New BYU Cougars head women’s basketball coach Amber Whiting has turned to a former standout player as she continues to fill out her coaching staff.
On Tuesday, BYU announced that it has hired Morgan Bailey, who starred for the Cougars from 2010-2015, as an assistant coach.
Bailey returns to BYU after having been an assistant at nearby Utah Valley University for three seasons. Prior to that, she was on coaching staffs at Southern Utah University and Snow College.
She is a graduate of Timpanogos High, a short drive from BYU and UVU.
“Morgan was an amazing player that has a wealth of knowledge, experience and energy,” Whiting said in a news release statement. “I am so excited to have her on our staff. Her ability to teach and skill develop at this level is second to none.
“Her personality will fit so well with our team and complement our staff. She also has great connections with the girls and will be an amazing mentor for them.”
As a player for the Cougars, Bailey earned AP honorable mention All-America recognition and West Coast Conference Player of the Year honors after a tremendous 2014-15 senior season in which she averaged 17.2 points and 10.5 rebounds per game as BYU made the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament.
Bailey is the niece of Utah Jazz color commentator and former NBA player Thurl Bailey.
“I am thankful for coach Whiting for trusting me with this opportunity and I am blessed to be back at the school and program that built me,” Bailey said in the news release. “I want to give that same experience of success and growth back to the student-athletes I work with.
“I’m grateful for the places I’ve been, the coaches and players I have worked with, and for the experiences that have prepared me for this. We have a lot of work to do and I am ready to get after it.”
Bailey joins associate head coach Lee Cummard, who played for the men’s team, as additions to Whiting’s staff so far.