These days, when Nikki Blue talks about UCLA women’s basketball, she needs to stop and correct herself. She can’t help it. After four years of serving as the face of the program, she is trying to make the transition from emotional leader to hopeful outsider.

“I still say ‘we’ when I talk about the team,” said Blue, referring to UCLA. “I am trying to get used to saying ‘they,’ but it’s tough. I went through so much with those girls that I still feel like I am a part of it all.”

Blue and Lisa Willis recently graduated from UCLA, leaving in the rearview mirror two of the most prolific women’s basketball careers in school history. Having closed out their last academic quarter after being named to the first team All Pac-10, both are getting adjusted to life in the WNBA.

While the transition from being bona fide stars in college to bench players in the pros has been the biggest change, it’s also the little things that make them stop and remember they aren’t college students anymore.

“Moving across the country takes some getting used to,” said Blue, who was drafted in the second round by the Washington Mystics in the WNBA Draft in April. “D.C. is (a) different lifestyle (from) California. It’s weird not to be with UCLA anymore, but I still feel so blessed to be playing basketball for a living.”

For Willis, getting selected by the Los Angeles Sparks with the No. 5 pick overall seemed all too perfect. While Blue had to finish her last two classes in the spring by shuffling back and forth from Washington D.C. to Los Angeles, Willis was able to graduate with a degree in political science with a significantly shorter commute.

They may be living on opposite ends of the county, but the former teammates are experiencing for the first time what it is like to be strictly a role player. It’s a transition that requires perspective considering the numerous records Blue and Willis set during their time in Westwood.

Blue stands as the fifth leading scorer in UCLA history with 1,797 points, and is one of only two Bruins with 600 career assists. Willis has the ninth most points in school history with 1,677 and has the most three-point field goals with 256.

In five games for the Sparks, Willis has averaged just nine minutes and three points a game. Blue has played in 10 games for the Mystics, registering nine minutes and two points a game.

Blue and Willis are both held in high regard with their respective franchises, but are learning what it means to be rookies on winning teams. The Sparks are 10-3 and the Mystics are 7-5.

Once the WNBA season ends, Blue said she will entertain ideas of moving to Europe to play professionally in the winter to earn supplemental income and hone her skills against international talent.

“It’s the first time I have (had) to come off the bench and help the team by doing the little things,” Willis said. “But it’s making me hungrier. I know that I can play at this level, and it’s just a matter of competing and getting better.”

Blue has kept in touch with Willis during the season through a series of text messages, and she continues to speak with UCLA coach Kathy Olivier on almost a daily basis. Olivier formed a very close relationship with her former point guard, and has been a guiding force as Blue has become a professional.

“When they are in college they are protected just like any college student is protected,” Olivier said. “It’s a tough transition to go to professional basketball, where it’s less about the team and more about what each player can do. It’s more cutthroat, and they both have to get used to that.”

Losing two members of her vaunted Triple Threat poses a big coaching challenge to Olivier, with senior Noelle Quinn the only member of the trio remaining. But Blue and Willis feel like they left UCLA on good terms, winning an NCAA Tournament game for the first time in their four years. Their coach agrees that there is nothing left for them to achieve at UCLA.

“Nikki was an extension of me out on the court, and I saw her grow tremendously,” Olivier said. “It’s tough to replace her and Lisa, but they are ready to move on to the next stage in their life.”

As for Blue, she still keeps an eye on the future of a program she helped revive.

“We are going to be fine without me next year – I mean, they are going to fine,” Blue said.