How Lee Cummard became BYU’s insurance policy

Empowered by a patriarchal blessing that said he would spend his life in an area of sports, Cummard was impressed to pass on selling insurance and joined Judkins’ staff. As time would reveal, Cummard was much more than an assistant coach: He was BYU’s insurance policy for the future.

“I have just seen it play out in that way. I don’t think that was coincidence. Although sometimes I wonder — all my family does extremely well (selling insurance) — cousins, uncles, brothers and they live an unbelievable life,” he laughed. “(But) this is where I’m supposed to be. I’m sure of it.”

Judkins retired after the 2022 season. New coach Amber Whiting retained Cummard and promoted him to associate head coach. When Whiting was dismissed last year, Cummard was named head coach and in his first year, he led the Cougars to 26 wins.

Notable differences

As Cummard has learned, there are noticeable differences between the game he played and coached with the men and the one he is coaching now with the women.

“On the court, I think it’s very similar. I think the women are a lot more receptive to the pure side of the game — dribbling, passing, shooting,” he said. “The only other difference is the conversations are a little bit different — on the team and in the locker room. There is a lot more dancing on the women’s side.”

Relationships are a bit different too.

“The recruiting process is huge and (with) the current roster, that relationship means a whole lot,” Cummard said. “The NIL world is kind of turning that on its head a little bit because it makes it a little more transactional and there is a number involved with it and they feel that differently. Overall, it’s the same. You want to play good basketball, play solid defense, take good shots, value it, don’t throw it to the other team and be tough.”

First-year surprise

During Cummard’s first season, the Cougars (26-12) doubled their win total from the previous year. They defeated Utah three times and won nine of their last 11 games to end the season feeling good about the future.

Along the way, Cummard learned a lot about himself and how he thinks.

“The amount of thoughts that run through your head, I wasn’t prepared for that. I stew and think through things deeply a lot. I probably should get better at that as we go forward,” he said. “I knew you had to make a lot of decisions, but it just seems like there is decision after decision after decision — especially in that first year.”

Managing through a 9-9 Big 12 record and reaching the championship game of the WBIT have done wonders for his mindset.

“It’s getting better,” he said. “I’m now to a point where I can focus if I’m on a walk and listening to an audiobook or podcast where probably the first 10 months, there was no chance. That was the most surprising.”

Looking ahead

Returning most of the firepower from last year’s group, including two-time All-Big 12 first-team performer Delaney Gibb, Cummard is eager for his second season, but not before a long summer of improvements.

“We have to become better shooters. We have to make more shots, and we have to value the basketball more,” he said. “The 3-point percentage needs to improve, our overall shooting percentage needs to improve, and our turnover percentage is too high, and we need to improve it.”

Years from now, the connected dots in Cummard’s career will show how well he coached and recruited, but none will be bigger than the dot of 2019, which kept him in the game and out of selling insurance.

Dave McCann is a sportswriter and columnist for the Deseret News and is a play-by-play announcer and show host for BYUtv/ESPN+. He co-hosts “Y’s Guys” at ysguys.com and is the author of the children’s book “C is for Cougar,” available at deseretbook.com.