UCF hires Gabe Lazo as next women’s basketball coach
UCF did not take long to identify its next women’s basketball coach.
Just five days after moving on from Sytia Messer, UCF on Saturday announced the hiring of Gabe Lazo as the program’s new head coach. Lazo, a Miami native, becomes the 14th head coach in program history and arrives in Orlando after spending the last two seasons at Tennessee.
Earlier this week, LSU had announced Lazo as an assistant coach under Kim Mulkey on March 31, but then the UCF opportunity emerged to bring him back to his home state.
The hire comes after UCF parted ways with Messer earlier this week following four seasons at the helm. Messer finished 49-69 overall and 10-44 in Big 12 play over the Knights’ first three seasons competing in the league, making this an important reset for a program trying to gain traction in one of the toughest conferences in the country.
Lazo has built a strong reputation as a recruiter and talent evaluator. During his two seasons at Tennessee, the Lady Vols reached the NCAA Tournament twice, including a Sweet 16 run in his first year in Knoxville. He also played a key role in helping Tennessee land one of the nation’s top 2025 high school signing classes as well as a top-ranked transfer portal haul.
According to VolQuest, the On3 affiliate covering Tennessee:
Lazo’s biggest impact with the Lady Vols was on the recruiting trail. He had a huge hand in assembling Caldwell’s first recruiting class featuring Mia and Mya Pauldo, Deniya Prawl, Jaida Civil and Lauren Hurst.
Lazo was also the lead recruiter in Tennessee’s signing of five-star forward Oliviyah Edwards. The Washington native picked the Vols over South Carolina, LSU, USC and Washington.
Before Tennessee, Lazo spent two seasons as associate head coach at Mississippi State, where he served as defensive coordinator and helped the Bulldogs reach the NCAA Tournament second round in 2022-23 and the WBIT Elite Eight in 2023-24. His résumé also includes stops at George Washington, Stony Brook and FIU, along with a successful high school run at Miami’s John A. Ferguson Senior High School, where he earned Miami-Dade County Coach of the Year honors three times.
UCF athletic director Terry Mohajir said Lazo checked the boxes the school prioritized in this search.
“Gabe represents what we were looking for in the next leader of our women’s basketball program,” Mohajir said in UCF’s press release. “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.
“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.”
Lazo said the chance to take over the program in his home state made this an opportunity he could not pass up.
“I am incredibly honored and excited to be named the head coach at UCF,” Lazo said. “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.”
