ORLANDO — In the space of a week, Gabe Lazo held three separate jobs, the last of which he considers a “destinational” chance.
Lazo jumped at the opportunity to join Kim Mulkey’s staff at LSU after a two-year spell at Tennessee. But then, the UCF head coaching position opened March 30, and the 41-year-old took immediate notice.
“I signed the contract, and I don’t even know how many days later, the UCF job opens. And I’m like, ‘Whoa,'” Lazo said. “This is a dream opportunity coming back here (to Florida). A couple days after the job opened, they contacted my agent and things got real, and they went very fast. And I’m grateful for that.”
Introduced as the 14th head coach in program history, Lazo takes over a team that has struggled to generate results or interest since transitioning into the Big 12. The Knights went 10-44 in the league under Sytia Messer, who was relieved of duties after four seasons in charge, and were dead last in average home attendance in 2025-26 (1,094 fans per game).
Across nine seasons as a Division I assistant, Lazo’s teams posted a 159-119 record. This is his first head coaching job at the college level.
Here are five things to know about Lazo as he aims to turn the Knights into a Power Four contender.
1. Gabe Lazo makes history for Latino women’s basketball coaches
Of Cuban descent, Lazo becomes the first Latino head coach for a Power Four women’s basketball program, according to the Latino Association of Basketball Coaches. Notable Latino coaches in the sport include Jose Fernandez (WNBA’s Dallas Wings, formerly South Florida) and Renee Jimenez (UC Santa Barbara).
UMass men’s basketball coach Frank Martin, a pioneer for Latino coaches in men’s college basketball, celebrated the hire in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“This right here made my day,” said Martin, who had prior head coaching stints at Kansas State and South Carolina. “Gabe, or Pee Wee as we’ve known him since he’s a little kid in the neighborhood, is a star in the making. He is a leader of people. He will hire a great staff and recruit big-time people that will play big-time basketball.”
Roughly 31% of UCF’s student population (21,881) identifies as Hispanic/Latino, according to university statistics for the 2025-26 academic year.
“Assistant coaches in the profession, I’m going to work my tail off so that you guys can get opportunities. High school guys, they’re going to put some respect on your name. And lastly, for all my Hispanic people who have dreams, sí se puede. Tú sueño se puede. (Yes, you can. Your dream is possible). Go Knights, charge on,” Lazo said to close his opening remarks.
2. Gabe Lazo reached back-to-back FHSAA finals at Miami Ferguson
A four-year letterwinner at Miami Senior High who went on to play at Florida International, Miami-Dade Community College and Barry, Lazo broke into the coaching ranks in 2012 at Ferguson High School.
Lazo turned the Falcons into a powerhouse, leading the school to its first district and regional championships. The Miami Herald selected him as its Girls Basketball Coach of the Year for large schools three times, and he coached five all-county selections.
Across five seasons at Ferguson, Lazo produced a .709 winning percentage (100-41).
Tiara Malcolm took notice and offered him a position as an assistant at nearby FIU. Since then, Lazo moved up the ladder with stops at Stony Brook, George Washington, Mississippi State, Tennessee and LSU.
Lazo’s high school coaching success also stood out to Terry Mohajir, UCF’s vice president and director of athletics.
“I’m a purist. Being a high school coach is the purest form of coaching,” Mohajir said. “When you’re at a public high school, you don’t get to pick your players. I have a lot of respect for football and basketball coaches that win consistently at public high schools based on the kids that are in their district. I take a lot of credence in if you won at that level, if you win at the AAU level, if you win as an assistant coach.”
3. Mississippi State designated Gabe Lazo its defensive coordinator
While at Mississippi State from 2022-24, Lazo held the additional title of defensive coordinator. The Bulldogs went 45-23 in those two seasons and ranked top-five in scoring (59 ppg allowed) and field goal defense (37.8%) during his debut on the sidelines in Starkville.
Prior to that, he turned Stony Brook into the nation’s No. 4 scoring defense at just 52 points per game.
“We’re going to be a blue-collar team,” Lazo said. “We’re going to take charges. We’re going to dive for loose balls. We’re going to defend. We’re going to rebound. All the things that are controllables, we’re going to do them.”
At the offensive end, Lazo expects to play with higher tempo. He pointed to Jonathan Housand, UCF’s strength coach, in the audience and said, “We’ve got to get in much better shape. My strength coach back there, get ready, chief.”
UCF finished second-to-last among the Big 12’s 16 teams in scoring this past season (62.9 ppg) while ranking 11th in scoring defense (67.2 ppg).
4. A recruiting specialist, Gabe Lazo hates the word ‘recruiter’
Lazo has built a reputation as one of the top recruiters in women’s college basketball. At Tennessee, he led the effort to land five top-60 players in the 2025 signing class, including three McDonald’s All-Americans: Mia Pauldo, Deniya Prawl and Vero Beach native Jaida Civil.
Yet the word ‘recruiter’ is one Lazo said he hates.
“I think it’s such a transactional word,” Lazo said. “I’m a connector. I’m about transformational relationships. Some people are going to say, ‘He’s an old used car salesman.’ But it’s not about that. It’s about being honest and really caring for people. And when they come, you push them. Discipline is the biggest form of love.”
In November, Tennessee signed another top-five national recruit in 6-foot-3 power forward Oliviyah Edwards from Elite Sports Academy in Washington. Edwards requested her release from the Volunteers shortly after Lazo’s exit.
Lazo expects to be busy over the next two weeks in constructing his roster through the transfer portal. Among the players expected to depart UCF are starting center Khyala Ngodu and guard Summer Yancy.
5. Gabe Lazo’s UCF staff includes former Stetson coach Lynn Bria
Lazo started filling out his staff with the hiring of former Stetson head coach Lynn Bria as an assistant.
Bria stepped down March 16 after 18 seasons with the Hatters, in which she won 318 games and guided the program to three ASUN championships and a pair of appearances in the NCAA Women’s Tournament. Melissa DeVore was named her replacement at Stetson on April 2.
From 1996-99, Bria served as UCF’s head coach. The Knights went 50-36 in her tenure, winning the Trans America Athletic Conference tournament title in her final campaign and punching a ticket to the Big Dance.
Bria then coached at Ohio from 1999-2006, and had spells as an assistant at West Virginia (2006-07) and Miami (2007-08).
Lazo made three more additions: Bett Shelby, Josh Theis and Mollie Patmore.
Shelby, who most recently worked at SMU, had prior stints at Arizona, West Virginia, North Carolina, Maryland, Virginia Tech, Seton Hall, Southern Illinois, Tennessee Tech and Stetson. Theis, who adds the title of video coordinator, and Lazo spent the last two seasons together at Tennessee.
Patmore, tabbed UCF’s director of operations, held the same role at South Florida the past two seasons.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: UCF introduces Gabe Lazo as women’s basketball coach: 5 things to know
Reporting by Chris Boyle, Daytona Beach News-Journal / The Daytona Beach News-Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
