Lorenzo Griffin enters his first year on staff at UC Riverside in the 2025-26 season. Prior to UC Riverside he spent two seasons as an assistant coach for Cal Poly Pomona’s women’s basketball team.
Griffin was instrumental in the Broncos' sustained success, helping lead the team to an impressive 45-16 record (.738 winning percentage) over the past two seasons (2023-2025). Under his guidance, Cal Poly Pomona earned NCAA Tournament berths in each of his seasons on staff, continuing the program's tradition of excellence.
Some of Griffin's responsibilities at Cal Poly included: skill development, scouting, academic meetings, Co-Director of the Cal Poly Pomona Women's Basketball Elite Camp and social media. Furthermore during Griffin’s time at Cal Poly Pomona the team had a CCAA Freshman of the Year award winner (2023-2024) and multiple first and second team all-conference nominations (2023-2025).
Prior to Cal Poly Pomona Griffin was at University of La Verne, where he was a graduate assistant on head coach Richard Reed’s men’s staff for 2021-23 seasons. The Leopards are members of the NCAA Division III and the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC).
Griffin’s responsibilities at La Verne included individual skill development, recruiting, scouting reports, film editing, fundraising, coordination of pregame on-court workouts, travel, camps, and the team’s social media, among others. Apart from his coaching duties with the Leopards, Griffin completed his Master of Science in Leadership and Management (MSLM) in December of 2022 from University of La Verne, with a concentration in organizational development.
He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Business Marketing from Waldorf University in Forest City, Iowa, in May of 2010. Griffin averaged 8.7 points, 3.8 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game as a senior for the Warriors while shooting 90 percent from the free throw line, second nationally in the NAIA Division II.
Nine years prior to his arrival at La Verne, Griffin was a professional player and youth coach in Germany, taking the court for TSV Wasserburg (2012-19) and TV Traunstein Chiemgau Baskets (2019-21). He averaged 23.4 points, 6.4 assists and 4.6 rebounds per game during his time in Germany, with his 3,851 points a club record for TSV Wasserburg in the Bayernliga. A two-time Bayernliga/Oberliga All-Star in 2018 and 2019, Griffin won five Bayernliga South Division scoring titles (2014-19). He played across Europe in showcase events in Croatia, the Czech Republic, Moldova and Romania.
In 2015 Lorenzo, with the help of Kenan Biberovic and Chris Sardgon, co-founded PLSA (ProLife Sports Academy). PLSA is a basketball skills development organization that has hosted camps and clinics along with individual and group skill session workouts in Germany and Poland.
While abroad, Griffin’s coaching experience involved boy’s and girl’s teams ranging between the ages of eight and 20. His squads won multiple league championships at various age levels from 2013-19.
Born to parents Wanda and Lorenzo Griffin, “Coach Zo” is a Riverside product and 2005 graduate of Riverside Poly High School. He enjoys spending time with family and traveling. Griffin is married to his wife Destinee Griffin and has two boys Makaio (7 years old) and Lorenzo Griffin III (4 months old).
