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Lee Cummard, right, talks to Tegan Graham during a pause in the action in a game against Utah State in the Marriott Center on Tuesday, Nov. 23, 2021. Cummard was named the head coach of the Cougars on Monday, March 31, 2025.

Courtesy BYU Photo

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Former Cougar player and assistant coach Lee Cummard shakes hands with Director of Athletics Tom Holmoe at a news conference naming him as the eighth head coach of the BYU women's basketball team on Monday, March 31, 2025.

Nate Edwards, BYU Photo

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In 2016, the BYU men’s basketball team was hanging out at LAX, on their way home on a commercial flight after a 91-84 loss to USC at Staples Center. One by one, just about every player on the team wandered over to sit and have a conversation with the team’s new grad assistant, Lee Cummard.

Cummard was an all-conference player at BYU and spent seven years playing professional basketball in what was then the D-League and overseas. The players were trying to tap into that wealth of knowledge and Cummard had a knack for developing trusting relationships.

That skill served him well as he eventually became a full-time assistant for Dave Rose, then moved over to the women’s program where he coached with Jeff Judkins and Amber Whiting.

On Monday, Cummard was named the eighth women’s basketball head coach at BYU.

Cummard credited the experience he had with Rose, Judkins and Whiting in bringing him to this point in his career.

“They all had very unique approaches to it, and that’s either on the court or with the players,” Cummard said. “As a player for Coach Rose, I never thought he really spent a whole lot of time sitting around thinking about the players, and all he wanted to do was just make us work really hard. And then I came and I joined his staff, and I was amazed at how much time he spent on the players, thinking about them, trying to reach them and elevate them.

“Judkins, the way he connected in his own way with the players, was super impressive. He’d get that little Juddy smile and his dimple and he would connect in his own way. And just his knowledge of the game, X’s and O’s, I learned a ton from him in my time with that.

“With Coach Whiting it was the fight that she brought every day, and the diligence and how she approached it was pretty impressive, and I’ll take that from her.”

Cummard said he valued the time he’s spent at BYU, both as a player and a coach.

“I think for me, none of those guys played here, right?” he said. “I really feel like that’s a competitive advantage for me, the whole BYU experience. I might die on that hill, but I want people to want to be here, to want to represent the BYU that you know goes on the front of the jersey, and are less concerned about the name on the back of the jersey. And that’s kind of how I’ll be the most different.”

The road is uphill for Cummard. Whiting, who came to BYU with no college coaching experience, produced an overall record under ,500 (45-51) and was 19-35 (35%) in conference play, with one season in the West Coast Conference and two in the Big 12. A press release from BYU on March 8 indicated Whiting was stepping down, opening the door for Cummard.

Two starters — Emma Calvert and Kemery Congdon — have graduated and a third starter, Amari Whiting, has already transferred to Oklahoma State. Kailey Woolston, one of the country’s top 3-point shooters as a freshman in 2023-24, is serving a church mission and reports indicated she put her name into the transfer portal previous to Cummard’s hiring.

Cummard appears to have already picked up a win in convincing Big 12 Freshman of the Year, Delaney Gibb, to buy into his vision of the program. Cummard was Gibb’s lead recruiter.

“I feel like he forms genuine relationships,” Gibb said during an appearance on BYU Sports Nation on Wednesday. “I really feel like he’s family to me now at this point. I’ve known him for so many years and I can’t wait to extend our relationship now and get to know him better as a head coach.”

Cummard said the building process has already started.

“We’ve got people on campus right now that I hope that we can get into the Cougar family and be a part of this,” he said. “So good things are happening at BYU. There is a tradition of winning and there’s commitment to it. I fully intend to live up to that commitment and that winning tradition,

“I don’t think the message changes much in the recruiting process. It’s a great university with great people surrounding you the entire time. You’re going to evolve as a person and as a player, and I promise you, you’ll become a better shooter. It’s about just focusing more on the college experience, how we’re going to add value to your life, build you up as a person and on the court. I’m not naive. Winning is a big part of a great college experience. I loved my experience at BYU. I wouldn’t trade it for anything. A lot of that had to do with us winning games and cutting down nets.”

BYU director of athletics Tom Holmoe introduced Cummard to those in attendance at Monday’s news conference, including multiple current Cougar players, coaches and staffers.

“Coaching is very difficult in this day and age,” Holmoe said. “There’s a lot of responsibilities, there’s a lot of things that have not been seen in the past, and many of our coaches in all sports are doing things that are really outside what they were trained to do. There’s really no pathways that people have tried to get to this point. And this is one of the reasons why I think Lee is the right coach at the right time for here at BYU. He’s tough. He has this right balance between fire and ice. He can be strong, he can be tough. He can be very competitive. He also can be compassionate. He can be understanding. He can be have a listening ear, and it’s just what we need at this point in time.”