LCU Record: 576–165 (.777) | NCAA Postseason: 27–6
The 2026–27 season marks Steve Gomez’s 24th year at the helm of the Lubbock Christian University women’s basketball program and his 14th season at the NCAA Division II level. One of the most accomplished coaches in Division II women’s basketball, Gomez enters the campaign with a 576–165 career record (.777), three NCAA Division II national championships and a legacy of sustained excellence that has established the Lady Chaparrals among the nation’s premier programs.
Gomez enters the season ranked sixth among active NCAA Division II women’s basketball head coaches in career winning percentage (.777), a mark that ranks second among active coaches with at least 20 seasons of head coaching experience. His 576 career victories rank ninth among active Division II coaches, and he leads all active coaches with fewer than 27 seasons of head coaching experience in career wins.
The upcoming season also presents an opportunity for Gomez to add two historic milestones to his resume. Just 24 victories shy of 600, Gomez could become the 14th coach in NCAA women’s basketball history to reach 600 career wins in 24 seasons or fewer. Additionally, another 20-win campaign would give him 20 seasons with at least 20 victories at LCU, breaking a tie with former West Texas A&M coach Bob Schneider and making Gomez the first NCAA Division II women’s basketball coach in Texas to accomplish the feat at one university.
The summer of 2026 brought another international championship to Gomez’s decorated coaching career. Serving as head coach of the USA Basketball Women’s U17 National Team, Gomez guided the Americans to the gold medal at the FIBA U17 Women’s World Cup in Brno, Czechia. Team USA completed an undefeated tournament run, defeating Spain 82–73 in the July 19 championship game to capture the nation’s seventh U17 World Cup title and fourth consecutive championship.
The accomplishment marked Gomez’s second consecutive summer leading a USA Basketball national team to gold. In 2025, he directed the USA Women’s U16 National Team to the FIBA U16 Women’s AmeriCup championship in Juarez, Mexico. His international coaching experience also includes assistant coaching assignments with USA Basketball’s U16 team in 2017 and U17 team in 2018, along with service as a court coach at national team trials and development camps.
On the collegiate stage, Gomez continued LCU’s postseason tradition during the 2025–26 season, guiding the Lady Chaparrals to a 23–8 overall record and a 15–5 mark in Lone Star Conference play. The Lady Chaps opened the campaign with 11 consecutive victories, finished 11–1 inside Rip Griffin Center and earned the program’s 10th NCAA Division II Tournament appearance in 11 seasons of postseason eligibility. LCU averaged 66.7 points per game while limiting opponents to 58.6 points and 37.1% shooting. Kennedy Chappell earned Women’s Basketball Coaches Association honorable mention All-America recognition after averaging 15.3 points per game, while Meg Meekins was named the LSC Freshman of the Year. The season concluded in the NCAA Division II South Central Regional in Denton, Texas.
The postseason appearance followed a memorable 2024–25 campaign in which Gomez guided LCU to a 32–5 record, a share of the Lone Star Conference regular-season championship with a 21–1 league mark and the NCAA Division II South Central Regional title. The Lady Chaps captured the regional championship on the road in Denton to secure the program’s fifth NCAA Elite Eight appearance. Gomez received the Noel Johnson Lone Star Conference Coach of the Year award for his leadership.
Since LCU’s transition from the NAIA to NCAA Division II in 2013, Gomez has maintained a championship standard few programs have matched. Under his leadership, the Lady Chaps have captured three NCAA Division II national championships (2016, 2019 and 2021), reached five NCAA Elite Eights and collected nine conference championships across the Heartland and Lone Star conferences.
The program’s first season of NCAA postseason eligibility in 2015–16 resulted in a perfect 35–0 record and LCU’s first NCAA Division II national championship. Gomez was recognized as the WBCA NCAA Division II National Coach of the Year and served as a court coach for USA Basketball’s U17 National Team Trials later that summer. Five years later, the Lady Chaps added another undefeated national championship season, going 23–0 in 2020–21. The accomplishments made LCU the first NCAA Division II women’s basketball program to complete two undefeated championship seasons.
The dominance under Gomez has extended to the Lady Chaps’ home court. From January 2015 through February 2023, LCU assembled an NCAA Division II-record 113 consecutive home victories at Rip Griffin Center. The remarkable streak, which included victories over nationally ranked opponents and NCAA postseason competition, remains one of the defining achievements of Gomez’s tenure.
Gomez’s arrival at his alma mater in 2003 marked the beginning of a transformation that elevated the LCU women’s basketball program to national prominence. During his first 10 seasons, all at the NAIA level, the Lady Chaps qualified for 10 consecutive NAIA Division I National Tournaments, compiling a 234–96 record. His teams produced multiple deep postseason runs, including Fab Four and Elite Eight appearances, while establishing the foundation for the program’s eventual NCAA championship success.
Before returning to LCU, Gomez coached at Lubbock-Cooper High School from 1996–2003, guiding the Pirates to their first state ranking, four playoff appearances and a district championship in his final season. He began his coaching career at Lubbock Monterey High School, serving as an assistant boys’ basketball coach from 1988–95.
A 1988 graduate of Lubbock Christian University with a degree in mathematics, Gomez played basketball for coach John Copeland and established himself as one of the school’s premier perimeter shooters. He continues to hold LCU’s career free-throw percentage record at 85.5%.
More than two decades after taking the reins of the Lady Chaparrals, Gomez continues to build a program defined by faith, discipline, player development and a championship culture. He and his wife, Shawna, have two sons, Hayden and Landon. Landon serves on the Lady Chaps’ coaching staff, extending the family’s connection to LCU basketball.
My Philosophy of Coaching
My philosophy of coaching is a direct reflection of the things that are most important to me – my faith, my family and a passion for developing teams for competition. As a result of my faith in a God who embodies the perfect balance of justice and love, my main desire as a person and coach is to live as an example of those characteristics. Secondly, because of my love and enjoyment of family, and realizing how similar a team is to a family, I want to help in building lasting relationships – coach to player and player to player – while providing an environment for individuals to improve athletically, academically and spiritually. I want all involved in our basketball program to have a full understanding of success, which will ultimately be measured by the quality and influence of our lives and not only by the result of a single performance or season. I hope to instill self-discipline and a healthy competitive spirit in each of our players as I strive to encourage and bring out the best character traits and physical abilities that each one possesses.
