Kassy Ayanbeku Named Women’s Basketball Assistant Coach

BROCKTON, Mass. ---- Massasoit Community College recently named Kisandra "Kassy" Ayanbeku assistant coach for the women's basketball program. Ayanbeku comes to Brockton after serving the last five years as an assistant coach at Roxbury Community College under now Warrior head coach Mark Leszczyk.

"I am very excited to start this new chapter at Massasoit and I didn't think twice about making the transition with Coach Leszczyk," Ayanbeku said. "I've always told him wherever he goes, I go. I've always admired Coach Leszczyk's work ethic and how much effort he puts towards recruiting. He has always advocated for our players and his passion for wanting them to succeed once they move on, are just a few reasons why we work so well together. We are a stepping stone for them to be ready to move forward and be prepared for the next level, on and off the court. I'm ready to help establish a strong women's basketball program at Massasoit and I can't wait for the season to start!"

During her time at Roxbury, the Tigers posted an impressive 103-24 overall record (81.1 winning percentage) and were nearly unbeatable amongst Region 21 divisional opponents going 57-3 (95 winning percentage) over the last five years. The Tigers captured the NJCAA Region 21 Championship three times along with winning the NJCAA Division III National Championship in 2016 during that span.

"Having Coach Ayanbeku willing to make the transition with me to Massasoit was critical in my decision to come to the Warriors program," Leszczyk said. "Her passion and dedication to her craft, and to the student-athletes is second to none in this industry. I am so fortunate to have an assistant who I can trust with any aspect of the program whether it's recruiting, practice or game-time decisions. Our players will soon learn what a positive role model they have in Coach K."

Prior to Roxbury, Ayanbeku served as a graduate assistant coach and director of basketball operations for at Canisius College. At Canisius, she assisted in preparing practice plans, making travel arrangements, film exchange and overseeing the team budget, amongst other responsibilities.

A Randolph native and former standout at Randolph High School, Ayanbeku produced a decorated collegiate career at Montclair State (New Jersey). While with the Red Hawks, she scored over 1,300 points and pulled down 900 rebounds on the way to earning first team All-NJAC honors on two occasions. She was named the league's Defensive Player of the Year in 2008-09 and started all 78 games during her final three seasons.

She was also named the Montclair State Female Student-Athlete of the Year in 2010, and earned All-Met Writers Division III First Team and D3Hoops.com All-Atlantic Region Third Team accolades as a junior.

In addition, she was selected to attend the 2009 NCAA National Student-Athlete Development Conference in Orlando, Fla., and to the WBCA "So You Want To Be A Coach" program.

Ayanbeku, a two-year captain, graduated with her bachelor's degree in business administration and management from Montclair State in 2011. She then went on to earn her masters in sport administration from Canisius College in 2014.