March is a time for celebration in women’s basketball. It’s also a time for reflection for those who fall short of making the NCAA Tournament. Sometimes, that means difficult conversations are intended to be had, which could cause people to lose their jobs. But rarely — if ever — does that happen before a postgame press conference of your presumptive last game of the season.
Kayla Ard’s future with Utah State has likely been a topic of ongoing discussions with the Athletic Department. Given her current record (a .248 winning percentage over four seasons) and entering the final year of her contract, it’s improbable she would be offered an extension. Bringing back a lame-duck coach with such a record wouldn’t be a popular decision.
Ard’s dismissal, while unfortunate, was not unexpected.
But how it happened was. During a postgame interview following a first-round conference tournament loss to Boise State, a reporter asked her about rebuilding the program. In a surprising turn, Ard announced she would not be the one leading that effort, indicating she had just coached her last game for Utah State.
“I’m not gonna be rebuilding; I just coached my last game at Utah State,” Ard replied. “I spoke with (Utah State Athletic Director) Dianna (Sabau), and they’re going in a different direction. And I respect their decision. And I hope they get a really good coach in.”
An uncomfortable silence filled the room for a few seconds, thick with tension. Interpreting the silence, Ard turned to the moderator and asked, “I’m assuming that’s going to be the last question?” before exiting the stage, awkwardly marking the end of her tenure as the team’s head coach.
This is crazy! After the Utah State women lost tonight, coach Kayla Ard was asked how they rebuild next season – and she says she just got fired. Never seen anything like this.
"I'm assuming that's going to be the last question?"
(Video courtesy of The Mountain West) pic.twitter.com/j9yjcMAbjD
— B.J. Rains (@BJRains) March 11, 2024
The Aggies’ poor record of 5-25 entering the Mountain West Conference Tournament made Ard’s position precarious, and a miraculous run seemed the only way to save her job.
Ard’s team hasn’t won more than 10 games in any season except 2021-2022, when they finished with a record of 11-19. Sunday’s 85-49 loss to Boise State in the tournament’s first round capped off a third straight season in which they won less than six games.
While her departure wasn’t a surprise given the team’s performance, the timing was. It seems unlikely she would return, but having her speak to reporters after being fired by Utah State was questionable at best. The Athletic Department could have handled the situation better by announcing the decision beforehand.
After Ard announced she had been fired, Utah State issued a formal statement commending her and her staff’s efforts while emphasizing the need for a new direction for the women’s basketball program.
The exact timeline remains unclear. It’s uncertain if Ard was informed literally after the game, before the tournament, or even earlier. While The Aggship reported Ard and Sabau notified the team in the locker room, the details of the postgame sequence at the MWC tournament are unknown.
Utah State will be tasked with finding a new leader for its women’s basketball program.
[B.J. Rains on Twitter/X]
About Sam Neumann
Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.