Cherie Lea, a UNCW Athletics Hall of Famer who spearheaded a resurgence in UNCW women's basketball in the early 2000s, will begin her third season at her alma mater in 2025-26 as the associate head coach under head coach Nicole Woods.
"Cherie is a person that you want your daughter to aspire to be like," said Woods. "She is a person driven by her personal core values. She was the CAA Scholar-Athlete of the Year, so she embodies what it means to be a student-athlete. Culture is what drives our program and I felt there was nobody better that personified those pillars of our program than Cherie."
Lea became Woods' top lieutenant in 2023-24 after serving in the same capacity at Duquesne for the 2022-23 season. The 2004 UNCW graduate spent eight seasons on the Duquesne staff under Dan Burt, a former Seahawk assistant from 2001-04.
"It's great to be home and it's a surreal moment. UNCW has meant so much to me. When the opportunity was presented to me by Coach Woods, I couldn't turn it down," said Lea, who donned the No. 44 jersey during her Seahawk playing career. "It's important to me to give back to this University and the women's basketball program. Therefore I am going to be the best coach I can be for Coach Woods, our staff, and players."
As UNCW's defensive coordinator, Lea was instrumental in developing graduate transfer forward Ali Zelaya during the 2024-25 season. Zelaya became the Seahawks' first All-CAA First-Team selection in 10 seasons and the 10th player in program history to achieve the feat.
Zelaya joined Lea's former teammate, Rachael Friesen-Norwood, as the second player in program history to be named CAA Defensive Player of the Year. Zelaya became the first UNCW forward to win the award and was the eighth player in program history to be named to the All-Defensive Team. Zelaya also broke the program's 25-year single-season blocks record with 81 blocks, the seventh-most in the NCAA. The 6'4 forward also ranked eighth in the nation with 2.53 blocks per game.
She also coached her sixth career 1,000-point scorer as Jania Hall reached the feat in a 72-63 win for the Seahawks at Towson on Feb. 23, 2025. In her first season at UNCW in 2023-24, Lea played a key role in helping Taylor Henderson land a spot on the CAA All-Rookie Team.
Lea began her coaching career as the director of basketball operations for Duquesne in 2013. She was named an assistant coach in 2016 and was elevated to associate head coach for the 2022-23 season. With Lea in Pittsburgh, the Dukes compiled a 137-102 record, including 69 Atlantic-10 Conference wins.
Duquesne secured three WNIT berths (2014, 2017, 2018) with Lea on the staff and advanced to the Sweet 16 of the Women's Basketball National Invitational Tournament in 2018. The 2019-20 Dukes were also a projected WNIT squad with a 20-11 showing before the cancellation of the postseason tournament.
She helped develop standout guard Megan McConnell for three seasons. McConnell is the Dukes' all-time leader in assists and steals and ranks second in scoring. McConnell was recently named the 2025 Atlantic 10 Defensive Player of the Year.
At Duquesne, Lea also guided Kadri-Ann Lass to a spot on the Atlantic 10's All-Defensive Team in 2018 and 2019. During the 2017-18 campaign, Lass led the league with 97 blocks and finished ninth in the nation. She also broke the program's previous record of 76.
Lea coached five 1,000-point scorers at Duquesne, including the program's third all-time leading scorer Chassidy Omogrosso (1,703 points). Omogrosso was a two-time all-conference selection and set the team's single-season record with 92 three-pointers in the 2017-18 season. She finished her career as Duquesne's all-time leader with 279 made three-pointers. Lea coached five players at Duquesne who reached the professional ranks (Paige Cannon, Lass, Jose Ann Johnson, Precious Johnson, and Lauren Walsylson).
Between stints at Duquesne, Lea was the top assistant at Wingate under former UNCW Head Coach Ann Hancock. In her two years with the Bulldogs, Lea helped the team compile a 43-19 (.693) record and a 34-10 (.772) mark in the South Atlantic Conference. Wingate was crowned SAC tournament champions and earned a berth in the NCAA Tournament in 2015-16.
Before turning to coaching, Lea dominated on the hardwood. A transfer from North Carolina, Lea joined the Seahawks for the 2002-03 women's basketball season and made an immediate impact with the team. The point guard powered the Seahawks to a 37-19 record over two seasons, earning first-team All-CAA honors and team MVP recognition both years.
The Blanch, North Carolina product scored 884 points (14.7 PPG), grabbed 301 rebounds (5.4 RPG), and dished out 165 assists (2.9 APG) in 56 appearances for the Seahawks. She started 55 of those contests and is the only two-time first-team All-CAA pick in UNCW women's hoops history. She was honored as a Colonial Athletic Association legend in 2005.
Lea also excelled in the classroom. She was a two-time selection to the CAA's All-Academic Team and was tabbed as the CAA's Women's Basketball Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 2003-04. Following her senior year, Lea was named the recipient of the prestigious Dean Ehlers Award from the CAA.
Following graduation, Lea enjoyed an outstanding professional career overseas. She played professionally in Luxembourg and Holland, where she was the two-time MVP of the Dutch League and a participant in four All-Star Games. Lea won a pair of Dutch titles during her time in The Netherlands.
Lea earned her Bachelor of Science Degree in mathematics from UNCW in 2004. Lea became the sixth women's basketball member of the UNCW Athletics Hall of Fame when she was inducted on Feb. 25, 2023.
