These days, when Nikki Blue talks about UCLA women’s
basketball, she needs to stop and correct herself. She can’t
help it. After four years of serving as the face of the program,
she is trying to make the transition from emotional leader to
hopeful outsider.
“I still say “˜we’ when I talk about the
team,” said Blue, referring to UCLA. “I am trying to
get used to saying “˜they,’ but it’s tough. I went
through so much with those girls that I still feel like I am a part
of it all.”
Blue and Lisa Willis recently graduated from UCLA, leaving in
the rearview mirror two of the most prolific women’s
basketball careers in school history. Having closed out their last
academic quarter after being named to the first team All Pac-10,
both are getting adjusted to life in the WNBA.
While the transition from being bona fide stars in college to
bench players in the pros has been the biggest change, it’s
also the little things that make them stop and remember they
aren’t college students anymore.
“Moving across the country takes some getting used
to,” said Blue, who was drafted in the second round by the
Washington Mystics in the WNBA Draft in April. “D.C. is (a)
different lifestyle (from) California. It’s weird not to be
with UCLA anymore, but I still feel so blessed to be playing
basketball for a living.”
For Willis, getting selected by the Los Angeles Sparks with the
No. 5 pick overall seemed all too perfect. While Blue had to finish
her last two classes in the spring by shuffling back and forth from
Washington D.C. to Los Angeles, Willis was able to graduate with a
degree in political science with a significantly shorter
commute.
They may be living on opposite ends of the county, but the
former teammates are experiencing for the first time what it is
like to be strictly a role player. It’s a transition that
requires perspective considering the numerous records Blue and
Willis set during their time in Westwood.
Blue stands as the fifth leading scorer in UCLA history with
1,797 points, and is one of only two Bruins with 600 career
assists. Willis has the ninth most points in school history with
1,677 and has the most three-point field goals with 256.
In five games for the Sparks, Willis has averaged just nine
minutes and three points a game. Blue has played in 10 games for
the Mystics, registering nine minutes and two points a game.
Blue and Willis are both held in high regard with their
respective franchises, but are learning what it means to be rookies
on winning teams. The Sparks are 10-3 and the Mystics are 7-5.
Once the WNBA season ends, Blue said she will entertain ideas of
moving to Europe to play professionally in the winter to earn
supplemental income and hone her skills against international
talent.
“It’s the first time I have (had) to come off the
bench and help the team by doing the little things,” Willis
said. “But it’s making me hungrier. I know that I can
play at this level, and it’s just a matter of competing and
getting better.”
Blue has kept in touch with Willis during the season through a
series of text messages, and she continues to speak with UCLA coach
Kathy Olivier on almost a daily basis. Olivier formed a very close
relationship with her former point guard, and has been a guiding
force as Blue has become a professional.
“When they are in college they are protected just like any
college student is protected,” Olivier said.
“It’s a tough transition to go to professional
basketball, where it’s less about the team and more about
what each player can do. It’s more cutthroat, and they both
have to get used to that.”
Losing two members of her vaunted Triple Threat poses a big
coaching challenge to Olivier, with senior Noelle Quinn the only
member of the trio remaining. But Blue and Willis feel like they
left UCLA on good terms, winning an NCAA Tournament game for the
first time in their four years. Their coach agrees that there is
nothing left for them to achieve at UCLA.
“Nikki was an extension of me out on the court, and I saw
her grow tremendously,” Olivier said. “It’s tough
to replace her and Lisa, but they are ready to move on to the next
stage in their life.”
As for Blue, she still keeps an eye on the future of a program
she helped revive.
“We are going to be fine without me next year ““ I
mean, they are going to fine,” Blue said.