BYU adds Morgan Bailey to women's basketball coaching staff

PROVO, Utah – BYU women’s basketball head coach Amber Whiting announced Tuesday that former Cougar Morgan Bailey has joined the staff as an assistant coach.

“Morgan was an amazing player that has a wealth of knowledge, experience, and energy,” Whiting said. “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.”

A standout as a player at BYU from 2010-15, Bailey joins the coaching staff after three years as an assistant coach at Utah Valley University and stints at Southern Utah and Snow College.

“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. “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 comes aboard after back-to-back winning seasons at UVU. The Wolverine squads went 29-18 in the WAC over her three seasons as an assistant.

She helped lead UVU to its first NCAA Tournament appearance in 2020-21, where they faced No. 1 and eventual national champion Stanford. During her tenure on staff, she has coached eight All-WAC, two WAC All-Defensive Team picks, a WAC All-Newcomer selection, and 19 Academic All-WAC honorees. 

Bailey coached Josie Williams to back-to-back seasons as an All-WAC first-team selection in 2021-22 and Maria Carvalho to a second-team honor last year. Williams led the WAC and was No. 4 nationally with 12.3 rebounds per game and No. 2 in the WAC at 17.3 points per game, posting 22 double-doubles on the year.

She mentored Shay Fano and Nehaa Sohail to All-WAC honorable mentions in 2020-21, with Fano, a Southern Utah transfer, also being named to the All-Newcomer Team, while Carvalho was on the All-Defensive Team for two years.

Bailey spent the 2018-19 season on the coaching staff at Southern Utah following a year as an assistant at Snow College.

She played at BYU from 2010-15 and as a senior was the WCC Player of the Year and an AP honorable mention All-American, averaging 17.2 points per game and 10.5 rebounds. Bailey led the Cougars to a Sweet 16 run where they lost to eventual national champion UConn.

A native of Orem, she attended Timpanogos High School and graduated from BYU with a bachelor’s degree in exercise and wellness/nutrition in 2015. She is also the niece of former NBA player Thurl Bailey.