Lee Anna Osei named assistant coach of Lancer women’s basketball
Head coach Chantal Vallée and the Lancer women’s basketball team have announced the hiring of Lee Anna Osei as their new full-time assistant coach.
Osei joins the blue and gold from the Toronto Raptors Development Academy where she is a basketball coach clinician and skills trainer. She is also a youth coordinator with the BGC Club Jane and Finch, an organization that helps children and youth develop life skills they need to succeed through community-based services, and relationships with peers and caring adults.
“Lee Anna and I have known each other for years and have a deep mutual respect for one another. I have always admired her resiliency both as a player, coach, and as a person. Her experience in coaching and player development was unmatched by any other candidate and I was thrilled at the possibility to invest in her and help her reach new successes in life.”
Lancers Head coach Chantal Vallée
No stranger to U SPORTS, Osei has experience as both a coach and player in the league. She served as head coach of the St. FX women’s basketball team for four seasons throughout the pandemic and is a graduate and former varsity athlete at Wilfrid Laurier University. While at Laurier, she was named an ‘Outstanding Woman of Laurier,’ was an OUA all-star and was recognized as a four-time academic All-Canadian. She also competed for the University of Miami in the NCAA Division 1 level and at Trinity Valley C.C in Athens, Texas.
“It is an honour to represent the Windsor Lancers,” commented Osei. “Windsor is a leading institution in academics, athletics, and I am really excited about the opportunity to play a part in elevating our women’s basketball program back to national dominance alongside Coach Vallée.”
Osei’s hiring was made possible through the Coaches Association of Ontario female apprentice coach grant and is a three-year position.
“We are very thankful for the grant funding from the CAO to support the hiring of a female apprentice coach,” said director of athletics Stephanie White. “We are also grateful for the support of our campus community as we work to exemplify equitable recruitment and hiring practices within Lancer Athletics. I believe in this program; it has proven to be a support pathway in the development of female coaches.”
With over 12 years of coaching experience under her belt, Osei possess a growth mindset and is enthusiastic about building community and serving marginalized groups including but not limited to youth, women, and people of colour.
In honour of Canada’s 150th anniversary, Osei was selected as 1 of 150 women nationally who excel in their field, push for greater diversity and who help build vibrant communities in the ‘HERSTORY in Black’ series as televised by CBC News. She also founded the Black Canadian Coaches Association (BCCA) with the aim of celebrating, empowering and advocating for Black Canadians in the sport community.
Having previously coached at the The RISE Centre (TRC) Academy in Brantford, Ont., Osei guided the women’s program in 2017-18. She was awarded the 2018 Prep School Coach of the Year award, concluding the season as one of the youngest and most successful coaches in Canadian prep school basketball, amassing an 18-3 record in the Ontario Scholastic Basketball Association.
She also founded the Canletes Basketball program in Toronto, providing services ranging from general sport specific fitness training, recruitment consulting, and showcase events. She is a former basketball skills trainer for Universal Hoops Canada and has several years of coaching experience at the Ontario provincial level for various girls’ and boys’ teams.
“Lee Anna is an extremely hard worker, and her love of life is contagious,” continued Vallée. “She possesses deep values around helping and caring about people, which completely connects with myself and the philosophy of the program. She is a perfect fit for where our program is headed and a tremendous addition to our coaching staff. I look forward to working with her and continuing to build this new generation of Lancers into the next national champions.”