Utah women’s basketball head coach Lynne Roberts has accepted an offer to become the new head coach of the WNBA’s Los Angeles Sparks, it was announced Tuesday. Roberts, who has led the Utes since 2015 and earned Pac-12 Coach of the Year honors in 2022-23, will assume her position with the Sparks immediately.
Current Utah associate head coach Gavin Petersen has been named the new head coach of the Utes’ program by Director of Athletics Mark Harlan. Petersen, who brings 23 seasons of college coaching experience to the role, is in his 10th season as an assistant coach at Utah, and his sixth as associate head coach under Roberts.
Petersen will be formally introduced as head coach to the media and the community on Thursday, Nov. 21 at 11:30 a.m.
“Lynne Roberts did an exceptional job elevating our women’s basketball program to a championship level, and I have thoroughly enjoyed working with her over my six-plus years at Utah,” Harlan said. “She took our program to unbelievable heights, and made an incredible impact as a leader in our athletics department. Lynne, Katelin and their family have become great friends, and Carolyn and I will miss them very much. And while it is very difficult to see her move on, I am excited for her new coaching challenge and I wish her great success.”
Roberts entered her 10th season at Utah in 2024-25 having led the Utes to three consecutive NCAA tournament appearances, each of which saw Utah advance to at least the second round. She compiled a record of 165-116 at Utah and is 386-291 in her 22-plus years as a collegiate head coach. Roberts also spent nine seasons as head coach at Pacific (2006-15) and four years at Chico State (2002-06). She was in the first year of a three-year contract extension through 2030, signed earlier this year.
“Being the women’s basketball coach at the University of Utah has been my absolute joy and honor,” Roberts said. “I am so appreciative of President Randall, Mark Harlan and Charmelle Green for the support and belief in my vision for what Utah Women’s Basketball could be. I was very happy at the U and had no intentions of leaving to go anywhere else. I believe in Mark Harlan and I believe in what we were building. That said, the opportunity to coach for one of the league’s premiere franchises at the highest level in the WNBA, in my home state, was too good to pass up. The ownership group and the team’s leadership have a vision and a plan in place for storied success, and I am excited about this incredible opportunity and challenge.”
In her nine full seasons in Salt Lake City, the Utes appeared in the postseason six times and recorded six 18+ win seasons, including four 20-win seasons. The Utes won 27 games in 2022-23 when Roberts was named Pac-12 Coach of the Year, and took her team to just the third Sweet Sixteen in program history, and first since 2006. She led the Utes to the WNIT in her first three seasons, and to the NCAA tournament in each of her final three seasons.
“Gavin Petersen will do incredible things here as the head coach,” Roberts added. “He is an unbelievable coach and person. He has passed up several chances in the past to be a head coach elsewhere, but he believes in the University of Utah, its leadership, and what we have built. He is more than ready to take this program over and I cannot wait to be a huge support for him and be the team’s loudest cheerleader in the Huntsman Center.”
With Roberts and Petersen leading the program, the Utes vaulted into the AP Top 25 early in the 2022-23 season and reached as high as No. 3, the highest ranking in school history. Utah was ranked fifth in the 2023-24 preseason poll and remained ranked in the Top 25 for the entirety of the season.
Roberts coached 10 players to reach the 1,000-point club, including Alissa Pili who did it in just 48 games as a Ute and Megan Huff who did it in just two seasons. Pili and Huff each were drafted into the WNBA, with Pili going eighth overall in 2024 to the Minnesota Lynx, and Huff going with the 26th overall pick in 2019 to the New York Liberty. She also has watched five school single-season records fall, including back-to-back-to back team three-point records, and has coached multiple athletes to top-10 all-time rankings in program and Pac-12 history.
The Utes had two All-Americans under Roberts, in Gianna Kneepkens and Pili, as well as 28 All-Pac-12 selections and 30 Pac-12 All-Academic selections. The Utes had a Pac-12 Freshman of the Year in 2019 (Dre’Una Edwards) and 2022 (Kneepkens). In her career, she has helped 47 total athletes to all-conference selections as a head coach.
Harlan emphasized Petersen’s readiness to take on the head coach position for the Utes and provide stability for the student-athletes.
“Our focus is on our student-athletes and staff, and I’m thrilled to be able to promote Gavin Petersen to head coach,” said Harlan. “Gavin has proven his coaching ability over his lengthy career and his deep relationships with our student-athletes, and he has played an instrumental role in building the culture of our women’s basketball program. He is absolutely the perfect choice to lead our program, and I’m excited for what this team can achieve this season and beyond under Gavin’s leadership.”
Petersen is in his 10th season at Utah in 2024-25, including six as the associate head coach. He has coached the guards over the past three seasons, while also coordinating Utah’s defense. Since coming to Utah in 2015-16, Petersen has been a part of the staff that has led the Utes to six postseason appearances—including three NCAA tournaments and a trip to the Sweet Sixteen—and four 20-win seasons, as well as regular appearances in the AP Top 25.
“First off, I want to congratulate Lynne on her new job in the W,” Petersen said. “She’s an amazing leader, great coach, and true friend, so I’m excited for her and her family. I want to thank President Randall, Mark Harlan and Charmelle Green for this amazing opportunity to lead this tradition-rich program here at Utah. It means the world to me to hear from them that they believe in me and have confidence in me to continue building on what we started here at Utah. My family and I have loved being here in Salt Lake City, our two girls have grown up here, and we are blessed to continue making this our home.”
“All my attention is now going to be focused on, and poured into, our players. The basketball part of things is the fun part, and we are still going to play Utah Basketball. Even though ‘change’ has occurred, everything that we set out to accomplish this season is still right in front of us, and I am extremely excited about this group, this team. Our core principles and foundation are intact, and we will rely on each other this season as we continue this journey together. I am humbled and honored to be given the responsibility to lead this special group of young women, and I can’t wait to attack each day with them.”
Petersen has been integral in developing some of the best post players in the Pac-12, including working in the offseason with Pili, an All-American and 2022-23 Pac-12 Player of the Year, who was drafted to the WNBA by the Minnesota Lynx as the eighth overall selection in 2024. He also coached WNBA draft choice Huff, a two-time first-team All-Pac-12 selection, and three-time All-Pac-12 honoree Emily Potter.
Petersen played a key role in leading the Utes to a 27-5 record in 2022-23, a regular season Pac-12 Championship, a ranking as high as No. 3 in the AP poll, and a trip to the Sweet Sixteen where the Utes came up just short to eventual national champion LSU.
Under Petersen’s guidance, Huff finished her career ranked in the top-10 all-time at Utah in single-game points, single-season points, single-season scoring, single-season rebounding, career scoring, career rebounding, career three-point percentage and career free throw percentage.
Potter left Utah ranked in the top-10 all-time in career offensive, defensive and total rebounds and with the school records for career and single-season blocks.
During the 2021-22 season, Petersen worked with the guards and point guards and helped guide the Utes to their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2011. For the third time with Petersen on the bench, the Utes set the single-season school record for most made three-pointers in a season with 312, which was the seventh most in the nation, and Utah led the Pac-12 with 15.3 assists per game. Silver Wave Media named Petersen among the Most Impactful Assistant Coaches following the season.
Petersen was promoted to associate head coach in 2018 after contributing significantly to the growth of the program over his four seasons as an assistant coach on Roberts’ staff. He played a key role in developing some of the best post players in the Pac-12, including three-time All-Pac-12 selection Potter, who left Utah ranked in the top-10 all-time in career offensive, defensive and total rebounds and with school records for career and single-season blocks.
He coached two all-conference selections in Huff (first team) and Potter (honorable mention) in 2017-18, with Potter also earning all-defensive team honorable mention honors. The Utes finished that season ranked No. 30 in the NCAA in rebounding margin, with his two posts ranked in the top-10 in the league in rebounds per game. Petersen coached Huff to a standout season in the Pac-12, ranking in the top-12 in scoring, field goal percentage and free throw percentage along with blocks, offensive, defensive and total rebounds per game.
In 2016-17, Petersen coached the Utah defense to a No. 24 ranking nationally in defensive rebounds per game (28.0), finishing in the top-half of the conference in scoring defense, field goal percentage defense, defensive rebounds and blocked shots. The Utes were led in blocks by All-Pac-12 selection Potter, who set a new single-season record at Utah in blocks (89). During his first season with the Utes in 2015-16, the Utes doubled their previous year’s win total with 18 victories after being picked to finish 11th in the Pac-12 preseason coaches’ poll. Potter was named All-Pac-12 and All-Defensive Team Honorable Mention.
Prior to coming to Utah, Petersen spent the previous two seasons as an assistant coach on Roberts’ staff at the University of the Pacific, helping the Tigers to consecutive WNIT appearances. Petersen has also served as an associate head coach and assistant coach at Hawai’i (twice), Idaho and Idaho State, helping eight teams reach the postseason.
A native of Honolulu, Hawai’i, Petersen earned his bachelor’s degree in justice administration at Hawai’i Pacific in 1999 before obtaining a master’s in kinesiology and leisure science degree from the Hawai’i in 2009.
Petersen and his wife, Karen (Piers), have two daughters, Breagh born in 2011, and Brooklyn born in 2013. Karen coached at Sacramento State (2001-05) and Idaho (2008-11). She played at Oregon from (1998-2000) before finishing her collegiate career at St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, Nova Scotia.
