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UCF Knights Women's Basketball Coaching Staff Changes: How it Impacts Recruiting and Scheme

Learn what new coach Gabe Lazo and his coaching staff can bring to the UCF women's basketball program.
Bryson Turner|
UCF Women's Basketball Coach Gabe Lazo's Introductory Press Conference
UCF Women's Basketball Coach Gabe Lazo's Introductory Press Conference

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UCF Knights

The UCF Knights women's basketball team is entering a new era under coach Gabe Lazo.

After four seasons with records below .500, the Knights have undergone a full coaching staff turnover with Lazo bringing in four new assistants, all of whom he called "winners" during his introductory press conference, to help execute his plans for his first season as a head coach.

"They believed in me, and that's what matters the most to me," Lazo said.

So, here is what women's basketball's new coaches bring to the program on and off the court:

  1. Gabe Lazo, Head Coach
  2. Lynn Bria, Assistant Coach
  3. Bett Shelby, Assistant Coach
  4. Sydnei McCaskill, Assistant Coach
  5. Josh Theis, Assistant Coach/Video Coordinator

1. Gabe Lazo, Head Coach

Before Lazo spoke a word at his introductory press conference on April 9, his coaching history had already showcased defensive success, with Stony Brook and George Washington finishing in the Top 20 in the nation in scoring defense during the seasons in which Lazo was on their coaching staffs.

Lazo said he puts a lot of energy into things he can control, things like communication, physicality and effort.

"Offensively, at the end of the day, we can draw great plays, but if they have an open shot or they miss it, I can't get mad at them for that," Lazo said.

As for his defensive style, Lazo said he will always put pressure on the ball.

"We want to dictate and disrupt, then we want to rebound and run, and we're going to run," Lazo said. "We're going to run."

Evidence of this plan for the Knights' style of play is already making itself known in the program's early recruiting efforts with the first two players signing to the program being wing players Mikayla Johnson and Key Roseby, players that can produce offensively, but also do so while also producing defensively.

2. Lynn Bria, Assistant Coach

Nearly 30 years after she initially became the Knights' head coach back in 1996, Lynn Bria is back in Orlando, now as an assistant coach for Lazo.

With the Knights coming off four straight losing seasons, Bria brings in someone experienced in turning programs around, doing so with Stetson back when she took over in 2008. The Hatters went from single-digit wins in her first two seasons to an NCAA Tournament team in Year 3, 2011. Yet, this was not one of the two in which she was named the ASUN's Coach of the Year; those were in 2017 and 2024.

She is the only coach besides FGCU's Karl Smesko to be named the ASUN's Coach of the Year between 2011 and 2024.

Bria has also had success finding talent through the transfer portal in recent seasons. Two offseasons ago, she brought in a pair of guards: Cameron Thomas and Mary McMillan.

Thomas, coming from Southwestern Michigan College, proceeded to lead the ASUN in points and earn all-conference honors in both her seasons as a Hatter. She also broke the program's single-season three-point record with 82 successful shots from beyond the arc last season.

McMillan, meanwhile, began her career at UNCW, but ended up transferring to UCF, closer to her hometown of Apopka, after an injury-shortened 2022-23 season. However, McMillan only ever played in seven games for the Knights. With Stetson, she became a regular starter and ended up leading the ASUN in assists en route to getting named an All-ASUN First Teamer.

Then, last offseason, forward Aleah Sorrentino transferred to Stetson after a season with UMass and ended up earning All-ASUN Third Team honors.

Bria is the only coach on the staff that has held a coaching position. So not only can she find and develop UCF's players, but she can also help develop and mentor Lazo when it comes to holding the job.

3. Bett Shelby, Assistant Coach

While Bria can help UCF find diamonds in the rough, a coach like Bett Shelby can go after the cream of the crop. During her time on the staffs of Maryland, North Carolina, Arizona and West Virginia, she helped coach seven WNBA Draft selections, including three Top 10 picks. Her experience with the Mountaineers also gives her experience in the Big 12.

Most of her players who were selected in the WNBA Draft were guards, which is the position Shelby herself played during her career in the early 2000s. So, she can provide guidance for the Knights' backcourt, particularly with offense, given that Lazo has defense covered.

4. Sydnei McCaskill, Assistant Coach

Another coach that could help out with the guards is Sydnei McCaskill. She is now on her third staff in the state of Florida in four seasons after spending two seasons with North Florida before last season at Florida Gulf Coast.

Before becoming an assistant coach, McCaskill served as a video coordinator and director of operations for coach Karl Smesko at FGCU from 2019 to 2022, which saw her scout and break down opponents' film and sometimes play on the scout team defense, according to her profile on Florida Gulf Coast's website.

McCaskill can supplement Bria when it comes to recruiting in the state of Florida while also finding ways for the Knights to counteract their opponents on the court. She was also on the staff of North Florida when current UCF forward Jasmynne Gibson signed there out of high school. So, McCaskill's  familiarity with Gibson can help Lazo keep a frontcourt player in Orlando but help develop that player further.

5. Josh Theis, Assistant Coach/Video Coordinator

Coming over with Lazo from Tennessee, Theis is not only serving as the Knights' video coordinator, but also as another assistant coach, making 2026-27 his coaching debut.

Theis had been in Knoxville for a while pre-Lazo, spending two seasons there as a graduate assistant before serving as the Volunteers' director of video and creative content for the last five. According to his UCF profile page, he "played a larger role in opponent scouting reports" last season, which puts him in a similar area of expertise as McCaskill.

Prior experience with Lazo makes Theis a likely candidate to serve as a second coach for Lazo when he wants to implement something that needs two coaches to pull off. Lazo said Theis is going to "become and continue to grow," so perhaps he can find his area of expertise as a coach next season.

This new staff has until April 20 before the NCAA women's basketball transfer portal closes.

Catch up on more UCF news below:

Former Tennessee Assistant Named UCF Women's Basketball Coach

The 2026-27 UCF Knights Basketball Transfer Portal Tracker

Three Biggest Transfer Portal Targets for UCF Knights Women's Basketball

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Bryson Turner
BRYSON TURNER

Bryson Turner is a sports journalist who covers UCF Athletics. Turner has contributed to the Black and Gold Banneret, the home for UCF Athletics on SB Nation. He has called the Orlando area home since the age of 8 and received his bachelor's and master's degrees from UCF.

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