After an extensive, competitive nationwide search, Brad Langston has been named the next University of California, Riverside (UCR) head women's basketball coach, announced on Friday, September 27, by Athletics Director Wesley Mallette.
 
Langston has inked a five-year contract after a successful season serving as interim head coach in 2023-24, in which he led the program to a remarkable 12-game turnaround – the best in program history. After being predicted to finish 10^th in the Big West preseason poll, the team finished third with the season culminating in a Women's National Invitation Tournament (WNIT) berth, the team's first since 2015-16. The team also boasted four All-Big West selections.
 
"We are incredibly proud of what Coach Brad Langston has accomplished," Mallette said. "The success of our women's basketball team on the court has been outstanding and Brad has cultivated a culture that has and will propel the team to even greater heights." 
 
"I am incredibly excited and grateful for the opportunity to lead this program," Langston said. "It has been an amazing journey with this team, and I am proud of the culture we have built together. I am looking forward to continuing to grow this program, pushing our limits on the court, and supporting each student-athlete's development as both basketball players and individuals. This is a special group, and I can't wait to see what the future holds for us." 
  
Joining the UCR women's basketball program as an assistant coach in 2020, Langston made an immediate impact in the development and success of student-athletes like two-time All-Big West selection Jordan Webster, while continuing to be instrumental in assisting student-athletes in the transition to the professional level with others, such as former Highlanders Matehya Bryant and Julia Stenberg.
 
Prior to joining the Highlanders, Langston had collegiate stops at Grand Canyon University (where he coached six athletes to All-WAC honors, including Freshman of the Year and Newcomer of the Year accolades), and the University of Hawai'i, where he excelled in player development and scouting while the team maintained an impressive 3.42 GPA.
 
Langston has also found success at the prep level, capturing five-straight league titles, and reaching the state tournament three times at West Campus High School in Sacramento. As the founder of the Evolution Skills Academy, he also developed two student-athletes who ranked among ESPNW's Top 100 prospects.