 Gerlich in 2009 | |
| Current position | |
|---|---|
| Title | Head coach |
| Team | Texas Tech |
| Conference | Big 12 |
| Record | 103–91 (.531) |
| Biographical details | |
| Born | November 16, 1970 Spearman, Texas, U.S.[1] |
| Education | Texas Tech University (BS) Texas A&M–Kingsville (MSEdA) |
| Playing career | |
| 1989–1993 | Texas Tech |
| Position | Guard |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1993–1994 | Lockney HS |
| 1994–1997 | Taft HS (TX) |
| 1997–1999 | UTSA (Asst.) |
| 1999–2000 | Reagan HS |
| 2003–2006 | Texas Tech (Asst.) |
| 2006–2013 | West Texas A&M |
| 2013–2020 | UT Arlington |
| 2020–present | Texas Tech |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 392–238 (.622) (college) |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| |
| Awards | |
| |
Krista Gerlich (born November 16, 1970, in Spearman, Texas) is an American college basketball coach. She is the head coach of the Texas Tech Lady Raiders basketball team.[5]
West Texas A&M
On September 18, 2006, Gerlich was named the women's basketball coach at West Texas A&M.
She inherited a 28–4 Lone Star Champion Lady Buff program that lost in the South Central Region Tournament semifinals, including Lone Star player of the year Emily Brister.[6]
UT Arlington
Gerlich was named the head coach of the Lady Mavericks on April 11, 2013.[7] She accumulated a program-best 121 wins with the Lady Mavs.
Texas Tech
Texas Tech announced the hiring of Gerlich to lead the Lady Raiders on August 18, 2020,[8] taking over following the scandal of the previous coach Marlene Stollings.[9]
In Gerlich's first season in Lubbock, the Lady Raiders finished 10–15 overall and 5-13 in the Big 12. She was able to get transfer Vivian Gray who previously played for the Oklahoma State Cowgirls as well as her daughter Bryn Gerlich who also played for Oklahoma State. They were not invited to the NCAA tournament or the WNIT.
In her second season, Texas Tech went 11–19 overall and 4–14 in the Big 12. Senior guard Vivian Gray[10] was named to the All-Big 12 First Team.
In 2022–23, Texas Tech made the WNIT and reached the Super 16 before falling 71–66 to Arkansas. This was the first postseason appearance for the Lady Raiders since the 2012–13 season.
In 2023–24, Texas Tech started off non-conference play well before dropping consecutive games to Tulsa and Oregon State. In conference play, they sat at 5–4 at one point but didn't win another game, as injuries had decimated the roster and forced Gerlich to adjust offensive and defensive philosophies. The Lady Raiders finished 17–16 overall and 5–13 in the Big 12.
In the 2024–25 season, Texas Tech again had a winning non-conference record and sat at 11–2 but immediately struggled when it came to Big 12 play, starting out 1–5. They went 4–14 in the Big 12. While they again failed to reach the NCAA tournament, they were selected for the WBIT and defeated Wyoming in the First Round and Virginia Tech in the Second Round before falling to Florida in the Quarterfinal. They finished with a 19–18 record on the season. Despite many question marks surrounding her tenure–such as having a losing record in the Big 12 and never having a winning conference record in any of her seasons–Texas Tech Athletic Director Kirby Hocutt announced that Gerlich would be retained.
The 2025–26 season would prove to be Krista Gerlich's best season at Texas Tech. The Lady Raiders started out the season 19–0 (6–0 Big 12) after an upset of then-No. 15 Baylor, and they entered the rankings for the first time in 13 years. They were one of 3 undefeated teams remaining (along with Vanderbilt and UConn) before dropping 3 of their next four games: a 65–59 loss to Kansas State at home, a 73–61 loss to BYU on the road, and an 84–70 home loss to Iowa State; they did beat Utah 77-49 in Salt Lake City during this stretch of games. After the Iowa State loss, the Lady Raiders rebounded by upsetting No. 12 TCU 62–60 at home and after victories over Houston and Kansas, they surged up to No. 16 in the polls, which was their highest ranking since 2012. Because of the success during the season, Krista Gerlich was named to the Naismith Coach of the Year Watchlist and was the only Big 12 coach selected to the list. Texas Tech eventually finished the season 25–6 overall and 12–6 in the Big 12, which was their best record in 13 years.
Head coaching record
| Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Texas A&M (Lone Star Conference) (2006–2013) | |||||||||
| 2006–07 | West Texas A&M | 28–5 | 14–0 | 1st | NCAA Division II second round | ||||
| 2007–08 | West Texas A&M | 26–5 | 14–0 | 1st | NCAA Division II first round | ||||
| 2008–09 | West Texas A&M | 28–6 | 10–2 | 1st | NCAA Division II Elite Eight | ||||
| 2009–10 | West Texas A&M | 30–4 | 10–2 | 1st | NCAA Division II second round | ||||
| 2010–11 | West Texas A&M | 17–11 | 10–4 | 4th | |||||
| 2011–12 | West Texas A&M | 19–10 | 16–4 | 2nd | NCAA Division II first round | ||||
| 2012–2013 | West Texas A&M | 20–12 | 14–6 | 4th | |||||
| West Texas A&M: | 168–53 (.760) | 88–18 (.830) | |||||||
| UT Arlington (Sun Belt Conference) (2013–2020) | |||||||||
| 2013–2014 | UT Arlington | 4–25 | 3–15 | 10th | |||||
| 2014–2015 | UT Arlington | 17–13 | 11–9 | T-4th | |||||
| 2015–2016 | UT Arlington | 15–16 | 10–10 | 6th | |||||
| 2016–2017 | UT Arlington | 22–9 | 14–4 | 2nd | WNIT First Round | ||||
| 2017–2018 | UT Arlington | 18–12 | 12–6 | T-3rd | |||||
| 2018–2019 | UT Arlington | 24–8 | 15–3 | T-1st | WNIT Second Round | ||||
| 2019–2020 | UT Arlington | 21–11 | 14–4 | 3rd | Postseason not held | ||||
| UT Arlington: | 121–94 (.563) | 79–51 (.608) | |||||||
| Texas Tech (Big 12 Conference) (2020–present) | |||||||||
| 2020–2021 | Texas Tech | 10–15 | 5–13 | T-7th | |||||
| 2021–2022 | Texas Tech | 11–19 | 4–14 | 8th | |||||
| 2022–2023 | Texas Tech | 20–15 | 6–12 | 8th | WNIT Super 16 | ||||
| 2023–2024 | Texas Tech | 17–16 | 5–13 | T-11th | |||||
| 2024–2025 | Texas Tech | 19–18 | 4–14 | T-12th | WBIT Quarterfinal | ||||
| 2025–2026 | Texas Tech | 26–8 | 12–6 | T–4th | NCAA Division I Second Round | ||||
| Texas Tech: | 103–91 (.531) | 36–72 (.333) | |||||||
| Total: | 392–238 (.622) | ||||||||
|
National champion
Postseason invitational champion
| |||||||||
Personal life
Krista was selected three times as an all-state player for women’s basketball during her time at Sudan High School.[11]
She is married to former Red Raider linebacker Bryan Gerlich. They have a daughter, Bryn, and a son, Brayden.[12]
Bryn played basketball at Texas Tech from 2020-2023 under Krista, after transferring from Oklahoma State.[13]
References
- ^ Christy, Pete (November 16, 2022). "Lady Raiders win on Krista Gerlich's birthday". KCBD. Retrieved November 22, 2022.
- ^ "'22 WBB Record Book" (PDF). Sun Belt Conference.
- ^ "Hall of Fame". Texas Tech.
- ^ "1993 NCAA Woman of the Year". NCAA.
- ^ Cubit, Alexis (August 18, 2020). "She's coming home: Former Texas Tech standout Gerlich hired as Lady Raiders' coach". Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. Retrieved August 18, 2020.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Spearman's Krista Kirkland Gerlich Named WTAMU Women's Basketball Coach". High Plains Observer.
- ^ Detherage, Travis (April 11, 2013). "Krista Gerlich hired as women's basketball head coach". The Shorthorn. Retrieved November 22, 2022.
- ^ "Texas Tech hires former player Gerlich as women's coach". The Associated Press. August 18, 2020. Retrieved November 22, 2022.
- ^ Breaux, Rob (January 6, 2022). "Krista Gerlich Responds to Longhorns Sour Grapes After Upset Win". KKAM. Retrieved November 22, 2022.
- ^ "Vivian Gray – Women's Basketball". Retrieved February 12, 2026.
- ^ "Krista Gerlich - Women's Basketball Coach". Texas Tech Red Raiders. Retrieved September 9, 2026.
- ^ "Krista Gerlich". Texas Tech Athletics. Retrieved November 30, 2025.
- ^ Thompson, Tana (November 3, 2021). "Gerlich duo returns for upcoming season". The Daily Toreador. Retrieved November 22, 2022.