LaKose attended Northview High School in Covina, California, where he was a two-time honorable mention Los Angeles Times basketball all-star, as a junior in 1986 and senior in 1987.
[1][2] LaKose then attended California State University, Northridge and graduated with a bachelor's degree in kinesiology in 1991.
[3] In the 1992–93 season, LaKose was junior varsity coach at Royal High School in Simi Valley, California.
[4] In eight seasons, LaKose had a 136–67 record with Cal Lutheran and led the Regals to five SCIAC titles and four NCAA Division III Tournaments.
[8] In 2014, LaKose returned to coaching at the Dominican University of California, a Division II school in San Rafael.