San Diego parting ways with head coach Steve Lavin

San Diego is parting ways with men’s basketball head coach Steve Lavin, per On3’s Pete Nakos. He’s been with the Toreros since 2022, amassing a record of 46–79 in the process.

The decision closes a tenure defined by flashes of progress but inconsistent results. Lavin’s first season in charge ended with an 11–20 record as the Toreros began a roster overhaul.

Year Two showed promise. San Diego finished 18–15 in 2023-24, the program’s most wins in five years, and placed fifth in the West Coast Conference, its best conference finish in nearly a decade. The team also recorded a notable non-conference victory over Arizona State and led the nation with eight double-digit comeback wins, suggesting momentum might be building.

Instead, the following season proved difficult. Fielding the youngest roster in program history, San Diego went 6–27 while battling constant lineup disruption.

A host of different players missed at least one game due to injury, leading to 13 players making starts during the season, the most in the country. The instability stalled development and ultimately left the program searching for a new direction amid a tough fourth season.

Despite the recent struggles, Lavin leaves behind one of the most accomplished résumés of any coach to lead the Toreros. Across his career, he compiled a 283–229 record and reached the NCAA Tournament in half of his head coaching seasons, totaling 11 tournament victories. Entering the 2025-26 season, that mark ranked second among active West Coast Conference coaches.

Before arriving in San Diego, Lavin built national prominence at UCLA and St. John’s. He led those programs to eight NCAA Tournament appearances in 11 seasons, including five Sweet 16 trips and an Elite Eight.

At UCLA, he posted a 10–1 record in the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament and earned Pac-10 Coach of the Year honors in 2001 after guiding the Bruins to a Sweet 16 run and a No. 3 national ranking the following year. During one stretch, he joined Mike Krzyzewski as the only coaches in the country to reach five Sweet 16s in six seasons.

Lavin later revived St. John’s, leading the Red Storm to an NCAA Tournament appearance in his first season and compiling an 81–53 record there. Over his career, he mentored 17 future NBA players and spent time as a national broadcaster for multiple networks before returning to coaching.

Now, San Diego turns the page once again, searching for a coach to stabilize the roster and elevate the program within the WCC after a challenging rebuilding stretch. We’ll see what they come up with.