BYU is turning to a familiar face to take the helm of its women's basketball program.
Lee Cummard will be the new head coach of the Cougars, the program announced Monday morning.
"I am extremely grateful and honored to be given the opportunity to serve as the head coach of BYU women's basketball," Cummard said in a statement. "BYU is a special place that changes lives, and I am grateful for the impact it has had on my life. This program has a tremendous history of winning and doing things the right way, with great people. I am committed to continuing that tradition, and I look forward to helping our current and future student-athletes excel both on and off the basketball court."
Cummard has been part of the women's basketball program at BYU since 2019. He was first an assistant under Jeff Judkins and then became associate head coach in 2022 upon the hiring of Amber Whiting.
When Whiting parted ways with BYU earlier this month , Cummard was named interim head coach until the school could find a permanent replacement.
The Mesa, Arizona, native ultimately emerged as the best candidate to lead the Cougars into the future and will now shed the interim label.
"Lee has been an important part of our BYU Athletics family for many years," said BYU athletic director Tom Holmoe. "His time as a star player on the men's team, and a member of both the men's and women's basketball coaching staffs, gives him valuable experience and connection in this important position. He has displayed a loyal commitment to BYU and understands the valuable mission of our university. He will be able to retain key players and recruit those that will fit, excel and align at BYU."
BYU has gone 108-72 during Cummard's six seasons on staff — 45-51 under Whiting and 63-21 under Judkins.
When Judkins tested positive for COVID-19 in November 2021, Cummard served as acting head coach for three games and led the Cougars to a 3-0 stretch, including ranked victories over No. 17 Florida State and No. 22 West Virginia.
Prior to joining the women's program at BYU, Cummard spent three seasons (2016-19) on Dave Rose's men's basketball staff as a graduate assistant and then assistant coach.
Lee Cummard shoots past two Pepperdine defenders on Saturday, Dec. 15, 2007, in Provo, Utah. | George Frey, Associated Press
During his playing career, Cummard was one of the most accomplished Cougars to ever grace the Marriott Center hardwood. The standout guard scored 1,569 total points and shot 53.5% from the field across four seasons at BYU, twice earning First Team All-Mountain West honors while also being named an All-American as both a junior and senior.
Cummard played professionally from 2009-16 for the NBA D-League's Utah Flash along with teams in France, Japan and Belgium before entering into coaching, where he'll now be tasked with helping lift BYU from the bottom half of the Big 12 into a true contender within the conference.
