The Canadian Elite Basketball League is a movement that brings Canadians together through a new basketball experience. As the league prepares to be the first professional sports league in Canada to reunite sports and passionate fans through the CEBL Summer Series later in July, the CEBL caught up with Saskatchewan Rattlers guard, Kemy Osse.
"I was always going up against my brothers, always trying to be better than them, and it was through them teaching me never to accept losing, that ‘never want to lose’ mentality. That carried over from the court to off the court too."
Kemy Osse, who is set to make his CEBL debut this summer with the Saskatchewan Rattlers, hails from Montreal, Que., where he was born and raised after his parents emigrated from Haiti. The lone of the six Osse children born in Canada, Kemy views travelling to Haiti for the first time as a dream destination to visit and notes the determination of his parents, as well as his siblings that helped him get to where he is today.
His older brothers John and Nelson were always involved in the game when Kemy was growing up. The two older siblings of Kemy, who own Parc Ex Knights,a basketball program in Montreal where current Oklahoma City Thunder guard Luguentz Dortplayed during his freshman year of high school, were tremendous role models for him.
"All of my siblings raised me, my parents obviously raised me, but without them, I wouldn't be the man I am today. My sisters have been like mothers to me, and my brothers have been father-figures to me," said Osse. "They taught me discipline, character, toughness, everything. I've got everything from all my siblings, to be honest. I've got three brothers and two sisters, and I'm the youngest, I've had to work for everything."
"(My parents) came here from nothing and they're grinders, I got my character from all of them," said Osse.
At 15, Osse left home to play high school basketball at Archbishop Carrol in Washington, D.C. He believes that the decision was instrumental in his career's long-term success.
"That was one of the toughest things I've had to do," said Osse. "To live with a family that I didn't really know, to produce in the classroom and on the court where I didn't really have support. From me being young and my brothers, sisters and parents, always showing me how to be tough and how to handle adversity helped me overcome the struggles I had when I first left home."
Osse's decision to move south of the border for high school basketball paid huge dividends, as he then ventured to Arkansas to join the Trojans from 2012-17.
In his redshirt junior year with the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, Osse reached the peak of college hoops, March Madness. In a first-round matchup against the fifth-seeded Boilermakers, he chipped in six points, including a clutch three-ball to put the twelfth-seeded Trojans up five late in double-overtime, sealing the 85-83 come-from-behind victory.
"That's an experience I will never forget," said Osse. "I think that moment was a showcase of all the work that I've put it, me shooting the ball every day and making a big shot in the biggest moment of my life."
Osse, played under Chris Beard at Little Rock, now the head coach at Texas Tech, whom he took to the NCAA National Championship game in 2019. Beard believes that the 2016-17 season where Osse averaged 9.2 points-per-game was instrumental in him reaching the professional level.
"I think that year playing for Coach Beard, I learnt the most," said Osse. "(Beard) would always tell me to have this ability to make tough shots and that I have a pro game."
Prior to Little Rock, Osse represented Canada at the FIBA Americas Under-18 and Under-19 Championships, noting that along with suiting up in March Madness, wearing his countries colours on the world stage is something he won't forget.
"I think that's one of the best experiences that I've had with basketball. To represent my country and play with some of the best talent in Canada, against some of the best talent around the world. Having the chance to play, having some playing time, I was blessed. I think that was a reward for all the work that I put in growing up," said Osse.
Osse has been a part of the 'golden generation' of Canadian basketball, and for the Quebec native, having the opportunity to play a role in the growth of the game across the country, which he is hoping to continue this summer with the Rattlers, is an exciting proposition.
"It means a lot. We all know that Canadians weren't respected back then, so just having a league in Canada and being able to play in it and compete for a championship, I think it means a lot. It gives a chance for Canadians to show their talent and what we're really about."
"I'm very excited to get back on the court,” said Osse. "Saskatchewan is giving me an opportunity actually to do that. Unfortunately, not in the circumstances that we would have wanted, but still, we are going to go into that tournament and try to win it. My ultimate goal is to win a championship, and I'm excited to get the chance to do that."
