By: Michael Pitts
MIAMI - Kennesaw State women's basketball head coach Octavia Blue is set to be honored by the University of Miami's Women of the U Hall of Fame Friday.
Blue played for Miami from 1994-98, accumulating 1,724 points on the court - fourth in program history at the time and still good for eighth in the Hurricane record books. During her senior campaign, she shot a Miami-record 45.3 percent from three-point range.
She was selected No. 15 overall in the 1998 WNBA Draft by the Los Angeles Sparks, becoming the first draft pick in program history. She played for the Sparks in 1998 then for the Houston Comets from 2003-04.
The former Hurricane returned to her alma mater as an assistant coach for nine successful years, last serving as associate head coach during the 2020-21 season.
Five players signed WNBA contracts during her coaching tenure at Miami, including Beatrice Mompremier, who was selected No. 20 in the 2020 WNBA Draft - also by the LA Sparks. Mompremier earned AP and WBCA All-American recognition in back-to-back seasons and was a two-time finalist for Lisa Leslie Center of the Year Award. She was also named ACC Preseason Player of the Year in 2019.
Blue coached eight players to 10 total All-Atlantic Coast Conference honors including six first-team accolades and two All-ACC Defensive Team awards.
The Miami alumna is entering her third season at the helm of the Owls for the 2023-24 season after 15 wins a season ago, the most single-season wins for KSU since the 2014-15 campaign. Overall, Coach Blue has won 24 games in her first two seasons at Kennesaw State, the second-most by a head coach in the program's NCAA Division I history.
KSU went 10-8 in ASUN play last season, doubling its conference win total from 2021-22 and marked the most single-season conference wins for the Owls since 2008-09.
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