Utah Valley University Women's Basketball

McKenzie Mangino enters her third season on staff at Utah Valley in 2026-27 with previous stops at Utah State and Hawaii Pacific.  In 2025-2026, Mangino helped the Wolverines make the postseason for the second consecutive season when they made the WNIT. While in Orem, UVU had one of the top defenses in the WAC and the country, finishing third in steals, fourth in turnovers forced per game, and seventh in turnover margin. The Wolverines starting guard, Cambree Blackham earned Second Team All-WAC honors, and All-Defensive Team honors. In her first year in Orem, Mangino helped guide the Wolverines to a program-record 19 wins and the program’s second postseason appearance, earning a bid to the 2025 WNIT. Utah Valley also claimed its first postseason victory with a 70-64 win over Air Force in the opening round. Under her guidance, Kylee Mabry was named WAC Co-Sixth Player of the Year, Tahlia White earned All-Defensive Team honors, and Cambree Blackham was selected to the WAC All-Freshman Team. Utah Valley University women’s basketball coach Dan Nielson has announced the hiring of McKenzie Mangino to his coaching staff in the summer of 2024. Mangino spent the two seasons prior on staff at Utah State University.  At Utah State, Mangino worked with post players while also holding responsibilities with scheduling, camps, and recruiting. She was also involved with donor relations, team bonding, and community service events. Before her time in Logan, Mangino spent five seasons at Hawai’i Pacific; two seasons as graduate assistant, two as the head assistant coach, and prior to her final year there was promoted to associate head coach. During the 2019-2020 campaign, the Sharks reached No. 3 in the nation and No. 1 in the West, ending the COVID-shortened season on a 25-game win streak that included an unbeaten PacWest Conference schedule. HPU had two All-Americans and five All-PacWest players that season. Mangino was instrumental in the development of All-American Amy Baum during her time at Hawai’i Pacific. Baum’s accolades include the PacWest Freshman of the Year, two PacWest Player of the Year honors, and she was a two-time All-American. Mangino began her coaching career at her junior college alma mater, Santa Rosa Junior College, in 2015, where she served as an assistant coach to both the women’s and men’s programs. With the men’s program, she worked for head coach Craig McMillan, who played four years for Hall of Fame coach Lute Olsen at Arizona.   A native of Ukiah, California, Mangino attended Ursuline High School in Santa Rosa. She began her collegiate playing career at Santa Rosa Junior College where she was a part of back-to-back Big 8 Conference Championships, which earned her a scholarship to the University of Hawai’i-Hilo. At Hilo, Mangino and her team earned a bid to the PacWest Conference Tournament as a junior and she served as team captain her senior season.   Mangino earned a bachelor’s degree in communications from UH Hilo in 2015 and added a master’s in communications from Hawai‘i Pacific in 2019. She and her boyfriend, Keith Lai, have two dogs: Sage and Maverick.

Utah Valley head women's basketball coach Dan Nielson announced the hiring of Keith Lai as an assistant coach on June 3, 2026. The 2026-27 season will be his first at Utah Valley University.    "I'm thrilled to add Keith to our program," said Nielson. "He is an elite skill development coach who has won at every level he has coached. His energy and passion will make an immediate impact on the floor with his scouting ability and off the floor in recruiting. We can't wait to get him started with this group!"   Most recently, Lai helped lead Pleasant Grove High School to the UHSAA Class 5A State Championship and a perfect 26-0 record, and the team included incoming UVU freshman Tabi Clark, who earned First Team All-State honors.   He has worked with some of the top prep players in Utah, including two-time Utah Gatorade Player of the Year and multiple All-American Emilee Skinner, who was named the No. 4 college prospect in the country and now plays college basketball at Duke University.   "I'm excited about the opportunity to join the Utah Valley University Women's Basketball program as an Assistant Coach and contribute to the program's success under Coach Nielson's leadership," said Lei. "The culture he has built around player development, competitiveness, accountability, and academic success is something I would be proud to be a part of. I'm eager to bring energy, a strong work ethic, and a team-first approach while helping the program continue to compete for conference championships and postseason opportunities."   His extensive coaching background includes head coaching at Valley Christian High School (2012-2015). During his time as head coach at Bentley Upper School, he led the team to an NCS D5 Runner-up finish and was a Northern California regional semifinalist in 2017. During his successful stint, he sent players to destinations such as UC Santa Barbara, Houston, and Prairie View A&M.   Lai has been successful at multiple levels, including the club circuit, helping Prolific Prep of Napa, Calif., to the No. 7 seed at the Geico National Championship. The team was ranked as high as 10 and developed several notable players, including a pair of NBA Draft Picks.   As a camp clinician, he has been invited to work at some of the most prestigious camps in the country, including Under Armor Stephen Curry in 2018, where he worked with NBA draft prospects such as Anthony Edwards, James Wiseman, Cole Anthony, Nico Mannion, and Jalen Green.   His ability to develop talent has led him to work with NBA Trainer Brandon Payne on off-season and pre-draft workouts for players like Stephen Curry, Damion Lee, and Dennis Smith, Jr., and to assist in preparing Frank Jackson, Hamidou Diallo, Trae Young, and Joel Berry II for the NBA draft.   Lai said "I'm excited about the opportunity to support the athletic department's vision to pursue championships and provide a first-class student-athlete experience that prepares young women for success both on and off the court. Coach Nielson's leadership has helped the program reach new heights, including its first NCAA Tournament appearance and multiple postseason runs, and I welcome the opportunity to contribute to that continued success while continuing to grow as a coach."                          

Mabry enters her first season on the Utah Valley staff after being named an assistant coach on June 2, 2026. In her role, she will also oversee the day-to-day operations of the program.  At Utah Valley ...  Senior (2025-2026):  Appeared in 30 games with 19 starts …  earned Academic All-District from College Sports Communicators … named academic All-WAC … became in the second in program history to reach 200 career steals … second all-time in steals with 216 … set a new career-high with 23 points against Abilene Christian and hit 5 3-pointers in the game … totaled 197 points, 65 rebounds, 47 assists, 59 steals, and 6 blocks; shot 67-for-218 from the field, set a new career-high with 25 made 3-pointers, and 38-for-55 at the line… blocked a season-high 2 shots vs. Air Force on Dec. 6… collected a season-high 5 steals at UT Arlington on Feb. 7… grabbed a season-high 8 rebounds (8 defensive) and dished 5 assists vs. Utah Tech on Mar. 7. Junior (2024-25): Named the WAC Co-Sixth Player of the Year after averaging 7.8 points per game ... earned Academic All-WAC honors ... named to College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Team ... scored season-high 21 points against Air Force on December 4 … Recorded 16 points and went a perfect 5-for-5 from the field against Grand Canyon on March 14 … Tallied 16 points along with six steals versus Kennesaw State on November 9 … Achieved a total of 221 points over the season … Registered 56 steals throughout the season … Played in 28 of 32 games … Notched 39 assists across the season … Collected a total of 51 rebounds, with 12 offensive and 39 defensive … Scored 11 points in a win against Seattle U on January 25 … Managed a 100% free throw percentage, going 5-for-5, in the game against Utah Tech on February 19. Sophomore (2023-24): Appeared in 28 games and made 20 starts ... second on the team with 8.0 points per game ... scored season high of 17 points on two occasions; at home against Utah Tech and in a home win over UT Rio Grande Valley ... finished with 16 points at Idaho State ... had seven steals in the season-opening win over Weber State ... led team in total steals (58) and steals per game (2.1) to help lead team to No. 9 in the country as a team with 11.2 per game ... named to Academic All-WAC Team ... named to College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Team. Freshman (2022-23): Played in 25 games, making eight starts and averaged 3.8 points per game ... had season-highs of 14 points and six steals in win over UT Arlington ... had five steals at Grand Canyon ... named to Academic All-WAC Team.  Before Utah Valley ... Prepped at Davis High School in Kaysville, Utah ... named first-team All-State as a senior after averaging 12.4 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 5.5 apg, 5.4 spg, and 1.7 bpg ... participated in 6A All-State game ... four-time All-Region selection including three times on first team ... named Region 1 Defensive Player of the Year as a senior ... as a junior was named to All-State second team after averaging 13.0 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 3.5 apg, and 5.5 spg ... recorded 13 steals in one game, which is tied for 10th all-time in the Utah High School record book ... third-team All-State as a sophomore ... three-year team captain ... played club for Natalie Williams Basketball Academy Personal ... Born in Idaho Falls, Idaho ... parents are Jaclyn and Ben Mabry ... has one sister (Brooklyn) and one brother (Kaden).