Mired in one of the worst seasons in program history, USD has decided to keep its men’s basketball coach.
Steve Lavin will return for the 2025-26 season, athletic director Kimya Massey told the Union-Tribune Wednesday night ahead of USD’s West Coast Conference Tournament opener. The 11th-seeded Toreros play 10th-seeded Pacific at 2:30 p.m. Thursday in Las Vegas.
Lavin, the former coach at UCLA and St. John’s, is 34-61 in three seasons with the Toreros. USD is 5-26 overall and 2-16 in league play heading into the conference tournament; Saturday’s 82-80 victory over Portland was the team’s first win since December.
A private school, USD is not required to release , but multiple sources said Lavin, 60, has three years remaining on a six-deal brokered by former Athletic Director Bill McGillis in April 2022.
In USD’s most recent publicly-available federal tax return, from Lavin’s first season, his total compensation was $890,076. That’s more than $300,000 above what previous head coach Sam Scholl made.
Massey said USD will give Lavin and his staff “the ability to be competitive in this league.” The Toreros will use NIL money for the first time, have opted into the House settlement that should lead to revenue-sharing for players and will open a new practice facility in the coming weeks. USD chartered to select road games this season for the first time, and Massey said he plans to dedicate more resources for health and wellness.
Expect USD to be active in the transfer portal after losing five of its top six scorers to transfer a year ago, including current San Diego State guard Wayne McKinney III.
USD is still searching for a women’s basketball coach after parting ways last month with Cindy Fisher after 20 years.
