University of Toronto Varsity Blues women's basketball head coach Dianna Ros helped he Canadian women's senior national team earn a bronze medal this past weekend at the FIBA Women's AmeriCup.

Serving as an apprentice coach with the senior women's national team in Chile, Ros stood witness to a thrilling 76-75 double-overtime bronze medal game victory versus Argentina on Sunday. The Canadians opened the tournament with round robin wins over El Salvador, Dominican Republic, and Argentina, while also suffering a loss to eventual silver medalists Brazil. Canada then defeated Colombia in the quarter-finals before being relegated to the bronze medal match after a semifinal loss to gold medalists USA.

"Training camp started on June 9 in Toronto before we traveled to Brazil for more practice and exhibition games – a lot of trust and growth happened during that month which led us to winning that bronze medal game," detailed Ros. "From learning how to play with each other to working with a new staff, it was such a great environment to be a part of."

Ros has previously led the U17 Quebec provincial team to national championship gold in 2023 and served as an assistant coach with Canada at both the 2023 FIBA U16 Women's Americas Championship and 2024 FIBA U17 Women's Basketball World Cup.

"I share a lot of the same values as the federation and so for me to represent Canada means so much – I don't take it for granted at all," said Ros. "I'm grateful that U of T is supportive of my professional development and encourages me to continue working with Canada Basketball."

Making the leap to the senior women's national team staff for the AmeriCup, Ros had the opportunity to learn from some of the best coaches in the business, led by head coach Nell Fortner. Recently retired as an NCAA coach, Fortner led three separate programs – Purdue, Auburn and Georgia Tech – to national tournament appearances throughout her career. Additionally, she served as the first head coach and general manager of the WNBA's Indiana Fever and holds the record as winningest coach in USA Basketball women's history, helping lead the Americans to multiple gold medals including at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney.

"I recognize that I get to learn from experienced coaches that are generous with sharing their knowledge," added Ros. "It was just such a positive and high-level environment to work in. It helped me identify my blind spots - I'm excited to work on them and bring everything I learned from my time with the senior women's national team to our program at U of T. I return this month feeling very inspired!"

Beginning her second season as head coach of the U of T women's basketball program this fall, Ros and the Blues will open their 2025-26 campaign with preseason action in September ahead of the OUA season start in October.