UNLV Lady Rebels Head Coach Lindy La Rocque Reflects on First Five Years

La Rocque discusses her journey leading the UNLV women's basketball program and drawing on past mentors

Feb. 5, 2026 at 7:07pm

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UNLV Lady Rebels women's basketball head coach Lindy La Rocque spoke with The Sporting Tribune about her first five years leading the program. La Rocque reflected on her early days as head coach, achieving an NCAA Tournament berth in year two, and continuing to build a sustainable program. She also discussed drawing on her past experiences and mentors to help guide the team's success.

Why it matters

La Rocque's reflections provide insight into the challenges and successes of building a winning college basketball program. Her journey highlights the importance of patience, hard work, and learning from past experiences to achieve long-term sustainable growth.

The details

In the interview, La Rocque discussed how she tries to regularly reflect on her time as head coach, acknowledging that she didn't always know what she was doing early on, but has figured things out. She noted that reaching the NCAA Tournament in year two was a special accomplishment, but sustaining that success is the real challenge. La Rocque believes in building a program the right way, climbing the ladder step-by-step rather than jumping to the top too quickly.

  • La Rocque became the UNLV Lady Rebels head coach in 2021.
  • The team made the NCAA Tournament in La Rocque's second season as head coach in 2023.
  • La Rocque recently signed a contract extension to continue leading the UNLV program.

The players

Lindy La Rocque

The head coach of the UNLV Lady Rebels women's basketball team, who has led the program for the past five seasons.

Jocelyn

An assistant coach on La Rocque's staff who previously played for her, providing additional perspective from someone who has lived the journey.

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What they’re saying

“I try to reflect a lot and do a lot of different speaking things that require me to reflect, which is, I think, a really positive thing. A majority of the time I'm like, 'Wow, I really had no idea what I was doing,' but at the same time, I've figured it out, maybe at least a little bit. And just really proud of what we've been able to do.”

— Lindy La Rocque, Head Coach, UNLV Lady Rebels (The Sporting Tribune)

“NCAA Tournament in basically year two is pretty special. To do it that quickly, but then to sustain that success, I think that's hard, and it takes a lot of hard work. I'm just a believer in climbing the ladder and not just jumping from the bottom to the top, because then that's how you fall down. But if you climb it the right way, then I think it's a little bit more sustainable.”

— Lindy La Rocque, Head Coach, UNLV Lady Rebels (The Sporting Tribune)

What’s next

La Rocque and the UNLV Lady Rebels will return to action this Saturday as they look to continue building on their recent success.

The takeaway

Lindy La Rocque's reflections on her first five years leading the UNLV women's basketball program demonstrate the importance of patience, hard work, and learning from past experiences when building a sustainable winning culture in college sports. Her journey highlights the challenges and rewards of climbing the ladder step-by-step rather than trying to jump to the top too quickly.