STARKVILLE — Mississippi State announced the promotion of women’s basketball assistant Gabe Lazo to associate head coach on Friday, retaining a valued member of head coach Sam Purcell’s staff.
“Gabe Lazo has deservedly earned the reputation as one of the top assistants in the nation and is an invaluable piece of our program,” Purcell said. “His work ethic is unmatched, and he possesses an elite talent as a relentless recruiter, motivator, mentor and player developer. From his ability to identify talent and build relationships to his expertise in teaching our defensive system, his contributions are second to none. He is undoubtedly a future leader of a program.”
Lazo was one of the first arrivals alongside Purcell in 2022, helping the program steady itself over two seasons with the Bulldogs advancing to the second round of the 2023 NCAA Tournament and the quarterfinals of the 2024 WBIT.
“I’m incredibly thankful and humble for the opportunity to advance my career at Mississippi State,” Lazo said of the promotion. “I appreciate the trust that our student-athletes, administration and Coach Purcell have placed in me. We have achieved a lot of these last two seasons, and there is a clear vision for this program that I can’t wait to help accomplish. I promise that we will continue to work tirelessly to build on the rich tradition of this program and I couldn’t be more excited about the future here.”
Before joining the Bulldogs, Lazo was a head coach at John A. Ferguson High school in his hometown, Miami, Florida. He then served as an assistant for his alma mater Florida International University for two years, then joined Caroline McCombs for stays at George Washington University and Stony Brook University.
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