Lancer men's basketball standout Isiah Osborne has been named the CIS men's basketball rookie of the year, as announced by Canadian Interuniversity Sport at the annual awards banquet Wednesday in Vancouver.
 
A native of Windsor, Osborne is the first Lancer to merit the Dr. Peter Mullins Trophy since it was first presented back in 1988.
 
Osborne's outstanding talent has been showcased through much of his rookie season as his size and skill have made him one of the toughest match-ups in the country. A starter in 19 of 20 league games, the 6-foot-5 human kinetics student was second on the team in minutes played (32.5 per game) and scoring (15.0), while also contributing 4.9 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.2 steals per contest to help the Lancers finish first in the OUA West division with a 14-6 record and their fourth consecutive trip to the OUA Final Four.
 
"Isiah has exceeded our expectations as coaches, and continues to improve every day in practice and games. His hard work and competitiveness has propelled him into a top player at the CIS level, in only his first year," said head coach Ryan Steer. "He was asked to step into a major role for us and is always up to the challenge. With team success come individual awards, and this recognition as CIS rookie of the year proves that as his game has elevated throughout the season, so has our team's play and success. I am proud of Isiah as a basketball player, student-athlete and an all-around great person."
 
The other nominees were guard Jordan Aquino-Serjue of Dalhousie, forward Abdul Kamane of Bishop's and forward Brody Clarke of Alberta.