Twitter:
@CoachLaKose
Tim LaKose was named head coach of the Dominican women’s basketball team on May 7, 2014. LaKose’s name has become attached to success as he’s developed players and built women’s basketball programs in California.
LaKose’s resume boasts 27 years of collegiate head coaching experience, including three Coach of the Year honors — one Western Athletic Conference (WAC) Coach of the Year and two Independent Coach of the Year — and a 465-267 overall coaching record, posting a 96-73 as head coach of the Dominican women’s basketball team. Teams with LaKose at the helm have posted 20-win seasons 10 times while earning 13 NCAA postseason berths.
The Covina native coached back-to-back NCAA Division II scoring champions in 2018-19 and 2019-20, with Natalie Diaz averaging 26.0 points per game in 2018-19 and Jerusha Paine scoring 26.6 points per game in 2019-20. In addition to the scoring titles, LaKose has coached other NCAA Statistical Champions while at Dominican, including Sarah Nelson — 2015 blocked shots per game leader with 4.96 — Sandra Ikeora — 2017 rebounds per game leader with 13.0 — and Alanna Scott — 2018 3-point field goal percentage leader at 50.4%.
LaKose led the Penguins to a 13-13 record during his first season as head coach, a four-win improvement on the 9-18 record the team posted the year before his arrival. LaKose earned his 400th career win as a head coach on March 3, 2016, against Hawaii Pacific University in the first round of the PacWest tournament where his team earned the No. 5 seed. In 2019, he led the women’s basketball team to their first NCAA Tournament appearance in school history.
LaKose spent two years at San Jose State University prior to joining Dominican, leading the Spartans to an 11-win season in his first year as head coach. This mark contrasted the previous years as the Spartans won just 13 total games over the previous four years. The Spartans 11 wins in the 2011-12 season would earn San Jose State a bid into the WAC tournament while also garnering the fifth-best win/loss turnaround in the entire NCAA. LaKose coached freshman Ta’Rae Cunnigan in his first season with the Spartans, helping lead her to a WAC freshman scoring title while also seeing Cunnigan earn honors on the All-Freshman team. Senior Brittany Johnson led the WAC in scoring under LaKose’s direction, earning her a spot on the top-20 NCAA Division I scorers list that season.
LaKose led California State University, Bakersfield (CSUB), for 10 seasons prior to San Jose State, compiling a 211-89 record as head coach of Roadrunners. CSUB played in five NCAA Division II Championship tournaments during his time in Bakersfield, garnering a spot in one NCAA Division I Independent tournament and two spots in the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Invitational. LaKose was awarded his National Division I Independent Coach of Years honors in consecutive years, 2009 and 2010, while coaching the Roadrunners.
Lakose’s first NCAA head coaching experience came in 1993 at California Lutheran University. Cal Lutheran posted a 136-67 record with LaKose as head coach, winning five conference titles and advancing to four NCAA Division III Championship tournaments. Upon his departure, he left Cal Lutheran as the university’s winningest women’s basketball head coach.
LaKose has coached multiple All-Conference and All-American players throughout his career, in addition to seeing many of his players earn All-Academic honors.
LaKose graduated from California State University, Northridge, in 1991 with a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology before earning a Master of Education from Cal Lutheran. He and his wife, Ann, now reside in Marin County with their two daughters, Grace and Anna.
