The first name will sound familiar to those in Utah basketball circles who have followed the women’s game in the state in recent years.
The last name will take a little longer to commit to memory — though there is a welcome mat from BYU fans at the Marriott Center for transfer Kemery Congdon.
The talented guard who prepped at Alta and Corner Canyon High and was named the Deseret News’ 2019 Ms. Basketball will play her final collegiate season at BYU — a welcome addition for Amber Whiting in her third season as the Cougars’ head coach.
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“With my last year of playing, one of the bigger things was just coming home. I love being around. I’m a big family person, so to have my family be able to be involved was huge for me,” Congdon said last week during Big 12 media days at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Mo.
“And then talking to Amber and just, you know, what she’s got on the team, what she’s got going, what they’re looking for, it’s definitely something I want to be a part of.”
Congdon is expected to be a major contributor for the Cougars, who welcomed nine new faces this offseason to a program that is coming off its first season in the Big 12 and is hoping to build upon a 16-17 campaign a year ago.
Congdon will do so with a new last name — the former Kemery Martin married her husband, Brandon Congdon, on Aug. 17.
“It’s still newer, but it’s been great,” she said. “I’ve enjoyed it. It’s like I said, being home and then being yes, now married. It’s been a good change, and definitely what I needed, and it’s super refreshing.”
Following her standout prep career, Congdon started off collegiately at the University of Utah, playing for Lynne Roberts from 2019-22. After a promising freshman season in which she started nine games, Congdon enjoyed her best season at Utah during the 2020-21 campaign, when she started 17 of the 21 games she played in and averaged 11.1 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game.
The next year, though, was cut short — Congdon was injured six games into the Utes’ 2021-22 season, and after that year, she transferred to Cal.
Over the past two seasons, she started 55 games for the Golden Bears. As a redshirt sophomore in 2022-23, Congdon averaged 10.6 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game.
She is a 32.7% career shooter from 3-point range and made 59 3-pointers for Cal two years ago, as well as 40 last season.
Whiting said it several times at media days — BYU will shoot more 3s in the offense that Lee Cummard, the former Cougars men’s star and longtime women’s assistant, is taking charge of.
“Sign me up. I’m there,” Congdon said.
Cougar fans got their first taste of what Congdon will bring to this group during BYU’s exhibition win over Westminster on Tuesday. In the 105-37 victory, Congdon scored 15 points while shooting 6 of 10 from the field and 3 of 7 from 3-point range.
She also added five rebounds, five assists and a steal in 21 minutes of action.
“Kemery brings experience to the team, and we need that with being so young,” Whiting said.
The Cougars lost four starters from last season — including star forward Lauren Gustin, who was a double-double machine, and then-freshman guard Kailey Woolston, who’s now on a church mission — and will have four transfers and five freshmen on this year’s squad.
The hope is having a veteran like Congdon will be beneficial for such a young squad.
“She’s also like that cool, collective head … just seeing her in practice, being able to see how she can calm people down, that’s kind of what I want from her,” Whiting said of Congdon.
“But I also want her to be aggressive, and, I mean, she has a really nice shot, and when she’s not playing on attack, she’s a different Kemery, so that’s what I want from her.”
Congdon will share the backcourt in Provo with the coach’s daughter, Amari Whiting, who last year started all 33 games and averaged 10.6 points, 4.9 rebounds and 3.7 assists for the Cougars as a freshman.
The younger Whiting, a four-star talent in high school who originally committed to Oregon before signing with BYU, is looking forward to how the guard duo will work together this season.
“Kemery is just a smooth player. I feel like she’ll lull you to sleep and then all the sudden be right past you,” Whiting said. “She’s just as good as a shooter — her 3 ball is really nice — and so I think you’ll see a lot of 3 balls made from her.
“Her experience, she’s a leader, and so I think it’ll help our team, especially us being so young. She can, you know, give us insight and help us out.”
For Congdon, she’s looking forward to being back home and starting a new chapter in her life — from marriage to playing alongside a new set of teammates at BYU.
“My decision was, should I play again? So like I said, being home was just really big for me. I started out here, left, but then coming back, it’s just like, it’s just a comfort feeling,” she said.
“And then, as well as getting married, that was huge, being able to be close and just kind of start from there, and BYU, I mean, it’s home for sure. It feels like home. Love the girls, definitely family here. I’m excited, excited for something new.”
