UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.- Penn State women’s basketball head coach Tanisha Wright names Octavia Blue an Assistant Coach on her staff ahead of the 2026-27 season. Blue arrives in Happy Valley with two decades of collegiate coaching experience following an impressive career as a student-athlete and professional basketball player in the Women’s National Basketball Association. Throughout her 20 years of coaching at the college level, Blue has mentored 17 all-conference players and 25 WNBA athletes. Between her time as a four-year letterwinner at the University of Miami and her career as a coach, the seasoned leader made 10 NCAA Tournament appearances.
“The addition of coach Blue to Penn State women’s basketball will be monumental,” said Wright. “Her experience in the collegiate basketball world as both a coach and a player will be instrumental in guiding our student-athletes to greatness on and off the court. Blue is an important addition to the Lady Lion basketball program and I couldn’t be more thrilled to welcome her to Happy Valley”.
Blue moves up north following her first head coaching gig at Kennesaw State University. The veteran coach spent five seasons at the helm of the Owls where she owned a 61-89 record. Blue guided Kennesaw State through conference realignment, during which time the Owls made the switch to Conference USA in 2024-25. Throughout her term in the peach state, she mentored four all-conference selections including a first team honoree in Prencis Harden in 2024-25.
The Owls reached multiple milestones during Blue’s five seasons. In her first year as head coach, her team eclipsed the 100-point mark in a game for the first time in program history with a 100-31 win over Thomas University. Her third season featured the best rebounding defense in a single-season in school history, the third-best rebounding margin and the fourth-best scoring defense in KSU history.
She built on her success in the 2024-25 campaign, becoming the fastest Kennesaw State women’s basketball head coach to reach 30 Division I wins and 20 home wins while also guiding the team to its first 3-0 and 4-0 starts to an Atlantic Sun Conference slate in program history. Under Blue, Harden earned All-CUSA first team honors in addition to five conference Player of the Week titles throughout the year. The former Miami standout finished her stint at Kennesaw State in 2025-26, improving the team in multiple statistical categories including points per game, rebounding margin, turnover margin, shooting efficiency and three-point percentage.
Prior to her time in Georgia, Blue spent nearly a decade coaching at her alma mater, Miami, at various different levels. She served as an assistant coach for eight seasons before being promoted to an associate head coach ahead of the 2020-21 season. Throughout her stint with the Hurricanes, she worked primarily with the post players’ skill development. Blue guided five All-ACC players and three WNBA Draft picks while making six appearances in the Big Dance.
Kennesaw State was not Blue’s first time working in the peach state, acting as an assistant coach for Georgia Tech from 2009-12. In her time with the Yellow Jackets, she helped sign two Top 25 recruiting classes amidst three trips to the NCAA Tournament including a run to the Sweet 16 in 2012. Blue helped coach four All-ACC second team honorees, two ACC All-Freshman team members and the 2010 ACC Sixth Man of the Year.
Blue’s first coaching gig at the Division I level came at St John’s University in 2008-09. She spent one season as an assistant coach working with the post players in a season where the Red Storm advanced to the Women’s National Invitation Tournament. After finishing her professional basketball career, Blue took on an assistant coaching role at St. Thomas University from 2007-08.
Upon graduating from Miami in 1998, Blue was selected no. 15 overall in the 1998 WNBA Draft by the Los Angeles Sparks, becoming the school’s first-ever WNBA Draft pick. She spent nine years playing professionally, first for the Sparks, then making stops with the Minnesota Lynx, Miami Sol and Houston Comets. Additionally, Blue played internationally in Greece, Israel, France, Turkey and Poland.
Blue had a decorated collegiate playing career at Miami, amassing 1,724 career points which ranks her eighth all-time in the Hurricanes record book. She also owned a school record 45.3% shooting from three-point range in her senior campaign. In 2007, Blue was inducted into the UM Sports Hall of Fame and named an ACC Women’s Basketball legend in 2008. Blue’s no. 10 jersey became the fourth number in program history to be raised to the rafters in Coral Gables, Fla. in 2016.
THE BLUE FILE
|
School |
Season |
Title |
|
Penn State |
2026-pres. |
Assistant Coach |
|
Kennesaw State |
2025-26 |
Head Coach |
|
Kennesaw State |
2024-25 |
Head Coach |
|
Kennesaw State |
2023-24 |
Head Coach |
|
Kennesaw State |
2022-23 |
Head Coach |
|
Kennesaw State |
2021-22 |
Head Coach |
|
Miami |
2020-21 |
Associate Head Coach |
|
Miami |
2019-20 |
Assistant Coach |
|
Miami |
2018-19 |
Assistant Coach |
|
Miami |
2017-18 |
Assistant Coach |
|
Miami |
2016-17 |
Assistant Coach |
|
Miami |
2015-16 |
Assistant Coach |
|
Miami |
2014-15 |
Assistant Coach |
|
Miami |
2013-14 |
Assistant Coach |
|
Miami |
2012-13 |
Assistant Coach |
|
Georgia Tech |
2011-12 |
Assistant Coach |
|
Georgia Tech |
2010-11 |
Assistant Coach |
|
Georgia Tech |
2009-10 |
Assistant Coach |
|
St. John’s |
2008-09 |
Assistant Coach |
|
St. Thomas |
2007-08 |
Assistant Coach |