Girls Varsity Basketball Coach Rafael Osona Fired Midseason

The Nantucket Athletic Department announced Thursday morning that girls varsity basketball head coach Rafael Osona was fired, effective immediately, in an email sent out by athletic director Travis Lombardi to parents and students. The Athletic Department said the decision was made “with the intent of keeping the current state and future direction of the program in mind.”

“We are deeply grateful for all that coach Rafael Osona has contributed to the program during his tenure,” Lombardi said. “His dedication, passion, and leadership have had a lasting impact on our student-athletes and the entire basketball community.”

Osona told the Current Thursday afternoon he was shocked by the decision.

“I've known these kids a long time,” Osona said. “I'm devastated not because I've been fired but because in some way I've hurt them, I have to hear it second-hand, and I get no opportunity to make amends to them. They are all amazing kids. I sacrifice time, valuable precious time with my own family for them. I'm heartbroken. Heartbroken for them, the situation, everything. Fourteen years and almost 30 different high school seasons, and I'm sent packing mid-season.”

Osona said Lombardi had a closed-door meeting with the student athletes after a few players quit the team, and that they expressed “I’ve been too hard, demeaning, short fused, lack constructive criticism, and play favorites.”

“He (Lombardi) based his entire decision on a closed-door meeting with zero opportunity for me to adjust my coaching style,” Osona said. “At no point has a player or parent approached me about a difficulty their child was having.”

Osona said last December, about 13 months ago, he and Lombardi had one conversation about him being “too intense and amped up in games.” He said he aimed to address it and never heard about the issue again.

“It was a non-issue for the remainder of the (2023-2024) season, or if it was an issue, it was never told to me a second time,” Osona said. “There was never conversation about being too hard, critical or demeaning in practices whatsoever. No parents have reached out at any point with complaints.”

“I imagine if it was a continued problem we would have had dialogue leading into this season after a successful campaign last year, but that wasn't the case,” Osona added.

When asked for comment, Lombardi provided the following statement to the Current on the decision.

"The Nantucket High School Athletic Department has announced a change in leadership for the varsity girls basketball program. This decision was not made lightly, and we understand the challenges that come with making such a change during the season. However, we believe this step is necessary at this time to ensure the continued growth and success of our team. We would like to extend our heartfelt gratitude to Coach Rafael Osona for his dedication, hard work, and the time he has invested in the girls' basketball program during his tenure. His contributions to our student-athletes and the school community have been deeply appreciated. We have named current CPS Girls Basketball Head Coach Jillian Fraker our interim head coach and Angela Paterson as her assistant. As we move forward, our focus remains on fostering a team culture built on progress, collaboration, and sportsmanship. We are committed to supporting our players through this transition and will work diligently to ensure their continued development both on and off the court."

Osona took over the girls varsity program in the 2018-2019 season. Since that time, the Whalers have had a 42-76 record. In his first season as head coach, the Whalers finished 13-4 followed by a 10-12 season.

In the next three years, the Whalers underwent a rebuild in which they ushered in a new wave of young players and won just six games in three seasons (6-49). Last season, however, the team finished with double-digit wins (12-9), a state tournament berth, and appeared to be heading in the right direction.

Osona said he wanted to express his gratitude and appreciation for former athletic director Chris Maury and that it has been a privilege to lead the girls' varsity program.

“I would like to say that I am so grateful to former athletic director Chris Maury for giving me my first coaching job 14 years ago,” Osona said. “After coaching roughly 30 different high school seasons across multiple sports and levels I can say without a doubt coaching has been one of the greatest joys of my life outside of my family. Being a coach is a privilege and an honor, just as being a student-athlete is a privilege and an honor. I've learned so much about myself and life during the time I was involved at NHS. I have nothing but love for the kids in this program now and graduated. I stand by who I am and what I do and I am sorry I couldn't be the coach that this group needed.”

Lombardi said in his email that the Athletic Department is “committed to ensuring a smooth process and finding the right leadership to guide the program to continued success.”

“With Coach Fraker and Coach Paterson taking on their new positions, that obviously leaves a hole in our CPS girls program,” Lombardi said. “Current CPS Girls B Team head coach Bill Steadman will take sole responsibility of both the A Team and B Teams at CPS. We are confident that Bill will do an amazing job with both teams for the remainder of the season. We are excited and thankful for Coach Fraker, Coach Paterson, and Coach Steadman for stepping up and agreeing to lead these teams for the remainder of this season.”

Lombardi said in the aftermath of this change, the varsity & JV home games vs. Mashpee High School on Friday, January 17^th were postponed with a make-up date to be determined.