Men's Basketball

The Gabriel Coaching File

Lucas Gabriel took over as head coach prior to the 2019-20 season after previously serving as the associate head coach for the Bruins during the 2013-14 and 2018-19 seasons.

Coach Gabriel led Bellevue to their third NAIA National Tournament Appearance in four seasons during the 2023-24 season. BU overcame a slow start, which saw them sitting at just 5-13 heading into NSAA play. Bellevue clicked once they made it into league play, winning the conference title outright and cruising to yet another NSAA Tournament Crown with a 67-47 win over Dickinson State in the Championship Game. Gabriel earned NSAA Coach of the Year honors for the second time in his career while mentoring Jerome Bynum (second team), TJ Fritz (honorable mention), and Liam Thompson (all-defense team) to conference awards. A program record three student-athletes (Christian Carter, Liam Thompson, and Ryadden Grobe) earned Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athlete awards.

The 2022-23 season saw the Bruins struggle with the injury bug en route to finishing the year with a 15-14 overall record (7-7 NSAA). Paulo Araujo earned first team all-NSAA honors, while Justin Motley repeated as the NSAA's Defensive Player of the Year, along with earning a spot on the NSAA All-Defense Team and being an honorable mention all-conference selection.

In 2021-22, Gabriel guided the Bruins to their second-straight NAIA National Tournament Appearance, compiling a 20-13 overall record. After sharing the NSAA regular-season crown with Viterbo with matching 9-5 marks in league play, Bellevue marched through the NSAA Tournament to take down the V-Hawks in the Championship Game 69-65 to earn the program's 21st bid to the National Tournament. Eric Pierce was named an honorable mention NAIA All-American. In addition, Pierce was a first-team all-NSAA performer, with teammate Paulo Araujo garnering second-team all-conference honors and Justin Motley taking home the league's Defensive Player of the Year award.

Coach Gabriel followed up a strong debut season by leading the 2020-21 Bruins to their second-straight 20-win season, an NSAA Tournament Championship, and their first NAIA National Tournament Appearance since 2018. Dealing with the uncertainty surrounding athletics as a result of the ongoing COVID pandemic and a myriad of injuries, Bellevue overcame a 6-9 start to win 14 of 18 games and parlay their home-court advantage in the conference tournament into both a conference title and appearance in the NAIA Opening Round - Omaha Bracket. The Bruins consistently performed at home, posting a 12-3 record inside the Gordon Lozier Athletic Center, and under Gabriel's watch, Jemeil King was a repeat selection to the all-NSAA first team.

In his first season at the helm, he earned North Star Athletic Association Coach of the Year honors after leading Bellevue to a 24-8 overall record, which included a 13-1 mark in conference play and the program's 11th-straight regular-season league title. Following a 5-5 start, his team found its stride, winning 19 of their final 22 games and reaching the conference semifinals. He mentored a pair of first-team all-conference selections in Jemeil King and Lewis Hayes, with the former earning distinction as the NSAA Player of the Year. Additionally, two other Bruins earned league recognition as Connor Dukes was selected as a second-team all-NSAA pick, and Niamey Harris received honorable mention billing. Bellevue posted an 8-1 mark in true road games.

Filling the role of interim head coach for the season's final four games, Gabriel guided the team to a 3-1 record and helped lead the Bruins to their 10th-straight conference championship.

Gabriel previously served as BU's assistant during the 2013-14 season before rejoining the staff in 2018. During his first run with the Bruins, Gabriel helped guide Bellevue to a 29-6 record, MCAC Regular-Season and Tournament Titles, and an appearance in the NAIA Division II National Tournament Sweet 16.

While away from the program, Gabriel served three seasons as the head assistant coach at California State University, Chico (Chico State) where he was also the lead recruiter. Chico State won the 2014-15 and 2015-16 CCAA Championships and the 2016-17 West Region Championship before Gabriel moved on to Metro State as the Head Assistant for the 2017-18 season.

Prior to his first stint at Bellevue, Gabriel spent three seasons as the head assistant coach at Fresno City College in Fresno, Calif.

Gabriel helped guide the Rams to three straight Central Valley Conference championships as well as the 2012 CCCAA state title. During his stay at FCC, the Rams compiled a record of 88-13 and went undefeated in league play.

He also served as the director of the Academic Support Center for all freshman student-athletes at Fresno City.

Prior to his stint at FCC, Gabriel spent two seasons as an assistant coach at California State University-Chico from 2008-10. He helped lead the Wildcats to their first playoff win since 1995 and helped turn around a program that had won just seven games in each of the three previous seasons.

Gabriel played collegiately at Northern Arizona University, where he helped guide the Lumberjacks to back-to-back regular season Big Sky championships and a National Invitational Tournament (NIT) appearance in 2006.

In three of the last four seasons, Gabriel has served as an Associate Head Coach for a Chinese International All-Star team through the organization JUMP 10. The All-Star team competed in an international tournament held in Shanghai, China.

Gabriel graduated from NAU in 2008 with a bachelor's degree in speech communications. He completed his master's degree in education from Chico State in 2010.

Gabriel currently lives in Bellevue, Neb. with his wife Lindsey, their daughter Scarlett Rogue, and son Obi.

Updated: July 7, 2023