After spending her career as the starting point guard for the Lady Rebels, Mia Bell’s name will remain on the UNLV roster, as the former All-Mountain West selection has been hired as an assistant coach, women’s basketball head coach Kathy Olivier announced on Monday. Bell becomes the first Las Vegas native to both play for the Lady Rebels and become a member of the coaching staff. She is filling the spot of Nikki Blue, who left in August for another coaching position in California.
"I’m excited to have Mia join our staff," said Olivier. "I always thought of her as a coach on the floor while she was a player. She has a great work ethic, and it was always about the team for Mia. You can’t go wrong adding someone like that to your staff. Her love for the Lady Rebels is huge, and that along with her passion for the coaching profession are two of her best attributes."
Bell was a starter from her first day on campus during the 2009-10 season. She ranks in the top 10 all-time at UNLV in numerous categories, including third all-time in total assists (434) and three-point percentage (36.2%). Her 121 career three-pointers are eighth all-time, and her 191 steals is the 10th-best career total. Bell also ranks in the top 10 in total career starts (tied seventh with 103) and career games played (ninth with 121).
She was named third team all-conference as a junior after leading the Lady Rebels to their best record in the past 10 years, a 22-10 mark that included a second place finish in the league and a trip to the 2012 Postseason WNIT. That season she connected on a total of three game-winning shots, and had four game-winners in her career. Bell also tied the school record with 14 assists in a win at Nevada, Reno on Jan. 2, 2012.
Bell received her bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary studies in December of 2013 in her final year on the team, after taking a medical redshirt during the 2012-13 campaign.
A graduate of Durango High School in 2009, she finished her high school career as the 2008-09 Gatorade Player of the Year for Nevada. She is now one of two former Lady Rebels on the coaching staff, as Olivier was an All-American (Honorable Mention) at UNLV from 1979-81.
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