Lee Anna Osei – Founder

Lee Anna Osei is a Ghanaian Canadian university varsity athletic basketball coach and educator at St. Francis Xavier University (StFX). Born and raised in Jane and Finch Toronto Ontario, ‘Coach Lee’ credits basketball as the vehicle that inspired her towards educational pursuits as a first-generation Canadian citizen.

Though Lee Anna has long coached for males and females, she has long been an advocate for women in sport. As a first-generation African Canadian, female sport participation was not deemed appropriate within her household, yet through the support of coaches and mentors Lee was able to overcome a number of challenges and stayed committed to the game. Lee Anna’s accomplishments include winning several provincial championships and being named a Toronto Star Top 5 athlete en route to receiving several athletic scholarship offers to Canadian and American university institutions.

Lee Anna a competed for the University of Miami (FL) and Trinity Valley C.C where she retained her Associates Degree. She then attended Wilfrid Laurier University, where she was finished her career a 3-time Academic All Canadian, an Ontario University All Star, and was the recipient of the prestigious Outstanding Woman of Laurier Award in 2015. She graduated with an Honours BA in 2015 and went on to complete her Master of Arts in History 2016.

Lee Anna is a former Team Ontario Girls Provincial Coach and Prep school Head Coach and has been recognized for her work as a player development and mentor coach with some of Canada’s most highly touted male and female basketball players in the WNBA and NBA. After returning to Canada to complete her undergrad, LeeAnna founded Canletes Basketball, now referred to as Canletes Sports, a platform to support the growth of women’s basketball in Ontario and Canada.

Kareem Griffin – Director

Kareem Griffin has turned his love for basketball into his life’s work. Be it on or off the court, he continues to push for a larger spotlight on women in sports. As an award winning coach & co-founder of Canletes Sports, Kareem has positioned himself as a leader in Canada’s ladies basketball community.

Since co-founding Canletes Sports in 2012, Kareem has spearheaded over 30 events geared towards showcasing the wealth and depth of women’s basketball in Canada. He has created marquee events including Ontario High School girls’ basketball All Star game and Best in Prep increasing opportunities for exposure as well as recruitment for dozens of young girls. In 2014, as a tribute to the passing of his mother from breast cancer, Kareem created Shoot 4 a Cure. The annual basketball tournament not only promotes women’s basketball but also raises awareness for breast cancer and research in Canada.

On the court, for over 15 years, Kareem brought his passion for basketball to the local, provincial and national stages. He led the Eastern Commerce Varsity Women’s team to its first provincial gold medal win. Later in his career, he was a member of the coaching staff for Ryerson University Women’s team when they won its first OUA championship and national silver medal. Kareem has also been named All Canada Classic Coach of the Year by Phase 1 and most recently was the Head Coach for Seneca College’s Varsity Women’s basketball team. Over his career, Kareem has assisted over 200 female athletes with receiving NCAA division 1 & 2, Junior College, USPORTS and CCAA scholarships.

Kareem’s impressive career has made him a sought after speaker. Appearing in online and radio interviews, he is often asked to provide insight and perspective on the latest developments in the basketball community.

Born and raised in Toronto, Kareem attended Centennial College and is a proud Eastern Commerce
alumni.

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Micaella Riche – National Scout

Since then, she played professionally overseas, she has worked as the Manager of Basketball Operations at Lay-Up Youth Basketball. In her current role as National Scout for Canletes, Micallea identifies and evaluates amateur girls’ basketball at both the High School and Middle School levels across Canada  

Janelle Griffin – Communications Specialist

Janelle Griffin is an award-winning Editorial Guest Producer and communications specialist. Over the last decade, Griffin has brought her unique combination of editorial savvy and casting skills to major media networks spanning the United States and Canada. While operating on the frontline of the biggest breaking news stories at CNN’s World Headquarters in Atlanta, Griffin continues to break the mold–serving in her capacity as a guest producer. Griffin’s impressive portfolio of work includes working across all five of CNN’s dayside programs. In her role as Editorial Guest Producer, Griffin pitches, books and interviews newsmakers on a wide variety of national and international topics. She is credited with producing award-winning guest segments for North America’s top news organizations and drove editorial direction of guests during Whitney Houston’s death in 2012, the final flight of NASA’s space shuttle in 2011, and the last four Presidential Elections. Griffin earned a Peabody Award for her contribution to CNN’s Coverage of the Gulf Oil Spill in 2010.

As a result of her impressive career in television news, Griffin has been invited to speak at colleges and conferences where she provides comprehensive strategies on how to pitch yourself and your brand to the media, as well as how to dig out great stories.

Earlier in her career, Griffin served as a producer for Canada’s national Business News Network(BNN) and CTV News.

Griffin is a proud Canadian, born and raised in Toronto where she graduated from Seneca College’s Broadcast-Journalism program. She currently lives in Atlanta, Georgia where she enjoys attending NBA games. She loves traveling the world and is a sucker for a story that pulls on the heart strings.

John Amoah – National Scout

John Amoah brings more than a decade of experience, on and off the basketball court.

John’s career in sports first began as an Assistant Coach for the Eastern Commerce High School Girls’ Varsity squad. He was part of the coaching team that brought home the school’s first back-to-back provincial championship for the girls’ team. 

Moving from the secondary to post secondary school ranks, John brought his keen eye for recognizing and developing talent to his position with Seneca College’s Women’s Basketball team as an Assistant Coach/Recruiter. 

In addition to Canletes Sports John is also a Program Lead for the basketball program with Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE) Launchpad. 

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Laura Terry – Manager of Camps and Development

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Michelle Newell – Administrative Assistant

A former student of George Brown College, Michelle Newell graduated with honors as a Community Worker.
During the country’s economic downturn she joined the Government of Canada as a Payment Service Officer where she worked to service the needs of citizens who had lost employment in the midst of a global economic crisis. Over the last decade she has continued to work in a variety of roles for Service Canada and has returned to her initial role to once again support Canadians affected by the pandemic caused by Covid-19. Michelle’s strong administrative background and education in Community Work will translate well into the role of administration, while supporting the mission statement of Canletes.

A single mother of 3 smart and athletic children, she quickly switches “hats” to a soccer and basketball mom during the evenings and weekends. With her first born child on a full ride scholarship to a NCAA Division 1 school, she has paved the road for her remaining two children to follow in the success of her
eldest child.

Her experience/perspective as a parent from the sidelines and the bleachers to the car ride home post games will serve as a significant contribution to the program and also in maintaining content used on Canletes social media platforms.

When she is not driving to and attending a game, practice or tournament in the USA, Michelle enjoys boxing, watching TV and surfing social media.

Tevya Reid – Director of Inclusion & Educational Pathways

Tevya Reid, B.Sc, OCT (he/him) is an event management professional with 10+ years of experience in Toronto’s sports and entertainment industry, organizing many of Toronto’s largest and most memorable concerts in the city’s most iconic venues.

As a Social Justice Educator serving the Toronto District School Board, among one of the largest school boards in North America. He has a decade of experience working to identify and deconstruct Anti-Black racism identified internally within the education system, while supporting “marginalized” parents as they advocate for equitable tools and resources to support the academic achievement outcomes of their children. 

As a student, Coach Reid has always been passionate about Basketball and Athletics. After winning the 2002 Provincial High School Basketball Championship for Toronto’s Eastern Commerce Saints, he was awarded an athletic scholarship to compete in the NAIA for Xavier University of Louisiana’s Track & Field Team, where he helped lead XULA to their first GCAC Outdoor Track & Field title.

With a focus on Form, Speed Development and Endurance, Coach Reid continues to use his athletic expertise to advise, tutor, and mentor aspiring student-athletes from various backgrounds as they pursue their academic goals.