Player, assistant added

Molly Goodenbour, hired last week, is still settling in as women’s basketball coach at UC Irvine, but a pair of additions to the program have already made the former Chico State coach feel more at home.

Jade Smith-Williams, a first-team All-California Collegiate Athletic Assn. at Chico State last season, has told Goodenbour she plans to transfer to UCI.

In addition, George Liveon, a former member of Goodenbour’s staff at Chico State, where Goodenbour led the Wildcats to a 52-11 record the last two seasons as head coach, has been hired as an assistant coach, Goodenbour said Friday.

Smith-Williams, who will sit out the 2008-09 season per NCAA transfer rules, averaged 9.8 points, 3.6 assists and 1.8 steals last season, when she started all 34 games and led the team in minutes played. Smith-Williams helped the Wildcats tie a school record for wins with 28 and she was named MVP of the conference tournament as a sophomore last season.

Smith-Williams had decided to leave Chico State for a Division I program before Goodenbour left the school to take the UCI job and the San Leandro High product was actually being recruited by former UCI Coach Molly Tuter, who resigned in May after four seasons.

“She’s an excellent leader and a good person and she will be a tremendous addition,” Goodenbour said of Smith-Williams.

Liveon, whose coaching career has spanned more than 30 years, has long-term connections in Southern California. His coaching career includes stops at Mater Dei in the 1970s and Daniel Murphy High in Hollywood.

Liveon will work with the post players and his Southern California connections will be a boon to recruiting, Goodenbour said.

Goodenbour said Chris Ellis and Jessica Sell, both of whom were assistants under Tuter, will not return, though Sell has accepted a full-time position with the UCI compliance office.

Goodenbour said Ellis went above and beyond to help things run smoothly after Tuter’s departure, but said she wanted a fresh start when it came to assembling her staff.

Goodenbour said she continues to interview prospective assistants and will take her time before filling the two vacancies on her staff.

Goodenbour reiterated that every player expected to return from last year’s team is still expected to do so.

She also said the roster should include a four-player recruiting class that includes two imports from Serbia, as well as freshmen Rana Simpson, a 6-foot forward out of Windward High in Los Angeles, and Kiara Belen, a 5-10 guard out of Bishop Gorman High in Las Vegas, Nev.

Belen averaged 6.2 points and 3.4 rebounds as a second-team All-Southwest Division performer who helped the Gaels win their third straight state Class 4A championship last season.

Goodenbour said she has been in contact with the Serbian players through e-mail, but knows very little about them.

BARRY FAULKNER may be reached at (714) 966-4615 or at barry.faulkner@latimes.com.