The freshman from San Antonio remained committed to the Utes even after a coaching change in 2024.<\/p>\n
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah Utes guard LA Sneed (2) plays at the Huntsman Center on Nov. 15, 2025.<\/p>\n
When Leonna \u201cLA\u201d Sneed was only in the eighth grade, she wrote down Utah on her short list of schools she wanted to play for, despite having no ties to the university or the state.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy parents were really shocked,\u201d Sneed said. \u201cThey were like, \u2018Utah? Really?\u2019 I told them to watch a game with me and they saw how I could fit in.\u201d<\/p>\n
Two weeks later, Utah was already in contact with the young star from San Antonio. She then went to Utah\u2019s campus as a part of an early recruit invitation in only her freshman year of high school.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I first stepped foot here, when I visited my freshman year, that feeling never left,\u201d Sneed said. \u201cOnce I got to my official visit, I knew this was the place for me.\u201d<\/p>\n
But there was one moment when she questioned that.<\/p>\n
In November of 2024, Lynne Roberts, then the Utes\u2019 head coach, held a team meeting and informed her players and staff that she would no longer be coaching the Utah women\u2019s basketball team.<\/p>\n
She was offered a job as the head coach of one of the WNBA\u2019s premier franchises, the Los Angeles Sparks, and simply couldn\u2019t pass up the opportunity.<\/p>\n
While much of the focus was shifted towards recouping as a team and ensuring the squad could still reach the NCAA Tournament \u2014 which it did \u2014 longtime assistant and now head coach Gavin Petersen was tasked with making sure Utah didn\u2019t lose Sneed, a five-star high school point guard.<\/p>\n
So how did Utah retain Sneed, who is now a key piece in the Utes\u2019 quest for a postseason berth, even after a shocking midseason coaching change?<\/p>\n
(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah guard LA Sneed (2) defended by BYU guard Marya Hudgins (23) and BYU guard Delaney Gibb (11) as BYU hosts Utah, NCAA basketball in Provo on Saturday, Jan. 31, 2026.<\/p>\n
\u201c[Sneed] picked Utah for various reasons, one of them being coach Rob,\u201d Petersen said. \u201cIt was up to me to make sure I told them that even though leadership changed, there are a lot of similarities.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sneed, a 5-foot-6 point guard, was the No. 28 recruit in the 2025 high school class according to ESPN. <\/p>\n