Sept. 2, 2004

LAS VEGAS - Melanie Pearson, a former standout student-athlete at UCLA and BYU, has been named assistant women's basketball coach at UNLV, head coach Regina Miller announced on Thursday. Pearson replaces Cherie Hogg, who left in June to take a similar position at Hofstra. "I'm excited about Melanie joining our staff here at UNLV," said Miller. "With the experiences she has had as a student-athlete at an NCAA Tournament level, she will be a great addition to the program. Melanie has a good knowledge of the game, and the success her teams had in college should make her a good role model for our current players in helping them to understand what it takes to make it to the next level." Pearson played for three years at UCLA, from 1996-97 to 1998-99, and helped the Bruins to the second round of the NCAA Tournament in 1998 and the NCAA West Regional final in 1999. She then left the school after the 1999 season to undergo a two-year LDS mission in Portugal. She made her mark on the Bruins' record book in only three seasons, as she ranks second all-time in three-pointers made with 115, and third in three-point percentage at 40.1 percent. Her 49 treys as a sophomore is also the second-highest mark at UCLA, as was her three-point percentage that year of 45.0 percent (49-of-109). Following the completion of her mission, Pearson joined BYU for her senior season in 2001-02, and helped the Cougars to a 24-9 record and a trip to the NCAA Sweet 16. A third-team All-Mountain West Conference selection, she led the Cougars to the 2002 MWC Tournament championship after scoring a team-high 15 points in the tournament final. Her 41.8 percent three-point shooting ranks eighth all-time in a season at BYU.