June 16, 2011
SEATTLE - Megan Osmer knew the Husky women's basketball family was tight. But she didn't know just how strong those bonds were before taking a job with the school she's rooted for her whole life. After accepting the Director of Basketball Operations position with the Washington women's basketball team, Osmer logged onto her Facebook page. There she found a message from former letterwinner and high school teammate Jill Bell, who simply said: "Welcome to the Husky family." Osmer will handle a variety of roles in her position, from handling travel logistics to assisting with the team's budget and on-campus recruiting. The Bellevue, Wash., native returns home after spending the past three seasons as an assistant coach with San Jose State. Despite a coaching change within the Spartans program, Osmer had the opportunity to stay on with the new administration. The chance, though, to help rebuild a program with Kevin McGuff and his impressive staff was too much to turn down. Still, the decision was difficult and Osmer lamented leaving close friends in the Spartans' athletic department. "It is home," Osmer said. "I'm excited to have my family involved here. And to be able to work with a staff of this caliber is what I'm really looking forward to." As a former assistant, Osmer brings an additional set of skills to the administrative position. That sold McGuff and his staff when they were looking to make a hire. Osmer is the fourth hire McGuff has made since taking over the program on April 3. The former Xavier coach has also brought on Kevin Morrison, Mike Neighbors and Adia Barnes as assistants. "We're really excited to bring Megan on board," McGuff said. "She's just an outstanding person, and her level of organization and attention-to-detail is impressive. She brings a diverse set of experiences to the position that will serve us well here at Washington." Growing up, Osmer wanted more than anything to be a Husky. When Bell was being recruited by the UW, Osmer - a talented player in her own right - tagged along. She considered the idea of walking on, but fate took her to East Lansing in 2003, where she played for a season at Michigan State. Osmer discovered her niche, though, after transferring to D-II Lynn University in Florida. In three seasons at the Boca Raton-based school, Osmer established herself as an effective interior presence, and still ranks in the top five in both blocks and rebounding. Following graduation in 2006, Osmer added international basketball to her resume. She played with the Manchester Mystics in the United Kingdom, and while with the club, she also ran coaching sessions for local boys and girls and was an assistant coach for their U16 team. But Seattle was always home. During breaks at school, Osmer returned to the Pacific Northwest to spend time with family and friends. In the summer of 2004, she worked with the Seattle Storm's marketing department, as well as various basketball camps in the Puget Sound. With parents across Lake Washington in Bellevue and a brother and sister "five minutes away" from campus, Osmer is surrounded by a tight family network. Coaching is still in her plans as well. But she said it was impossible to pass up the opportunity to learn from a head coach who's had a tremendous amount of success over the course of his career. "That's why I took the job," Osmer said. "As much as I really want to coach, I know this is someone where I can learn a whole lot from." |
