Sept. 22, 2010
LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) - UNLV women's basketball head coach Kathy Olivier announced several staff changes on Wednesday, beginning with the hiring of Kim Ortega as an assistant coach, while two-year assistant coach Caitlin Collier has been promoted to associate head coach. Other changes in the office include Nikki Blue moving up to top assistant coach, Rachel Dunn taking over as administrative coordinator after two years as video coordinator, and the hiring of Chris Sheldrik as the Lady Rebels' new video coordinator.
"Kim is going to be a great asset for our staff," said Olivier. "She has outstanding connections in the local community because of her ties to the area and the state. One advantage she will also bring to the role is her ties to the junior college scene in the Midwest, that will greatly expand our recruiting reach into those areas. Having grown up in Nevada, she has been a long-time fan of the Lady Rebel program, and we're happy to welcome her in."
Ortega comes to UNLV after spending four seasons as an assistant women's basketball coach at Seward County CC in Liberal, Kan., from 2005-09. She helped the Saints to a 110-24 overall record, which included a third-place finish in the 2007 NJCAA national championship. Ortega also coached a total of two NJCAA and WBCA All-Americans during her time on the bench. After the 2009 season, Ortega moved to Las Vegas, and spent the past year as a volunteer assistant coach at Centennial High School.
A native of Logandale, Nev., Ortega played at Moapa Valley High School before moving to play two years at Seward County CC (2000-02). She scored 35 points in the championship game to help the Saints complete a 38-0 record and win the 2002 NJCAA national championship, and was named the MVP of the tournament. Ortega was also the 2002 WBCA-NJCAA National Player of the Year and a two-time NJCAA and Kodak All-American.
She then transferred to TCU for her final two years, and twice helped the Lady Frogs reach the NCAA Tournament while averaging 6.5 points per game. After receiving her bachelor's degree in Spanish from TCU in 2004, she sent spent a year playing for the Birmingham Power in the National Women's Basketball League before moving on to her position at SCCCU, where she was a classroom instructor as well.
