BAKERSFIELD, Calif.--Greg McCall has announced the hiring of former UCLA All-American Nikki Blue as an assistant coach on the Bakersfield women's basketball coaching staff.

Blue comes to Bakersfield from UNLV where she spent six seasons, the final four as the top assistant for head coach Cathy Oliver. Blue played for Oliver for four seasons at UCLA (2002-06) and was a two-time Associated Press and Kodak/WBCA honorable mention All-American. One of just five players in conference history to be named All-Pac-10 all four years (all first team selections), Blue finished her career fifth on the school's all-time scoring list with 1,797 points and was second in assists (602) and third in steals (325), which is also the second-highest in Pac-10 history.

Blue was a second-round draft choice (19th overall) of the Washington Mystics in the 2006 WNBA draft and was in the top 10 among rookies during the 2006 season in both assists and free throw percentage. In her four years with the team, she played in a total of 96 games and made 23 starts, including 22 during the 2008 season. During the 2009 season she helped the Mystics finish fourth in the Eastern Division to clinch a playoff spot, their second in her four years on the squad.

Blue was traded in the 2010 preseason to the New York Liberty, and would appear in 15 games for her new team, who reached the second round of the Eastern Playoffs. Blue has also competed overseas during two seasons, having played in Turkey in 2007, and in Greece in 2008.

Blue, a Bakersfield native, was a three-time Bakersfield Californian Girls Basketball Player of the Year from 2000-2002 for West High School. She set the Central Section record for points in a single season (913, in 2000-2001) and in a career (2,934). Blue graduated from UCLA in 2006 with a bachelor of arts degree in history. She has one daughter, Cali Marie Coleman.

Blue replaces Tasha Burnett who left the 'Runner program to become the head women's basketball coach at Chaffey College.

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