As conference play rages on, it also means there is beginning to be movement on the coaching carousel in college basketball. Most recently, VCU women’s basketball fired head coach Beth O’Boyle on Monday.
Quickly, this resulted in hot boards popping up for who could fill the opening. USA TODAY’s Mitchell Northam put together his list of four candidates, which included Lady Vols basketball assistant coach Gabe Lazo.
“Widely regarded as one of the top recruiters in the sport, Lazo seems ready for the big chair,” Northam wrote. “In two seasons at Tennessee, he helped Kim Caldwell sign multiple McDonald’s All-Americans while also pulling in talented players from the transfer portal. Prior to joining the Lady Vols, Lazo worked at Mississippi State, George Washington, Stony Brook and FIU, going to three NCAA Tournaments…”
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As Northam noted, Lazo’s calling card is his elite recruiting. He played a significant role in landing the first wave of transfers under Kim Caldwell a year ago and was the key recruiter for the Lady Vols’ No. 2-ranked high school signing class and trio of transfer portal additions this year.
He doesn’t want to be pigeon-holed as just a recruiter, though. Lazo is also a vocal coach on the sideline and is responsible for helping the team prepare for games throughout the season.
“I do get labeled a recruiter a lot,” Lazo told RTI before the season. “I’ll be honest, I don’t really even love the word recruiter. It’s a word that’s very transactional. I’m not a transactional person. There’s young ladies I’ve recruited that have gone to other schools, I don’t unfollow them on social media and get mad cause that’s all transactional stuff, man. I’m all about transformational relationships and being someone who can transform and develop someone. There’s much more than the recruiting piece, I’m a relationship builder.”
As Lazo remains focused on the ongoing Tennessee season, the Lady Vols will be back in action this Thursday at Georgia. Tip-off is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. ET and will air on SECN+.
Then, the Lady Vols meet South Carolina on the road on Sunday. That game begins at 3 p.m. ET and will air on ABC.
