Cummard, Gibb, Cannon and Ogden talk 2025-26 season at Big 12 Media Day

Head coach Lee Cummard and players Delaney Gibb, Brinley Cannon and Hattie Ogden showed out at Big 12 Women's Basketball Media Day.

Author Austin Rustand
Cummard, Gibb, Cannon and Ogden talk 2025-26 season at Big 12 Media DayCummard, Gibb, Cannon and Ogden talk 2025-26 season at Big 12 Media Day
Ben Solomon/Big 12 Conference

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — BYU women’s basketball head coach Lee Cummard and players Delaney Gibb, Brinley Cannon and Hattie Ogden spoke to the media ahead of the 2025-26 season at Big 12 Women's Basketball Media Day at the T-Mobile Center on Tuesday. 

The Cougars spent the day fielding questions from local, regional and national media members about the fast-approaching 2025-26 season, their goals for year one under first-year head coach Lee Cummard and how the seven returners, five freshmen and one transfer look to make some noise in BYU's third season as a Big 12 Conference member. 

Cummard and his players, along with the other 15 Big 12 teams, participated in content capture stations with ESPN, FOX, Turner Sports, the Big 12 Conference, TuneIn Radio and Big 12 Studios at Big 12 Women's Basketball Media Day presented by New Era.

Head Coach Lee Cummard

Head Coach Lee Cummard

On his first season as BYU's head coach

“Yeah, I love BYU guys. It’s no surprise to anybody. The place changed my life, and so I love it, and I know I am 100-percent biased, but I don’t think there’s a better place to be a student-athlete than at BYU.”

On his experience as a BYU student-athlete

“We won a lot. Kind of start there. I came as an athlete-student, and I’m proud to say I was a student-athlete by the time I left BYU, and I just grew as a human being... We want to be impactful with our athletes now, to give them that same experience.”

On the team's progress heading into the season

“One thing that makes me really optimistic is that we’ve built a foundation, both offensively and defensively. When you’re implementing certain things, day one, day two, day three, it’s not very good, but we have been able to show progress in different areas — whether it’s ball-screen coverage, transition defense, or just certain things we’re trying to implement. With time, things improve. They’re starting to pick up the concepts, the scheme, everything we’re trying to do philosophically on the court.”

On the next steps for BYU women’s basketball in the Big 12

 “We haven’t done anything in the league in the first two years. We’ve been in a lot of close games, we’ve upset a few ranked opponents, but we’ve never won a game in the conference tournament. We’ve never finished in the top half of the league. So there are two [goals] right there that we want to strive for daily. We want to be playing late into the conference tournament and go to the NCAA Tournament as a member of the Big 12.”

On being picked to finish 10th in the Big 12 coaches’ poll

“Neither good nor bad — here’s where our league thinks we’re at. It’s up to us to show them where we’re at and continue to try to get to where we can be. We’re focusing more on the inputs rather than the outputs, even though we have higher expectations internally. I’m not allowed to vote for our team, so I’d say the way things shook out, rankings-wise, we probably weren’t too far off. When you look at some of the returning production, the transfers that came in, or the newness of some rosters, it’s kind of to be expected the way it turned out. At the top, they’re feeling the expectations, and at the bottom, everybody that’s not number one is trying to outdo the seed they were picked.”

On Delaney Gibb entering year two

 “She’s gained everybody’s respect in the league. The preseason award is a really cool recognition, because we have some great coaches in the league and they voted on it. She needs to show some maturity going into year two. She’s not going to sneak up on anybody. Everybody knows she’s a scorer, and she can do that very well, but she’s got to show that growth in her game as far as, "I missed the shot — don’t pick up a quick foul after, just manage the game. You know, as a floor general, as a point guard. But yeah, she’s ready to go. She’s been working hard, so excited. We can’t wait to watch her.”

On BYU’s international roster

 “They fit us, and we fit them. That is important at a unique place like BYU. We feel like it makes us stronger. We have a lot of different life experiences in our locker room, and it’s a great group that really brings all their life experience and their upbringing together, and it makes us better on the floor and as a group. We look forward to the season and using some of that life experience to help us.”

On freshman Olivia Hamlin

"Liv is a ball of energy. She is always ready to have a good time, ready to sing, dance, do something fun in the spur-of-the-moment, but she can really score it. She’s somebody who doesn’t really need to be put in a position to score. She just knows how to put the ball in the basket. She has shown out pretty well so far and is doing really good things and is a great, great addition to the team.”

On the impact of joining the Big 12

 “I think we have some players here that may have thought elsewhere without the Big 12. So it’s elevated us in that sense. The resources are there to be highly competitive. The game of women’s basketball itself is just elevating all programs in this space. We feel fortunate to be part of that rising tide. There are a lot of factors in that, but it’s great to be part of the Big 12 and part of a game that’s hot right now in the landscape of athletics. For us, relative to some of the other teams in the league who get bigger crowds, there’s a pathway to increase all of that — the visibility for these athletes and the stories they have to share with the world.”

Delaney Gibb

Delaney Gibb

On her mental approach heading into year two

“I think going in as a freshman, it was always exciting to prove yourself and see what you can do. And so going into this next season, I’m really excited to kind of take a leadership role on our team. We’ve got a lot of new faces, and so it’s fun to be someone who was here last year and has a feel for this league and for college basketball. It is super exciting to be able to build off a great year last year.”

On playing for Team Canada

“It was super exciting. I was traveling a lot, which I would not have it any other way. Being able to play with Team Canada is so special to me, and I got to experience basketball with so many great players and so many experienced athletes. I feel like I’ve learned so much from the summer, and it’s exciting to try and funnel that into this upcoming season.”

On how Coach Cummard has taken the reins as the head coach

“Yeah, going off that, I think also he just really connects with everyone individually. It’s really special when you have a coach who genuinely cares about you, and that’s who Lee Cummard is. He’s done a great job of recruiting great people and forming relationships and having a team that is so connected. We all care about each other, and that’s going to help us so much when there are tougher times during the season.”

On Big 12 preseason poll

“Honestly, it’s just a number, but it’s obviously something that we want to place higher than that. So that’s for sure something we’re going to keep in the back of our minds. We’re going to play with confidence. And in the Big 12, top to bottom, every team is really good. This gives us an opportunity to really prove ourselves and prove that we can play with the best teams in this conference.”

On offseason skill development

“I was young as a freshman, and I felt like I was a lot smaller and weaker than some of the guards. And so, making sure that my fitness is improving, I’m getting bigger, stronger and trying to get quicker and faster. And then as far as skill-wise, I’m kind of a known shooter, so I think trying to improve in other areas, trying to get a tighter handle, being able to score more at all three levels. I shot a lot of threes, and I got to the rim a lot, so trying to incorporate mid-range game, floaters, stuff like that.”

On the impact the incoming freshmen and newcomers will make on this team

"I think Sydney has such a high IQ — it’s really cool to see a freshman who just knows and feels the game of basketball. She’s super fun to play with. Livvy [Olivia Hamlin] — she’s my roommate — we’ve got a great vibe going. She’s one of the most interesting, hilarious people you’ll ever meet, and she’s such a high-energy player. She’s someone you can put in the game, and she’s going to bring a spark for us. Going off that, all the freshmen, and then obviously we have Lara, who’s a transfer. She’s going to help us a ton. She’s long and athletic, which is great to have.”

Brinley Cannon

Brinley Cannon

On Coach Cummard taking over as head coach

“It’s been awesome. I think Coach Lee has brought an emphasis on what we talked about this summer: playing right, playing hard and playing to win. I think we’ve implemented that really well this offseason, and I’m excited to see how we can continue to grow on those gains as the season approaches.”

On how Coach Cummard has taken the reins as the head coach

“I think he’s handled it really well. I think he has leaned on his assistant coaches and brought a kind of connectivity throughout the whole program — between coaches, players, and just all members of the program. I think he’s helped everyone to know their role really well, and all the coaches have filled a vital role in our program, as well as the players.”

On the impact the incoming freshmen and newcomers will make on this team

“I honestly think all of our freshmen have come in and made an impact already. They’ve come in with a lot of confidence, and I think all of them will play a role in helping us this season. I think Sydney has a very high basketball IQ, can make plays, is very calm, composed and can really guard. I think she’ll make a huge impact for our team this year.”

On next step for the team in the Big 12

“We’ve talked a lot about it within our team. We want to finish in the top half of the Big 12 and make it to the NCAA tournament. I think we just need to keep leveling up and keep competing in those Big 12 games. Like Delaney said, there’s so much talent in the Big 12, and any game can go any way. It’s just about showing up and competing every game and fighting to win.”

Hattie Ogden

Hattie Ogden

On Coach Cummard taking over as head coach

“His competitive edge and his little bit of smack talking — it’s brought a lot of energy and a lot of competitiveness to our program, and I’m super excited.”

On how Coach Cummard has taken the reins as the head coach

“I think part of that transition has been that we did have that past relationship last year, so it’s really just growing off of that. We already have that trust, and now we’re just able to get to work.”

On playing with Brinley Cannon

“A couple of words I would use to describe Brynn’s game — she’s a very hungry player. She’s going to go get one, but she’s also one of the most selfless players. She knows when to go get a bucket and when to make a play for her teammate. That’s what makes her so deadly, because her step-through finishing game at the rim, her ability to shoot, but then her ability to make that read and to set her teammates up.”