Kisa Hughes, 33; was All-Pac-10 as UCLA basketball player

Kisa Hughes, a former All-Pacific 10 Conference basketball player at UCLA, died of colon cancer Thursday at her home in Riverside, her sister Kilee said Saturday. She was 33.

A graduate of J.W. North High School in Riverside, where she played basketball and volleyball, Hughes attended Cal State Fullerton and was named Big West Conference freshman of the year in basketball.

She transferred to UCLA and was among the Pac-10 leaders in rebounding and scoring all three seasons there. A graceful 6-foot-4 center, Hughes was named to the All-Pac-10 team in the 1994-95 season.

After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in history, Hughes played professional basketball for 2 1/2 years in China, Germany and Austria until injuries ended her playing career.

She returned to California and worked with youths in urban communities, first with the Beyond Shelter housing group and then with the city of Los Angeles’ Rewarding Youth Achievement Program.

Hughes was born in Harbor City and grew up with basketball. Her father, Ronald, played basketball at Cal State Fullerton and is a professor of sociology there. Her mother, Barbara, was a schoolteacher in Riverside. Besides her parents and her sister, Hughes is survived by three brothers, Ronald Jr., Solomon and Gabriel.

A memorial service will be held at 1 p.m. Wednesday at the Rock Church, 2345 S. Waterman Ave., San Bernardino. Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday at Shepherd of the Hills Church, 19700 Rinaldi St., Porter Ranch.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Los Angeles Conservation Corps, with checks payable to LACC in care of Yo Watts!, a youth development organization that provides education and employment services in Watts and surrounding areas.