Juan Basabe

Biography

Juan Basabe enters his second season as an assistant coach with NC State women’s soccer after being announced as part of head coach Gary Higgins’ staff in February 2025. During his first season in Raleigh, he helped the Wolfpack to a 5-9-4 campaign that saw the most wins in a season for the program since 2022. The team won four ACC contests, the most since 2021, while going on a a six-match unbeaten streak in league play, which tied the program record for most conference games without a loss. As a member of the coaching staff, Basabe works primarily with the goalkeepers, helping 2025 starter Olivia Pratapas to a pair of ACC Defensive Player of the Week honors, while also reaching a new career-best 16 saves in a single contest. Prior to joining the Wolfpack, Basabe spent the 2024 season as a volunteer assistant coach at his alma mater, Lenoir Rhyne. A native of Durango, Spain, Basabe enjoyed a standout playing career at Lenoir Rhyne, finishing with a record of 27-12-8. He recorded 18 shutouts and posted a career goals against average of 0.96. As a senior, he registered a 0.92 goals against average, which tied for third all time in program history for a single season. In 2023, Basabe was named to the United Soccer Coaches All-Region First Team. Over the course of his career, he earned multiple South Atlantic Conference Defensive Player of the Week honors and was also selected to the SAC All-Conference Second Team for the 2020–21 season. Basabe played for his hometown club, Cult