Melanie Pearson Position: Assistant Coach Experience: 2nd season Alma Mater: BYU '03

Melanie Pearson is in her second year on the Lady Rebel staff and works primarily with the small forwards.

Pearson played for three years at UCLA, from 1996-97 to 1998-99, and helped the Bruins to the second round of the NCAA Tournament in 1998 and the NCAA West Regional final in 1999. She then left the school after the 1999 season to serve an 18-month LDS mission in Portugal. She made her mark on the Bruins' record book in only three seasons, as she ranked second all-time in three-pointers made with 115, and third in three-point percentage at 40.1 percent. Her 49 treys as a sophomore was also the second-highest mark at UCLA, as was her three-point percentage that year of 45.0 percent (49-of-109).

Following the completion of her mission, Pearson joined BYU for her senior season in 2001-02, and helped the Cougars to a 24-9 record and a trip to the NCAA Sweet 16. A third-team All-Mountain West Conference selection, she led the Cougars to the 2002 MWC Tournament championship after scoring a team-high 15 points in the tournament final. Her 41.8 percent three-point shooting ranks eighth all-time in a season at BYU.

Pearson earned her bachelor's degree in geographic information systems in December of 2003 from BYU. A native of Irvine, Calif., she currently resides in Las Vegas.