WATCH: College Basketball Coach Breaks the News of Her Own Firing in Absolutely Surreal Press Conference
Mountain West
Utah State University women’s basketball coach Kayla Ard revealed right after her team’s season-ending loss that she had already been fired.
In the Aggies’ season finale, they lost 85-49 against Boise State in the Mountain West tournament. The loss dropped their record to 5-26.
After the game, Ard was asked about the processing of rebuilding for next season. That’s when she revealed she’d have nothing to do with that, considering she’d just been fired.
“I’m not gonna be rebuilding. I just coached my last game at Utah State,” Ard said at the post-game press conference. “I spoke with [Athletic Director Diana Sabau] and they’re going in a different direction; and I respect her decision and I hope they get a really good coach in.
“Assuming that’s gonna be the last question,” she concluded.
Ard then stood up and left the conference.
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
While it’s widely assumed after disappointing losses that a coach’s fate may be sealed, it’s rare for a program to make its decision so immediately. In fact, the Monday after the final NFL regular season game is often referred to as “Black Monday” because organizations at least wait until the next day to commit to firings. In the case of Ard, however, Utah State likely knew what it would do before the game even began.
