By Linda Loons
3/10/2024
LOGAN, Utah — Utah State University Vice President and Director of Athletics Diana Sabau announced on Sunday that head women’s basketball coach Kayla Ard has been relieved of her duties after four seasons.
Ard, the ninth head coach in program history, guided the Aggies to an overall record of 24-90, which included a 10-62 mark in the Mountain West.
“We appreciate everything Kayla and her staff have contributed to Utah State,” said Sabau. “However, it is in the best interest of the program to make a change.”
A national search for Utah State’s next head women’s basketball coach will begin immediately.
THE KAYLA ARD FILE
Kayla Ard is in her fourth season as the head coach at Utah State, after being hired on March 23, 2020.
In the 2022-23 season, Ard led the Aggies to a 4-26 record. In the classroom, eight players were named Whitesides scholar-athletes while seven earned academic all-conference honors and six were named Mountain West Scholar-Athletes.
The ninth head coach in program history, Ard led the Aggies to an 11-19 overall record, including a 5-13 mark in Mountain West play, in the 2021-22 season, nearly tripling the previous season’s win total. Utah State finished the season ranked third in offensive rebounds per game (12.43) and fourth in assists per game (14.20). Ard coached guard/forward Adryana Quezada to earn all-MW honorable mention recognition.
In the classroom, Utah State had six women’s basketball players earn academic all-Mountain West honors, while five players were named MW Scholar-Athletes.
Ard posted a 4-20 record in her first season at the helm, having inherited a young team. The Aggies finished the year ranking 26th in the nation and fourth in the MW in defensive rebounds with 29.2 defensive boards per game. They also ranked fifth in the conference in total rebounds per game (40.2).
Off the court, Utah State had 10 women’s basketball players earn academic all-Mountain West honors, while seven players were named MW Scholar-Athletes.
Ard brought 10 years of collegiate experience with her to Utah State, previously serving as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Denver, Dayton, Clemson, Troy and Pensacola State. In all, she has coached one WNBA draft pick and 17 players that have played professionally overseas.
Known for her strong recruiting, Ard immediately made her mark at Denver as the Pioneers signed the top-ranked recruiting class in the Summit League in her first season, according to ASGR Basketball. Ard also helped Dayton sign the 19th ranked recruiting class in the nation in 2016, according to ESPN. While at Clemson, the Tigers signed six of the top 43 recruits in the nation at their position, per ESPN. During her time at Troy, the Trojans signed four NJCAA All-Americans and five of the top 31 recruits in the nation at their position, per ESPN. And at Pensacola State, Ard helped recruit and coach eight All-Americans.
Ard came to Utah State after spending the past three seasons as the associate head coach, recruiting coordinator and offensive coordinator at the University of Denver under Jim Turgeon, as she helped the Pioneers to three-straight non-losing seasons with a 49-43 (.533) overall record and a 26-20 (.565) mark in the Summit League. Prior to Ard’s arrival at DU, the Pioneers had suffered through five-straight losing seasons, which included single-digit wins in each of their previous four years.
A native of Hammond, La., Ard was highly recruited out of Loranger High School after averaging over 26.0 points a game, earning all-district honors three consecutive years and leading her team to three final four appearances, including a state championship in 2000 under the direction of Rigby.
Ard’s collegiate career began on the junior college level at Chipola (Fla.) Junior College. After playing one season there, she transferred to Southeastern Louisiana where she played from 2004-06, including an all-Southland Conference selection in 2005.
Ard graduated from Southeastern Louisiana University in 2010 with a bachelor’s degree in general studies. She then earned her master’s degree in psychology from the University of Phoenix in 2013.
***EDITOR’S NOTE FROM TV, RADIO, SOCIAL MEDIA AND WIRE REPORTS
Utah State head coach Kayla Ard announced she was fired during her own post-game press conference. Sunday night, during the postgame news conference. She was asked in the news conference how she planned to rebuild. Her Aggies had just got bounced in the First Round of Women’s Mountain West Tournament, 85-49 by Boise State.
Her response, “I’m not going to be rebuilding,” she said. “I just coached my last game at Utah State. I spoke with athletics director Diana Sabau and they’re going in a different direction and I respect her decision and I hope they get a really good coach in.” Sabau, in her first year as Utah State AD after coming from the Big Ten Conference, wants to hire her own coach obviously.
After that statement, Ard assumed there were no more questions for her to answer. She thanked everyone and she left the press conference.
PRESS RELEASE & BIO COURTESY OF UTAH STATE ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS
