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BYU's Kailey Woolston takes a 3-pointer against Kansas in the second round of the Big 12 Tournament in Kansas City on Friday, March 8, 2024.

Courtesy BYU Photo

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BYU freshman Kailey Woolston, right, drives past a Houston player during a Big 12 women's basketball game at the Marriott Center on Wednesday, Feb. 28, 2024.

Courtesy BYU Photo

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There’s a big difference between making shots at a church gym in the mission field once or twice a week and shooting against college-level defenders.

BYU’s Kailey Woolston discovered exactly how big after returning from her 18-month church mission to Pennsylvania and West Virginia last fall.

“My first couple of live drills getting back, I air balled like three shots,” Woolston admitted. “The speed of the game is something that left me during the mission, just how quick a defender is closing out. But my shot is getting there.”

That’s great news for the Cougars because Woolston is an elite shooter.

As a four-year starter at Lone Peak High School in Highland, Woolston made 214 3-pointers (fifth all-time in the state of Utah) and as a junior converted a state record 104 of 108 free throws (96.3%). After leading the Knights to back-to-back state titles and winning Ms. Basketball, Woolston continued to excel as a shooter during BYU’s first year in the Big 12. As a freshman, Woolston was second on the team in scoring (13.3 points) and made 47% of her 3-pointers (81 of 174), which was second in the country.

The timing of the completion of her mission will give her plenty of time to sharpen her tools for the 2026-27 season in Provo.

“I’m super grateful for how it worked out,” Woolston said. “I was not ready to jump back into it, even like a month or two after I got back. I was able to watch the chemistry the team was building, the camaraderie and the momentum, especially at the end of the season. That last 10-game stretch when they made the WBIT Championship game, that was just super fun to be a part of it, even as a spectator.”

BYU made a coaching change while Woolston was on her mission and assistant Lee Cummard took over the program. After a brief stay in the transfer portal, Woolston decided to remain a Cougar..

“I just love the way Lee runs this program,” she said. “he wants us to get smarter as basketball players. He doesn’t want everything to be written out exactly how we should do it, but he wants us to make reads and decision in the moment of the game. A lot of our practices are geared around learning to make those reads in certain situations. I love the way he coaches and structures everything.”

BYU won nine of its final 11 games to finish 26-12 last season but shot 31% from the 3-point line. Cummard wants that number to go up and having Woolston back on the roster is a big boost to that goal.

“Kaylie is a special player,” Cummard said. “We all saw that her freshman year. She’s somebody that embodies what our program’s is all about, which is equally as important. Everybody gets lost in her shooting, but she’s a lot more than just a shooter. She was mature before, but she’s grown in that area from her mission. She’s all about the team. She wants to win and can’t have too many players that are all of that.

“She’s gotten her legs back under her from the mission: The rhythm, the timing, the cardio capacity, all of that. She’s back to Kaylie Woolston form. She’s got a real knack for making shots in all capacities at the rim, mid-range and from deep. She sees the game. She got to watch the game from a different lens last season and you can learn things in that capacity.”

Woolston joins an already loaded guard line. Rising junior Delaney Gibb averaged 18.3 points per game last season and was first team All-Big 12. Two freshmen — Olivia Hamlin (12.9 ppg) and Sydney Benally (7.6 points, 3.9 assists per game) — also made key contributions and should continue to improve.

“I think all the personalities that we have on this team are kind of perfect for a successful championship team because everybody wants to be the best,” Woolston said. “Everybody wants to achieve their full potential so they’re always getting in extra work. We also don’t have that much selfishness on our team. There is a propensity to point out the teammate that gave you the assist to get in and help your teammate on defense. I’ve noticed that throughout practice that there’s no bickering typically, or anything like that. There’s just so much love and a desire for the team to succeed as a whole.”

Woolston is working on growing her game, both mentally and physically.

“I’m hoping I’ll just be a smarter player and be able to read the game better,” she said. “That’s something I’m hoping to work on a lot in this off-season. I also want to be more grounded throughout the ups and downs of the season. Being on a mission and focusing on those values, focusing on Jesus Christ solely for those 18 months helped me understand what really matters. I hope that that will translate into basketball and not let the ups and downs affect me as much.”