Laura Gonsalves begins her ninth year as an assistant coach with the Wolf Pack women’s basketball program in 2025-26.
Gonsalves plays a crucial role in helping develop Nevada's post players and is instrumental behind the scenes in scouting, film analysis and recruiting.
During the 2023-24 season, Gonsalves helped forward Lexie Givens finish the season in the top 10 in the Mountain West in overall rebounding, steals, and blocked shots. Givens was also in the top 15 in the conference in defensive rebounding and forward Kennedy Lee also emerged in the top 15 in overall rebounding under Gonsalves' watch. Lee also finished in the top 10 in offensive rebounding in the Mountain West under Gonsalves' guidance.
In 2022-23, Gonsalves helped Givens finish the season in the top 10 in rebounding in the Mountain West. Givens and forward Megan Ormiston were also in the top 15 in the Mountain West in blocked shots under Gonsalves' watch. Academically, Ormiston was named to the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Team.
During the 2021-22 season, Gonsalves played a key role that allowed the Pack to obtain the second-most wins in program history with 20. After a third place finish in the Mountain West, Nevada received an invitation to the Women's Basketball Invitational. Gonsalves' development helped forward Eliska Stebetakova land a professional basketball contract overseas in Spain following her senior year, one of five former Nevada players to play professionally heading into the 2022-23 season. The year also saw Nevada shoot 80.9 percent from the free throw line, ranking fourth in the nation and being the 11th-best free throw percentage in NCAA Division I women's basketball history.
It was a year of significant growth for the program in 2020-21, despite a shortened season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Gonsalves helped guide the Wolf Pack to a 13-9 overall record and a 9-7 mark in Mountain West play. Nevada, which was picked 10th in the preseason head coaches poll, finished fifth in the conference standings to earn a first round bye in the 2021 MW Championship, its first bye in the conference tournament since the 2013-14 season where it held the No. 3 seed. Nevada’s 13-9 overall record also marked the program’s first winning record since 2017-18 when it went 19-17 overall. The Pack closed the regular season winning eight of its last 10 games, including a stretch of five consecutive wins to end the regular season.
During year three for Gonsalves in 2019-20, she helped develop rookie Dom Phillips into a Mountain West All-Freshmen team selection. Despite her season being cut short due to injury, Phillips was solid in her nine Mountain West games. Phillips, who averaged over 20 minutes per game while earning three starts, averaged 8.4 points and 4.3 rebounds per game. She recorded four of her nine games in double figures, including two 17-point performances, setting a season high. In addition to her scoring and rebounding, Phillips also produced a six-assist game during league play against SJSU.
Year two brought with it new challenges, with an especially young roster that included six freshmen. With just four key returners from the previous season, five of those six freshmen were thrust into major roles on the team. By the time the season had ended, that group of rookies had played 35.8 percent of the team’s minutes and set the pieces in place for the future of the program. One of those freshmen, Imani Lacy, Gonsalves helped develop into a major contributor. Lacy led all Wolf Pack freshmen averaging 6.7 points per game and became just the second Wolf Pack freshman since 2008 to score 20 points in a single game when she totaled 20 at New Mexico.
Gonsalves also worked with Terae Briggs and helped guide her to a career year in her senior season. Throughout the year, Briggs collected a career-high 10 double-doubles, which ranked third in the Mountain West. She averaged 13.9 points per game and 7.8 rebounds per game, both of which were top 10 in the conference. With her strong play, Briggs earned an All-Mountain West honorable mention for the first time in her career and eventually turned professional.
In her first year on staff, Gonsalves helped guide the Wolf Pack to its first winning season in four years and reach 19 wins, second most in program history. Nevada began the Mountain West Tournament as the No. 7 seed and picked up upset after upset, defeating No. 2 UNLV in double overtime and No. 3 Wyoming to reach its first ever Mountain West Championship game. Although the Pack lost in the championship to No. 1 Boise State on a last second buzzer beater, the tone was set for the future. Nevada went on to reach the semifinals of the Women’s Basketball Invitational, just its fourth postseason appearance in program history.
Under Gonsalves’ guidance, Teige Zeller posted a career season in 2017-18. Zeller was one of the most dominant post players in the conference, racking up 12 double-doubles and averaging over 14 points per game and nearly nine rebounds per game, both of which were ranked highly in the league. For her efforts, Zeller earned All-Mountain West honors for the first time in her career and signed a professional basketball contract in Australia.
Gonsalves, a native of Northern Nevada and a graduate of Reed High School in Sparks, has worked with head coach Amanda Levens previously. She spent four years as an assistant coach on Levens’ staff at Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville from 2008-12. During her tenure at SIUE, the Cougars made the transition to Division I and went from five wins in 2008-09 to 18 wins in 2011-12. Prior to SIUE, Gonsalves made a few other assistant coaching stops along the way, spending time at Alaska Fairbanks, Western State College and Southern Utah.
Before her coaching career began, Gonsalves enjoyed a vast international playing experience. From 1996 to 2003, she played for teams in Belgium, the Czech Republic, Portugal, China and Switzerland. She was awarded Most Valuable Player honors twice in China National Cup tournaments, where she was one of the first Americans to play basketball as a professional in China.
In college Gonsalves was a four-year starter at Washington from 1991-95 where she posted 28 games in double figures, which ranks in the top 50 all-time at Washington. During her collegiate playing days, the Huskies advanced to the NCAA Tournament three times and won the inaugural WNIT Pre-Season Tournament in 1994.
Before college, Gonsalves was a standout player at Reed High School in Sparks. She was named the Gatorade State Player of the Year in 1991 after leading her team to a state championship.
Gonsalves obtained a bachelor’s degree in general studies from the University of Washington in 1995.
The File on Laura Gonsalves
Born: April 25
Hometown: Sparks, Nev.
Education: Bachelor's - University of Washington (1995)
Coaching Experience
2017-present: Nevada, assistant coach
2012-13: UIC, assistant coach
2008-12: SIUE, assistant coach
2007-08: Alaska-Fairbanks, assistant coach
2006-07: Western State, assistant coach
2004-06: Southern Utah, assistant coach
Playing Experience
Washington (1991-95)
