New Utah Valley University women’s basketball head coach Dan Nielson has announced his coaching staff and it includes three assistants who all have local playing and coaching ties.
Ashley Garfield, Morgan Bailey and Keilani Unga have joined the Wolverines as assistants for Nielson’s first staff as the program’s new head coach. The three were all teammates at Brigham Young University.
“Having had the opportunity to coach and work with each of these women, I know firsthand how bright each of their futures are,” Nielson said. “They all know what it takes to be successful at this level and our student-athletes will thrive under their direction. I honestly cannot wait to get our team back on campus and begin working towards a WAC Championship.”
Garfield has been on staff at BYU since 2015 following a four-year playing career for the Cougars. She was the director of basketball operations from 2015-17 before being promoted to an assistant coach in 2017. She received her bachelor’s degree in health education in 2015 from BYU.
Garfield is from Morgan, Utah where she attended Morgan High School and competed in volleyball and track & field in addition to basketball. She is the sister of former Utah Valley volleyball player Chelsea Garfield Heaps and the sister-in-law to Chelsea’s husband, Austin Heaps, who was an All-American baseball player for UVU.
Bailey spent last season on 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 after leading the Cougars to a Sweet 16 run where they lost to eventual national champion UConn.
Bailey graduated from BYU in 2015 with a bachelor’s degree in exercise and wellness/nutrition. A native of Orem, she attended Timpanogos High School. She is also the niece of former NBA player Thurl Bailey.
Unga is making her first foray into coaching collegiately after spending time as a personal trainer and an assistant coach at Mountain View High School in Orem, Utah. She also played at BYU from 2007-13, with two seasons off (2010-12) giving birth to her first two children. Unga graduated from BYU in 2013 with a bachelor’s degree in life science.
Unga is from Warrenville, Illinois and prepped at Wheaton Warrenville High School. She is the sister of former NFL tight end, Tony Moeaki, who played collegiately at Iowa. She and her husband, Harvey, who played football at BYU and in the NFL, are the parents of four kids: Jackson, Leila, Makai and Naomi.
