Head coach Vallee back from Hamilton
Lancers head coach returns to the fold after making history with men’s pro team
University of Windsor Lancers women’s head basketball coach Chantal Vallee has been replaced as head coach of the Hamilton Honey Badgers of the Canadian Elite Basketball League.
Vallee made history last season when she became the first female head coach and general manager of a professional men’s basketball team, taking on the dual role with the fledgling Honey
Badgers.
“I had so much fun,” Vallee said Tuesday. “It was an unbelievable journey.”
However, Vallee was on sabbatical for a year, which allowed her to take on the job in Hamilton. She has since returned to the university on a full-time basis.
“At the end of the season, John (Lashway, the Honey Badgers president) offered me the contract for coach and GM,” Vallee said. “I said I had to go back to talk to the people at the university.”
Early on, Vallee opted to step aside as GM and Hamilton hired former Canadian national team member Jermaine Anderson for that role in December. She continued to consider staying on as head coach, but finally opted not to return to that role, either.
“They were very patient with me,” Vallee said. “I really wanted to invest in my (university) players this summer and make sure we can win a championship. I want to get back there.”
On Tuesday, Hamilton named Ryan Schmidt, an assistant coach with the NBA G-league’s Raptors 905, as head coach.
“The time away is so much, I didn’t feel I could do a good job with both,” Vallee said. “Ryan’s an extraordinary hire and we’ve already talked. Jermaine knows people and he’s a fantastic hire.
“The organization’s got topnotch people. It’s amazing seeing what the organization is continuing to build.”
The Honey Badgers finished the regular season 10-10 under Vallee last year before she guided them to a spot in the inaugural championship final.
“She took on a significant challenge in our inaugural season and did an exceptional job, especially in light of not having had previous experience coaching professional men,” Lashway said in a release.
Hamilton was scheduled to start the season last Friday in Edmonton, but the CEBL announced last month that the league would delay its start until June due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It continues to go over contingency plans that depend on recommendations from the federal and provincial health and governments officials. Should the season proceed, the Honey Badgers will have a spot on Schmidt’s staff for Vallee.
“While the year-round demands of her basketball program at the University of Windsor
preclude her from continuing as head coach and general manager of the Honey Badgers, we’re grateful that Chantal Vallee will be able to continue to contribute to our organization in 2020,” Lashway said.
“She will have a great opportunity to continue to contribute, as well as to further develop as a coach with us this summer.”
For Vallee, it’s a chance to learn and grow as she works to get the Lancers back onto the national championship stage.
“Remaining on staff allows me to continue to learn as a development program as opposed to trying to run two programs and win two championships,” Vallee said. “I didn’t want to be average with both jobs. I’m happy that
I’m going to be a part of it and continue to learn.”