After 22 seasons on the sidelines for the Concord University women’s basketball program, head coach Kenny Osborne announced his retirement from coaching Sunday evening.
During his two-plus decade run at the Carter Center on Christie/Cox Court, Osborne amassed 306 wins, and totaled 318 career wins—counting his one season on the sideline at Bluefield State. He coached two All-Americans (Jolysa Brown in 2011-12 and Riley Fitzwater in 2021 and 2021-22). Osborne had the privilege of coaching seven first team all-conference players, including three all-region players. And all told coached 14 all-conference players during his tenure.
Additionally, 13 of the 20 1,000-point scorers in program history were tutored by Osborne.
“I’d like to thank all the players that I’ve coached throughout the years, the Concord administration, President Dr. Kendra Boggess and Athletic Director Kevin Garrett,” Osborne said. “I’d also like to thank the two full-time assistants I had during my time, first Jamie Cluesman and then Tesla Southcott. None of this success would have been possible without them and the players they helped to get to Concord.
“Tesla was an integral and huge part of our success over the last half decade, and I can’t thank her enough for helping us get back to the upper echelon of the MEC.”
Prior to Osborne arriving in Athens, Concord had won single-digit games in each of the two previous seasons. After a six-win season in 2000-01, the veteran head coach needed just two seasons to make the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WVIAC) Tournament Semifinals.
By 2006-07, Osborne tallied his first of six 20-win seasons for the Mountain Lions, and another appearance in the tournament semifinal round. Concord made the tournament semifinals six times under Osborne, including most recently in back-to-back seasons (2019 and 2020).
“Coach Osborne helped set the standard of success for women’s basketball at Concord,” Garrett said. “His leadership to the athletic department has been invaluable on and off the court. He’s leaving the program in much better shape than how he found it 20 years ago.”
In the final four seasons for Osborne at Concord, his Mountain Lion teams posted a record of 73-34—a winning percentage of .682—which included three 20-win seasons.
Osborne was a two-time WVIAC Coach of the Year. And after his 2018-19 team won a program-record 23 games, he was named the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Division II Atlantic Regional Coach of the Year by his peers.
Tesla Southcott will serve as the interim head coach until a permanent head coach is named.
