The BYU Cougars women’s basketball team is under new management. But, he’s a familiar face — Lee Cummard.
The former BYU player on the men’s side has been on the women’s coaching staff for the past several seasons. When the Cougars parted ways with Amber Whiting, they promoted Cummard to take her place. It’s going to be a wild first season for him. He returns one of the best players in the conference, but there are questions marks about the depth around her.
Here is a preview of the BYU Cougars.
BYU Cougars
2024-25: 13-17, 4-14, tied for 12th place in Big 12. Lost in the Big 12 Tournament first round. Did not participate in any other postseason play. Relieved coach Amber Whiting after the season.
Head coach: Lee Cummard is in his first season as head coach. The former BYU men’s player has been on staff since 2016. He was a men’s graduate assistant and men’s assistant before shifting to the women’s program in 2019. He has never been a head coach in college.
Big 12 history: BYU is in its third season in the Big 12. The women’s program has not made the NCAA Tournament since it joined the league and last earned a berth in 2022 The program last made the Sweet 16 in 2014.
BYU Schedule: Click here for a complete 2025-26 Big 12 schedule.
BYU 2025-26 Roster Review
Gone: G Naia Tanuvasa (0.7 ppg), G Amari Whiting (10.3 ppg), G Kylie Krebs, G Kemery Congdon (9.2. ppg), F Emma Calvert (12.6 ppg), G Lauren Davenport (4.2 ppg), F Kendra Gillispie (3.0 ppg), C Sarah Bartholomew.
Returning: F Heather Hamson (2.1 ppg), G Marya Hudgins (4.6 ppg), F Hattie Ogden (1.3 ppg), G Arielle Mackey-Williams (been injured for two years), G Delaney Gibb (17.4 ppg), G Kambree Barber (4.3 ppg), G/F Brinley Cannon (4.5 ppg)
Incoming transfers: F Lara Rohkohl (10.1 ppg at College of Charleston)
Freshmen: F Braeden Gunlock, F Mariam Traore, G Sydney Benally (No. 88 ranked player per ESPNW), F Bolanle Yussuf, G Olivia Hamlin (Top 100 player per two services)
Projected Starting Lineup
G Delaney Gibb: Last year’s Big 12 Freshman of the Year is a candidate to win Big 12 Player of the Year.
G Marya Hudgins: Played a solid role last year as a starter or bench player.
G Kambree Barber: Showed significant potential a season ago.
G Sydney Bennally: The one freshman capable of doing what Gibb did a season ago.
F Lara Rohkohl: Should give the Cougars the boost that Emma Calvert gave them last year.
Starting Lineup Crashers
F Bolanle Yussuf: Averaged 24 points per game in prep ball in Japan last year. Her length would be helpful.
G Olivia Hamlin: Expect her to push for playing time early in the campaign and to claim a starting spot if either Hudgins or Barber don’t progress.
Lineup Competition
The only lock is Gibb, who is one of the top players in the conference and should grow into a national force this season. Around here there are a lot of question marks. Did the returning players progress in the offseason? Can Mackey-Williams give the Cougars something after missing two seasons? How many freshmen can make an impact? Who will fill that perimeter forward role that Calvert handled so capably last year? It’s a lineup with more questions than perhaps any program in the conference.
Early Prediction
BYU should have a winning record entering conference play, but a three-game stretch in late November and early December will give us a glimpse of how good they can be. At the U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam the Cougars will play Virginia Tech, and then either Oregon State or Vanderbilt. That’s followed by a road trip to Washington State. With so much unknown beyond Gibb, it’s hard to see the Cougars being anything more than a middle-of-the-road team in Cummard’s first season.
