Official Release - April 4, 2026
ORLANDO - Among the first moves under newly minted UCF women’s basketball head coach Gabe Lazo is a nod to the past, as former UCF head coach Lynn Bria had been announced as an assistant coach Monday afternoon.
After a decorated 18-year tenure just 40 miles north at Stetson, along with a three-season stint leading the Knights from 1996-99 while in the Atlantic Sun, Bria returns to UCF as an assistant coach after stepping away from the Hatters last month.
“Coach Bria has established herself as one of the nation’s best head coaches during her incredible tenure at Stetson and has served as an inspiration for me throughout my career, so it immediately became a priority for me to get her back in Orlando,” said Lazo. “Her familiarity with the state and the school will be crucial as we look to build this program to new heights. She is an elite developer of student-athletes, both on and off the court, and shares the same vision as me for what this team can achieve in the Big 12.”
Across 31 seasons as a head coach, Bria boasted an impressive 471-465 all-time record, which currently ranks 35th among active DI coaches in the NCAA.
In her time as the ninth head coach in UCF women’s basketball history, Bria reignited the program with consecutive trips to the A-Sun Tournament semifinals in 1996-97 and 1997-98 before an historic 20-11 season in 1998-98, leading the Black and Gold to an A-Sun title and first-ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
"I’ve watched Gabe work his way up through the ranks, and while being an excellent recruiter, he’s also just an incredible person. He builds quality relationships and truly cares for the student athletes, he has the qualities that I want to work with," said Bria. "My affection for UCF has continued with me throughout my career, the memories haven’t gone away. I'm so grateful to Gabe and UCF for this opportunity, and I can't wait to be back in Orlando. Charge On!"
While in DeLand, Bria developed the program into a consistent force in the A-Sun, claiming three conference championships, a pair of bids to the NCAA Tournament and an impressive 12 postseason appearances.
The West Virginia native took over a Stetson team that had won only a combined 14 games the two seasons prior to her appointment, and in just three years, led the Hatters to her first of nine 20-win seasons and the program’s second NCAA Tournament appearance in 2011.
What followed was a combined 143 wins over the next six seasons, amassing another A-Sun tournament title and a trip to the Big Dance in 2012-13, and four appearances in the WNIT. The Hatters finished among the top-five in the conference in 14 of her 18 seasons at the helm, and in her farewell campaign in 2025-26, went 20-12 and returned to the WNIT for the seventh time.
Bria departed DeLand as the all-time winningest head coach, accumulating a 318-252 record in her legendary tenure.
Her efforts in Orlando from 1996-99 garnered her the top job at Ohio from 1999-2006, where she tallied 77 wins while leading the Bobcats. In between her stints in Ohio and her nearly two-decade career at Stetson from 2008-2026, Bria served as assistant coach under Mike Carry at West Virginia from 2006-2007 and on Katie Meier’s staff at Miami from 2007-2008.
Bria’s first head coaching role came at Texas Women’s from 1993-96, where she became the fourth-youngest head coach in the country.
She is a native of Charleston, West Virginia, eventually attending the University of Charleston in her hometown from 1985-90, with her historic career landing her in the Athletics Hall of Fame in 2003.
BRIA’S COACHING TIMELINE
|
YEARS |
SCHOOL |
ROLE |
SEASONS |
|
1990-92 |
Marshall |
Graduate Assistant |
Two |
|
1992-93 |
Radford |
Assistant Coach |
One |
|
1993-96 |
Texas Women’s (DII) |
Head Coach (26-54) |
Three |
|
1996-99 |
UCF |
Head Coach (50-36) |
Three |
|
1999-2006 |
Ohio |
Head Coach (77-123) |
Seven |
|
2006-07 |
West Virginia |
Assistant Coach |
Two |
|
2007-08 |
Miami |
Assistant Coach |
One |
|
2008-26 |
Stetson |
Head Coach (318-252) |
18 |
|
2026-Pres. |
UCF |
Assistant Coach |
First |
QUICK HITS
- 471-465 (.503) all-time record as head coach
- Her 471 career wins as a head coach rank 35th among active DI coaches
- Secured 17 postseason appearances in 28 seasons as a DI head coach, including three NCAA Tournament trips, seven runs in the WNIT and a trio of WBI births
- All-time winningest head coach at Stetson (318-252)
- Ninth head coach in UCF history; led the Knights to their first NCAA Tournament appearance in her third and final season in 1998-99
- Three-time Atlantic Sun Coach of the Year