ULCA names new head coach

Nikki Caldwell, a Tennessee assistant women’s basketball coach who helped guide the Lady Vols to their second consecutive national championship last week, has been hired as head coach at UCLA, it was announced today.

Caldwell, who becomes the fifth women’s basketball coach in Bruins history, met with UCLA officials Friday in Dallas and again this week to discuss the school’s job opening. After that Friday meeting, in an interview with The Times, she called the opportunity to coach in Westwood “a gold mine.”

“Nikki embodies everything we were looking for in a head coach,” said Petrina Long, senior associate athletic director. “She has worked with some of the best coaches in the history of women’s basketball, and we look forward to her establishing her own reputation as a great head coach.”

Kathy Olivier, who coached the Bruins the previous 15 seasons, resigned last month after the team finished a disappointing 16-15 and tied for fourth in the Pacific 10 conference. Olivier was 232-208 overall, but just 117-123 during the last six seasons.

Caldwell, 35, recently completed her sixth season as an assistant under Coach Pat Summitt, and helped lead the Lady Vols to their second consecutive national championship.

A former standout guard at Tennessee, 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.

In her 14 seasons as a player and assistant coach, her teams have posted a 404-76 record.

She is known for her ability to recruit high-profile players and design game plans. In fact, 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 convinced 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 Stanford’s high-scoring offense in the championship game.

dan.arritt@latimes.com