UCF women's basketball has signed seven transfers under new head coach Gabe Lazo, who was introduced just a day prior. The team also retained three players from last year's squad, which struggled in the Big 12 Conference.
Key points
Gabe Lazo is the new head coach of UCF women's basketball.
Lazo is the first Latino head coach in Power Four women's hoops history.
UCF signed seven transfers from the portal.
Three players were retained from last year's team.
Last season, UCF women's basketball had an 11-19 record.
Mentioned in this story
Gabe Lazo
UCF women's basketball
ORLANDO — Gabe Lazo went to work right away turning around UCF's women's basketball roster.
One day after being introduced as the program's 14th head coach, and the first Latino boss in Power Four women's hoops history, Lazo landed the first of his seven commitments from the transfer portal.
In addition, UCF retained three players from last year's squad that went 11-19 with a 3-15 mark in the Big 12 Conference: Mahogany Chandler-Roberts, Jasmynne Gibson and Felicia Schölander. Chandler-Roberts, a 6-foot-2 junior, was third on the team in scoring (7.7 points per game) and second in rebounding (5.5 per game).
UCF introduced Gabe Lazo as its women's basketball head coach at a press conference Thursday, April 9, 2026.
UCF introduced Gabe Lazo as its women's basketball head coach at a press conference Thursday, April 9, 2026.
French forward Salome Bayoyo will join the team after suiting up for ZKK Ragusa, a professional club in Croatia's top league.
Notable outgoings include top scorer Leah Harmon (Minnesota) and three-year starting center Khyala Ngodu (West Virginia).
Let's learn a bit more about the newcomers joining the Knights next season. Here's a recap of their seven signees from the portal, as of the recruiting shutdown (May 4-10).
UCF women's basketball 2026-27 transfer portal additions
Mikayla Johnson
Previous school: Pittsburgh
Position: Guard
Height: 6-foot-1
Years of eligibility remaining: 1
Hometown: Anchorage, Alaska
28 games (27 starts), 13 points, 5.1 rebounds, 1.1 assists per game, 33.2% field goals (130 for 391), 24.2% 3-point shooting (30 for 124), 75.8% free throws (75 for 99)
Q&A
Who is Gabe Lazo and what is his significance in UCF women's basketball?
Gabe Lazo is the new head coach of UCF women's basketball and the first Latino head coach in Power Four women's hoops history.
How many transfers did UCF women's basketball sign under Gabe Lazo?
UCF women's basketball signed seven transfers under new coach Gabe Lazo.
Which players were retained from last year's UCF women's basketball team?
UCF retained Mahogany Chandler-Roberts, Jasmynne Gibson, and Felicia Schölander from last year's squad.
What was UCF women's basketball's record last season?
Last season, UCF women's basketball had a record of 11-19 with a 3-15 mark in the Big 12 Conference.
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2025-26 stats:
Analysis: Lazo’s first move as UCF head coach was landing Pitt’s leading scorer. Johnson had five games of at least 20 points and finished 12th in the ACC in free throw shooting percentage. She started 54 of 60 games since joining the Panthers from Colorado in 2024.
Key Roseby
Stephen F. Austin's Key Roseby blocks a shot by Texas Tech's Kilah Freelon in a non-conference women's basketball game Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024, at United Supermarkets Arena.
Stephen F. Austin's Key Roseby blocks a shot by Texas Tech's Kilah Freelon in a non-conference women's basketball game Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2024, at United Supermarkets Arena.
Previous school: Stephen F. Austin
Position: Guard
Height: 6 feet
Years of eligibility remaining: 2
Hometown: Frisco, Texas
2025-26 stats: 35 games (35 starts), 13.1 points, 6.6 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 0.9 steals per game, 43.6% field goals (169 for 388), 34.4% 3-point shooting (56 for 163), 79.7% free throws (63 for 79)
Analysis: Roseby cracked the Southland Conference’s first team and helped the Ladyjacks win the league’s postseason title for a second straight season, setting up a March Madness play-in matchup with Missouri State.
Caitlyn Jones
Feb 12, 2026; Louisville, Kentucky, USA; Wake Forest Demon Deacons guard Caitlyn Jones (5) shoots against Louisville Cardinals forward Yevheniia Putra (12) during the second half at KFC Yum! Center. Louisville defeated Wake Forest 86-67. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Rhodes-Imagn Images
Feb 12, 2026; Louisville, Kentucky, USA; Wake Forest Demon Deacons guard Caitlyn Jones (5) shoots against Louisville Cardinals forward Yevheniia Putra (12) during the second half at KFC Yum! Center. Louisville defeated Wake Forest 86-67. Mandatory Credit: Jamie Rhodes-Imagn Images
Previous school: Wake Forest
Position: Guard
Height: 5-foot-8
Years of eligibility remaining: 3
Hometown: Rolesville, N.C.
2025-26 stats: 28 games (five starts), 8.3 points, 2.5 rebounds, 2.6 assists per game, 52.8% field goals (93 for 176), 37.5% 3-point shooting (6 for 16), 65.6% free throws (40 for 61)
Analysis: Jones started five ACC games for the Demon Deacons, four on the road, and ranked fourth among the conference’s freshmen in assists per game (2.6). She lit up UCF for 17 points on 8-of-12 shooting in Puerto Rico over Thanksgiving weekend. In high school, Jones earned all-state honors three times from the North Carolina Basketball Coaches Association, including a first-team nomination as a senior.
Vittoria Blasigh
DULUTH, GEORGIA - MARCH 05: Hannah Hidalgo #3 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish defends against Vittoria Blasigh #15 of the Miami Hurricanes during the first quarter of the second round of the Women's ACC Tournament between the Miami Hurricanes and Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Gas South Arena on March 05, 2026 in Duluth, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
DULUTH, GEORGIA - MARCH 05: Hannah Hidalgo #3 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish defends against Vittoria Blasigh #15 of the Miami Hurricanes during the first quarter of the second round of the Women's ACC Tournament between the Miami Hurricanes and Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Gas South Arena on March 05, 2026 in Duluth, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
Previous school: Miami
Position: Guard
Height: 5-foot-9
Years of eligibility remaining: 1
Hometown: Udine, Italy
2025-26 stats: 31 games (three starts), 6.7 points, 1.3 rebounds, 1.1 assists per game, 41.3% field goals (74 for 179), 38.2% 3-point shooting (47 for 123), 75% free throws (12 for 16)
Analysis: The Italian continues a four-year tour of the Sunshine State, spending two years at South Florida and one at Miami. Chosen as the American Conference’s Freshman of the Year in 2024, Blasigh has improved her 3-point shooting percentage every season. She averaged 1.5 field goals per game from long range last year, ranking inside the ACC’s top 20.
Candace Kpetikou
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - MARCH 04: Candace Kpetikou #4 of the Miami Hurricanes reacts after a three-point basket against the Stanford Cardinal to end the third quarter of the first round of the Women's ACC Tournament at Gas South Arena on March 04, 2026 in Duluth, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - MARCH 04: Candace Kpetikou #4 of the Miami Hurricanes reacts after a three-point basket against the Stanford Cardinal to end the third quarter of the first round of the Women's ACC Tournament at Gas South Arena on March 04, 2026 in Duluth, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
Previous school: Miami
Position: Center
Height: 6-foot-3
Years of eligibility remaining: 2
Hometown: Niamey, Niger
2025-26 stats: 31 games (one start), 1.5 points, 2.4 rebounds per game, 43.5% field goals (20 for 46), 30% free throws (6 for 20)
Analysis: Kpetikou made just three appearances of 10 minutes or more for the Hurricanes after the calendar flipped to January and ACC play got underway. She made seven starts for Washington State in 2024-25 and has blocked 33 shots in 64 college games. Born in Niger but raised in Benin, Kpetikou played her high school ball at Saint Joseph in Southern California.
Nyla McFadden
Penn State guard Nyla McFadden, left, rebounds over Oregon forward Mia Jacobs as the Oregon Ducks host the Penn State Nittany Lions on Jan. 24, 2026, at Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene, Oregon.
Penn State guard Nyla McFadden, left, rebounds over Oregon forward Mia Jacobs as the Oregon Ducks host the Penn State Nittany Lions on Jan. 24, 2026, at Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene, Oregon.
Previous school: Penn State
Position: Guard/Forward
Height: 6 feet
Years of eligibility remaining: 3
Hometown: Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
2025-26 stats: 28 games (eight starts), 4.5 points, 2.9 rebounds, 1 assist per game, 47.4% field goals (46 for 97), 34.4% 3-point shooting (11 for 32), 82.1% free throws (23 for 28)
Analysis: McFadden helped South Florida juggernaut St. Thomas Aquinas win back-to-back state championships in her freshman and sophomore seasons, and then she returned after spending one year at Mount Zion Academy in Durham, N.C. She surpassed double digits five times during Big Ten play and topped 20 minutes in nine of those games.
Jennica Suggs
Previous school: Robert Morris
Position: Guard/Forward
Height: 5-foot-11
Years of eligibility remaining: 2
Hometown: St. Paul, Minn.
2025-26 stats: 13 games (zero starts), 1.8 points, 3 rebounds, 0.7 assists, 0.5 steals per game, 21.1% field goals (8 for 38), 24% 3-point shooting (6 for 25), 100% free throws (2 for 2)
Analysis: The younger sister of Orlando Magic guard Jalen Suggs, Jennica played 40 games and averaged 11.8 minutes across two seasons at Robert Morris. She will help the team’s defense off the bench, notching eight games with multiple steals along with 11 career blocks.