Pauley Pavilion on January 4. In that game, freshman Darxia Morris’ 20 points led the way for the victorious Bruins. The win marked the biggest in years for UCLA, as well as one of the biggest upsets of the women’s basketball season.
PLUIMER TO WASHINGTON: UCLA star senior Lindsey Pluimer was the No. 20 overall pick in Wednesday’s WNBA draft. The Washington Mystics selected Pluimer, a forward who started at UCLA for four seasons.
In her career at UCLA the 6-foot-4-inch Pluimer tallied 1,556 points and 737 rebounds. She will join former Bruin Nikki Blue, who has played for the Mystics for the past two seasons.