UCF Names Gabe Lazo Head Women's Basketball CoachUCF Names Gabe Lazo Head Women's Basketball Coach

UCF Names Gabe Lazo Head Women's Basketball Coach

ORLANDO – UCF Vice President and Director of Athletics Terry Mohajir has announced the hiring of Gabe Lazo as the next head coach of its women’s basketball program, becoming the 14th head coach in program history.

A Miami native, Lazo brings a dynamic background and a proven track record of success at multiple levels of women’s basketball. Widely regarded as one of the rising coaches in the game, he has built his reputation as an elite recruiter, defensive strategist, and developer of student-athletes.

Gabe represents what we were looking for in the next leader of our women’s basketball program. He’s a proven competitor at every level of the game, with deep Florida roots, an elite ability to connect with people, and a track record of developing student-athletes on and off the court. He has consistently helped elevated every program he’s been part of as a head coach and assistant. His vision for UCF, his love for the state, combined with his energy and ability to connect, make him the right leader at the right time in today’s college landscape. We’re confident he will build a program capable of competing for Big 12 championships while developing young women to succeed long after their playing careers.

Terry Mohajir

UCF Vice President and Director of Athletics

Most recently, Lazo spent the past two seasons at Tennessee, helping guide the Lady Vols to two NCAA Tournament appearances, including a Sweet 16 run during his first season in Knoxville. During his time at UT, he played a key role in assembling elite talent, including a top-ranked 2025 signing class and the nation’s top transfer portal class, according to ESPN.

I am incredibly honored and excited to be named the head coach at UCF. This is a special place with tremendous potential, and I’m grateful to President Alexander Cartwright, Terry Mohajir, Chris McFarlane, and the leadership at UCF for believing in me. As a Florida native, this opportunity means a great deal to me. I look forward to building meaningful relationships with our student-athletes, competing at a high level in the Big 12, and making Knight Nation proud.

Gabe Lazo

UCF Women's Basketball Head Coach

Lazo enters his 10th season coaching college women’s basketball, having helped lead teams to five postseason appearances (four NCAA Tournament berths and one WBIT), along with a conference championship and a conference tournament title.

Prior to Tennessee, Lazo spent two seasons as associate head coach at Mississippi State, where he served as the program’s defensive coordinator and helped lead the Bulldogs to an NCAA Tournament Second Round appearance in 2022-23 and a WBIT Elite Eight run in 2023-24. Known for his relentless recruiting approach and ability to develop talent, he played a critical role in assembling top-ranked recruiting and transfer classes during his time in Starkville.

Across his four seasons at the Power 4 level with Mississippi State and Tennessee, Lazo’s recruiting instincts aided in the signings of 11 ESPN SportsCenter Next 100 athletes. He was the primary recruiter in Knoxville for the nation’s top-ranked high school class of 2025, which boasted three five-star and two four-star prospects, along with an impressive portal class which topped the ESPN rankings.

Before his time in the SEC, Lazo coached at George Washington (2021-22), helping the program post the second-ranked defense in the Atlantic 10 and reach the conference tournament quarterfinals. He also spent two seasons at Stony Brook (2019-21), where he helped guide the Seawolves to an America East regular-season championship, a conference tournament title, and an NCAA Tournament appearance, while assisting in the development of multiple all-conference players.

Lazo began his collegiate coaching career at FIU (2017-19) following a successful run at the high school level as head coach at Miami’s John A. Ferguson Senior High School, where he earned Miami-Dade County Coach of the Year honors three times and led his teams to back-to-back regional championships and state runner-up finishes.

He has also gained national recognition within the profession, including being selected to attend the prestigious 2024 TopConnect Basketball Symposium and being named the 2025 World Exposure Report Assistant Coach of the Year.

Lazo earned his bachelor’s degree in education from Barry University in 2008 after beginning his collegiate playing career at FIU and finishing at Barry. He also spent two seasons playing professionally in Puerto Rico.

During his high school days, Lazo was a four-year letterwinner and an honor roll student at Miami Senior High. He led MSHS to the state Final Four as a junior and the Elite Eight as a senior and was part of squads that won three district titles and two city championships during his prep career.

Additional details regarding Lazo’s introductory press conference will be announced at a later date.

LAZO'S COACHING TIMELINE

YEARS SCHOOL ROLE SEASONS
2012-17 John A. Ferguson Senior HS Girls Varsity Head Coach Five
2017-19 FIU Assistant Coach Two
2019-21 Stony Brook Assistant Coach Two
2021-22 George Washington Assistant Coach One
2022-24 Mississippi State Associate Head Coach Two
2024-26 Tennessee Assistant Coach Two
2026-Pres. UCF Head Coach First

QUICK HITS

  • Five Postseason Appearances (Four NCAA Tournaments, 1 WBIT) and Two Conference Titles
  • Landed the No. 1 ranked 2025 high school class, along with the No. 1 ranked transfer class
  • Over four years in the SEC, signed a combined 11 SportsCenter Next 100 athletes, including four five-stars and seven four-stars
  • Secured a pair of top-10 high school classes (2025 and 2026) at Tennessee and the 16th-rated 2023 class at Mississippi State
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ABOUT UCF ATHLETICS
UCF is a proud member of the Big 12 Conference. Our mission is to positively transform the lives of our students academically, athletically, and personally through a nationally competitive intercollegiate athletics program that enhances the reputation and visibility of the University. We strive to be Florida's preeminent athletic program, representing UCF and our community with distinction on the national stage as "Orlando's Hometown Team". To learn more about UCF and Athletics, please visit our websites at www.ucf.edu and www.ucfknights.com.