UCLA all-time great and former San Diego prep standout Nicole Anderson begins her second season as an assistant coach with the Aztecs.
[quote]Nicole and I possess similar values and vision,[quote] SDSU head coach Jim Tomey said. [quote]She also brings great experience as a player and a coach, has strong ties to the San Diego community and is an extremely engaging person. She is the complete package.[quote]
Anderson is heavily involved in the recruiting process at SDSU and serves as the team[apos]s point person for compliance, admissions and academics. On the court, she works mostly with the Aztec guards.
[quote]Nicole is extremely popular with our players in terms of their individual development,[quote] Tomey said. [quote]She will continue to work with our guards and is able to push them, because she knows what it takes to succeed.[quote]
A 1989 graduate of La Jolla High School and an all-CIF selection as a prep, Anderson was the head women[apos]s basketball coach at the University of New Haven during the 2001-02 season, helping the Chargers to an 11-15 overall record.
Prior to her one-year stint in Connecticut, Anderson served as an assistant coach at the University of San Diego (2000-01).
One of the top players ever to come out of San Diego County, Anderson was a four-year varsity starter at La Jolla High, averaging more than 20 points per game during her career.
She went on to be named as one of the 15 greatest players in UCLA women[apos]s basketball history, starring for the Bruins from 1989-93. A Naismith Award candidate as a senior, she still ranks in the UCLA career top five in both steals (second) and assists (fourth).
Anderson also earned a bronze medal representing the United States at the 1991 Jones Cup in Taipei, Taiwan, grabbing all-tournament honors.
Following completion of her bachelor[apos]s degree in sociology from UCLA in 1993, Anderson returned to San Diego to teach physical education and history at Francis Parker Middle School. That same year she landed the head girls[apos] basketball coaching job at Francis Parker High. By the end of her six-year tenure, Anderson had guided the program to three state CIF semifinal appearances, a quarterfinal berth and a No. 3 state ranking.
In addition to her coaching duties at Parker, Anderson also pursued her own academic and athletic interests, working toward a master[apos]s in education at National University and making the developmental squad of the WNBA[apos]s Los Angeles Sparks in 1997.
Anderson, 32, resides in San Diego.