UCLA interviews Lady Vols assistant

Nikki Caldwell, a Tennessee assistant women’s basketball coach who helped guide the Lady Vols to their second consecutive national championship this week, met with UCLA officials Friday in Dallas to discuss the Bruins’ head coaching job, she said.

“I had an opportunity to sit down for a little while and share my passion and dedication and my commitment to taking UCLA to that next level,” she said by phone. “It’s a gold mine.”

Kathy Olivier, who coached the Bruins for 15 seasons, resigned last month after the team finished a disappointing 16-15 and tied for fourth in the Pacific 10 Conference.

Yet the Bruins posted one of the biggest upsets in the program’s history when they knocked off then-No. 2 Stanford this season only to be beaten by Pepperdine (10-18) and San Diego (7-7 in the West Coast Conference). Olivier was 232-208 overall, but 117-123 during the last six seasons and led UCLA to only one 20-win season since 1998-99.

Caldwell, who completed her sixth season as an assistant under Tennessee Coach Pat Summitt with Tuesday night’s title win, said she met with UCLA Athletic Director Dan Guerrero and Associated Athletic Director Petrina Long to discuss the job.

When asked whether Caldwell would be hired, Marc Dellins, UCLA’s sports information director, would say only that it is the school’s policy to not discuss possible candidates to protect their privacy.

A former standout guard at Tennessee from 1990 to ‘94, Caldwell began her coaching career as a graduate assistant at her alma mater during the 1998-99 season, then worked as an assistant at Virginia from 1999 to 2002. Summitt hired her in the spring of 2002. Caldwell has an overall record of 286-63 as an assistant coach and 118-13 as a player. She is known for her ability to recruit high-profile players and design game plans. Summitt credited Caldwell for much of the team’s success at the recent Final Four.

When the Lady Vols defeated Louisiana State with a last-second basket in Sunday’s semifinal, Summitt said it was Caldwell who persuaded her to let 6-foot-4 forward Candace Parker dribble the ball up the floor and create the game-winning play. Caldwell also helped design the stifling defense that shut down high-scoring Stanford in Tuesday’s NCAA final.

“She’s one of the best Xs and O’s coaches out there and a great recruiter,” said Parker, the WNBA’s No. 1 overall draft pick who was introduced to the Los Angeles media Friday.

Caldwell said she has been in contact with athletic officials from Memphis, which also is looking for a new head coach. But she said she would prefer to coach in Westwood, citing the school’s academics, its history of winning championships, the ability to recruit top players locally and even the Southern California weather.

Caldwell said salary was not discussed but didn’t believe that would get in the way. She said she hopes to have an answer from UCLA officials sometime next week.

“I hope it’s good news,” she said.

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dan.arritt@latimes.com