MEET THE TEAM 2017-18 UNLV WOMEN’S BASKETBALLMEET THE TEAM 1 TTHEHE LLADYADY RREBELSEBELS 2017-18 ROSTER BREAKDOWN STARTERS RETURNING (4) Brooke Johnson G Sr. 12.2 ppg, 3.3 apg, 2.4 spg BY CLASS Nikki Wheatley G RS-Jr. 10.3 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 3.1 apg Paris Strawther F/C Jr. 8.7 ppg, 6.1 rpg SENIORS (3) Katie Powell F/C Jr. 7.5 ppg, 6.8 rpg Brooke Johnson Simone Sheppard STARTERS LOST (2) Kennedy Wharton Dakota Gonzalez G Graduated 13.2 ppg, 5.4 rpg JUNIORS (7) Dylan Gonzalez G Graduated 9.9 ppg, 4.0 rpg Alyssa Anderson Jordyn Bell OTHER LETTERWINNERS RETURNING (6) Destiney Lee Jordyn Bell F Jr.. 4.3 ppg, 4.5 rpg Katie Powell Alyssa Anderson F RS-Jr. 2.2 ppg, 1.6 rpg LaTecia Smith Rodjanae Wade C So. 1.0 ppg, 1.6 rpg Paris Strawther Destiney Lee C Jr. 0.6 ppg, 0.5 rpg Nikki Wheatley Kennedy Wharton G Sr. 0.5 ppg, 0.8 rpg Simone Sheppard F Sr. 0.5 ppg, 1.0 rpg SOPHOMORES (2) Bailey Thomas Rodjanae Wade OTHER LETTERWINNERS LOST (1) Tiara Tucker G Jr. 2.1 ppg, 0.4 rpg FRESHMEN (2) Kavionnia Brown NEWCOMERS (2) Krista Jackman Krista Jackman C 6-5 Mohave Valley, Arizona Kavionnia Brown G 5-3 Albuquerque, N.M. BY STATE TRANSFERS SITTING OUT IN 2017-18 (2) Bailey Thomas G 5-9 0.7 ppg, 0.3 spg* CALIFORNIA (7) LaTecia Smith G 5-6 8.9 ppg, 4.7 rpg^ Alyssa Anderson (Rancho Cucamonga) Jordyn Bell (Elk Grove) * - Stats while at West Virginia in 2016-17 Brooke Johnson (Hanford) ^ - Stats while at Seton Hall in 2016-17 Destiney Lee (Sacramento) LaTecia Smith (Gardenia) Simone Sheppard (Sacramento) Rodjanae Wade (Fresno) Nikki Wheatley (La Verne) NEVADA (3) Paris Strawther (Las Vegas) Bailey Thomas (Las Vegas) Kennedy Wharton (Las Vegas) ARIZONA (1) Krista Jackman (Mohave Valley) GEORGIA (1) #unlvwbb #unlvwbb @UNLVLADYREBELS Katie Powell (Atlanta) NEW MEXICO (1) Kavionnia Brown (Albuquerque) 2 2017-18 UNLV WOMEN’S BASKETBALL TTHEHE LLADYADY RREBELSEBELS 2017-18 LADY REBELS ROSTER NO. NAME POS. HT. CL. EXP. HOMETOWN /PREVIOUS SCHOOL 0 Kennedy Wharton G 5-7 Sr. 1L Las Vegas, Nev./Grays Harbor College 1 Kavionnia Brown G 5-3 Fr. HS Albuquerque, N.M./Cibola HS 2 Brooke Johnson G 6-0 Sr. 3L Hanford, Calif./Hanford HS 3 Paris Strawther F/C 6-2 Jr. 2L Las Vegas, Nev./Liberty HS 5 Simone Sheppard F 6-0 Sr. 3L Sacramento, Calif./Sacramento HS 10 Nikki Wheatley G 5-5 RS-Jr. 2L La Verne, Calif./Bonita HS 14 Bailey Thomas* G 5-9 So. TR Las Vegas, Nev./West Virginia MEET THE TEAM 15 LaTecia Smith* G 5-6 Jr. TR Gardenia, Calif./Seton Hall 20 Alyssa Anderson F 6-0 RS-Jr. 2L Rancho Cucamonga, Calif./Etiwanda HS 21 Katie Powell F/C 6-4 Jr. 1L Atlanta, Ga./Arkansas 22 Destiney Lee C 6-2 Jr. 2L Sacramento, Calif./C.K. McClatchy HS 23 Jordyn Bell F 6-1 Jr. 2L Elk Grove, Calif./Bradshaw Christian HS 24 Rodjanae Wade C 6-2 So. 1L Fresno, Calif./Edison HS 25 Krista Jackman C 6-5 Fr. HS Mohave Valley, Ariz./River Valley HS HEAD COACH: Kathy Olivier (UNLV ‘82/10th season) ASSOCIATE HEAD COACH: Caitlin Collier (UC Davis ’93/10th season) ASSISTANT COACH: Mia Bell (UNLV ’14/Fourth season) ASSISTANT COACH: Peggy Smith (Appalachian State ‘16/Second season) ASSISTANT AD/WOMEN’S BASKETBALL OPERATIONS: Rachel Dunn (10th season) ADMINISTRATIVE COORDINATOR: Margo Malik (Second season) VIDEO COORDINATOR: Brandon Morrison (Second season) PRONUNCIATION GUIDE EQUIPMENT MANAGER: Larry Chin (22nd season) Mia Bell (MEE-uh) ATHLETIC TRAINER: Rachael Waddle (Fourth season) Kavionnia Brown (CAV-ee-on-ah) ACADEMIC COUNSELOR: Kimberly Stewart (Second season) LaTecia Smith (LAA-tee-shuh) STRENGTH & CONDITIONING COACH: Jason Kabo (Seventh season) Kathy Olivier (o-LIV-e-a) SPORTS INFORMATION DIRECTOR: Mark Wasik (15th season) Rodjanae Wade (rod-JAH-nay) 2017-18 UNLV WOMEN’S BASKETBALL 3 HHEADEAD CCOACHOACH KKATHYTTVAVT /H RADIORYA DOOLIVIERIOL ICHARTCVHIAERRT HHEADEAD CCOACHOACH 110TH0TH SEASONSEASON UUNLVNLV ‘82‘82 #unlvwbb #unlvwbb @UNLVLADYREBELS 4 2017-18 UNLV WOMEN’S BASKETBALL HHEADEAD CCOACHOACH KATHYKATHY OLIVIEROLIVIER When UNLV was searching for its next women’s basketball coach -- a person that could COACHING return the proud program to its place among the nation’s best -- it didn’t have to look far. The HIGHLIGHTS • Recruited the first-ever Lady Rebel to earn school turned to one of its own by hiring former Mountain West Freshman of the Year honors (Jamie Lady Rebel All-American Kathy Olivier as the Smith in 2008-09), while Réjane Vérin became the eighth full-time head coach in UNLV women’s second Lady Rebel to earn the honor in 2012-13 basketball history on April 22, 2008. • Guided UNLV to a 20-win season in 2011-12 There’s no doubt that UNLV made the (22-10), and to the ninth WNIT appearance in team right choice, as after three years of steady history improvement, it all came together for the Lady • Saw a school-record four players named All- Rebels in Olivier’s fourth year in Las Vegas when Mountain West in 2011-12 it posted its best season in almost a decade. The • In 2016-17 UNLV won a school-record 12 MW games (12-6) and received an at-large bid to the Lady Rebels recorded a 22-10 record during the WNIT, fi nished with a 22-11 overall record year, and claimed their fi rst-ever top-two fi nish • Reached 300 career victories on Feb. 2, 2013 in the Mountain West with a 10-4 mark to place against Boise State second. The year included numerous highlights, • Posted her 100th career win at UNLV on Nov. 17, including wins at Iowa and at home over Kansas State and Fresno State, all teams that 2015 against Pepperdine would reach the NCAA Tournament. UNLV began the year with a 6-0 start, and would • Led UCLA to fi ve NCAA Tournament Appearances receive votes in both the AP and the coaches’ Top 25 poll for the majority of the fi rst two (1998, 1999, 2000, 2004, 2006) months of the season. Though the Lady Rebels were upset in the MW Tournament fi rst • Guided UCLA to the NCAA Elite Eight in 1999 round, they would earn the team’s fi rst postseason berth in six years with a trip to the • Coached UCLA to the 1999 regular-season Pac- 10 championship (1999), and the 2006 Pac-10 WNIT, a fi rst-round game at Saint Mary’s. Another highlight of the year was placing a tournament title school-record four players on the All-MW conference teams. • Has coached two Kodak All-Americans and Pac-10 In Olivier’s fi rst season on the bench, the Lady Rebels immediately showed their Players of the Year, (Maylana Martin and Natalie renewed enthusiasm for their new coach with the fi rst 3-0 start in seven years, and the Williams) team was the talk of the conference after an inspiring run to the 2009 Mountain West • Three of her recruits at UCLA earned Pac-10 Tournament semifi nals as the seven seed. UNLV would fi nish the year with a six-game Freshman of the Year, (Noelle Quinn, Maylana win improvement, end longtime losing streaks to TCU and Utah, and win two games in the Martin and Erica Gomez) • Ranks second on the UCLA all-time coaching list league tournament for the second time in conference history. In 2009-10, the Lady Rebels MEET THE TEAM continued their climb back to prominence under Olivier, and posted several impressive with 232 victories upsets, including a pair of road wins at Utah and New Mexico, as well as a home victory over eventual Sweet 16 participant San Diego State. PLAYING HONORS • All-American Honorable Mention - 1979-80 The 2012-13 season, Olivier had a team that had just one returning player that had (American Women’s Sports Foundation) ever started a game before, and during the year would lose several players to season • Ranks second all-time at UNLV in career points ending injuries. Despite the setbacks, Olivier was able to guide the team from a rough per game (18.1), and ninth in career free throw non-conference start to an 8-8 record in Mountain West play, good enough to earn the percentage (76.8%) fourth seed in the conference tournament. Her most recent stretch of success began with the 2015-16 squad that claimed 18 wins and reached the MW semifi nals. That was followed by a 22- win season in 2016-17, a year that saw numerous highlights including wins over Power-5 schools Ole Miss and USC, as well as an 8-1 start to the campaign. A season-ending knee injury to the team’s starting point guard temporarily derailed the team, but Olivier would regroup the team and guide them to a 12-6 MW record, a new team mark for total MW victories. UNLV would fi nish third in the conference and reached the MW semifi nals for the second straight year. That would be good enough to earn UNLV an at-large bid to the WNIT. Following the end of the 2007-08 season, UNLV had hoped to fi nd a coach that had both success on the national level and was a strong recruiter, and Olivier showed off her recruiting skills right from the start. Almost exactly one month after she was hired, Olivier signed her fi rst recruit, Jamie Smith, who 10 months later became the fi rst Lady Rebel to be named MW Freshman of the Year.