By Amanda Fletcher
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
UCLA women’s basketball head coach Kathy Olivier announced
two new additions to her coaching staff last Thursday.
Tia Jackson takes on the first assistant coach role, replacing
Willette White, a seven-year member of the UCLA staff. Theon
Carrier replaces Molly Tutler as the third assistant.
The desire to become a head coach drove White to pursue other
avenues, while Tutler is now the second assistant coach at UC
Irvine, according to Olivier.
“They were just ready to move on,” she said.
But Jackson and Carrier are ready to assume their new roles as
Bruin coaches.
A former WNBA player and assistant coach at Stanford, Jackson
will bring her extensive basketball knowledge and recruiting
experience to the Bruin squad.
“She was highly recommended by several people in the
profession,” Olivier said. And it’s not hard to see
why. Jackson attended the University of Iowa, where she led her
team to four Top 25 finishes, including a Final Four berth her
junior year. Drafted in the first round as the ninth overall pick,
she played all but two games for the Phoenix Mercury in its first
season. And while she was an assistant coach at Stanford, the
Cardinal tied for second in the Pac-10 last season.
But leaving Stanford didn’t even cross Jackson’s
mind until she got a call from Olivier.
“It was an appealing offer altogether,” Jackson
said. “I wasn’t thinking of leaving Stanford, but
things happen for a reason. I’m a firm believer in
that.”
As first assistant, Jackson will fill a key role on UCLA’s
coaching staff.
“Tia will really help in a lot of areas and she will bring
new ideas,” Olivier said. But Jackson’s main focus will
be on recruiting.
“Everyone’s number one job is recruiting, and I will
excel at that,” Jackson said.
Carrier, a former assistant coach at Cypress Junior College,
will also play an important role for next year’s team.
Olivier says Carrier will bring enthusiasm and excitement to the
program.
“I’ve always wanted to get into women’s
basketball,” Carrier said. “I can’t think of any
other place in the country I’d rather be than
here.”
Getting two new coaches in addition to the loss of Pac-10 Player
of the Year Maylana Martin and starting guard Erica Gomez will make
next year a more challenging one for the drastically altered Bruin
squad.
“Any time you have two people leaving and only four on
staff you definitely have a transition year,” Olivier said.
“But it’s a positive situation and we will make sure we
work as a team and show the players how a team operates.”