Octavia Blue
Octavia Blue (born April 18, 1976) is an American former women's basketball player with the Los Angeles Sparks and Houston Comets of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She played during the 1998, 2003 and 2004 seasons. She is currently an assistant coach for the University of Miami Hurricanes women's basketball team.
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | April 18, 1976 Fort Lauderdale, Florida |
| Listed height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
| Listed weight | 163 lb (74 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Nova (Davie, Florida) |
| College | Miami (Florida) (1994–1998) |
| WNBA draft | 1998 / Round: 2 / Pick: 15th overall |
| Selected by the Los Angeles Sparks | |
| Playing career | 1998–2004 |
| Position | Forward |
| Career history | |
| As player: | |
| 1998 | Los Angeles Sparks |
| 2003–2004 | Houston Comets |
| As coach: | |
| 2009–2011 | Georgia Tech (assistant) |
| Stats at Basketball-Reference.com | |
Coaching career
Working primarily with the post players, Blue has coached eight players to 10 total All-ACC recognition in her eight seasons at Miami, including six first-team accolades and two All-ACC Defensive Team honors. Over the last two seasons, the Miami alum worked closely with 2020 graduate Beatrice Mompremier, who earned AP and WBCA All-America recognition in back-to-back seasons. Mompremier was a finalist for the Lisa Leslie Center of the Year Award in both 2019 and 2020 and was tabbed ACC Preseason Player of the Year ahead of the 2019-20 campaign.
During Blue's eight-year stint at Miami, five players have signed WNBA contracts, including Mompremier, who was selected 20th overall in the 2020 WNBA Draft by the Los Angeles Sparks. In total, 14 Hurricanes who have benefited from Blue’s tutelage have gone on to play professionally.
Playing career
During her collegiate career, she played for Miami amassing 1,724 points on the court during 1994-98. Afterward, she went on to play professional basketball and was selected 15th by the Los Angeles Sparks in the 1998 WNBA Draft, becoming Miami's 1st WNBA draft pick.