Charlee & Fred: A Father-Daughter Story Written in History
Fred and Charlee Connors made history this year as the father-daughter duo took home ACAA top honours — Coach of the Year for Fred and Player of the Year for Charlee—before capturing the women’s basketball conference title.
Before the awards, before the banners, before their names were etched into ACAA and CCAA history, there was a stroller on the sidelines.
Born and raised in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Charlee Connors didn’t grow into basketball — she grew up inside it.
“I’ve been around it since I can remember,” she says. “My dad used to take me to his games when I was a baby. I was in a stroller on the sidelines.”
For Fred, the game had already been a lifelong commitment. After decades of coaching in the Fredericton basketball community, the gym was a second home. Eventually, it became theirs.
But the path wasn’t always obvious.
Charlee played multiple sports growing up, something Fred encouraged. He never wanted to push her toward basketball.
“Charlee was actually a late bloomer,” he admits.
She can laugh about it now—especially the moment she was cut from a Club A team........ by her own dad.
From those early setbacks, her journey was steady. Through Fredericton High School, club programs, and summers with the REDS, nothing came instantly. There was no early stardom - just gradual growth for Charlee.
St. Thomas University wasn’t always part of the plan.
Charlee had her mind set on attending Mount Saint Vincent University to study nutrition. The visit was booked. The decision felt made.
But something didn’t sit right.
“Right before signing, I just had this feeling,” she says. “Like it wasn’t where I was supposed to be.”
She chose STU—even without a guaranteed spot on the team.
That uncertainty became part of her story. So did adversity.
A concussion in her second year lingered longer than expected. Outside noise questioned whether she belonged, tying her opportunity to her last name.
Inside the locker room, though, none of that mattered.
“To my teammates, I was just another player,” Charlee says.
At STU, their relationship evolved into something unique—a balance that could have been complicated but never was.
“It’s actually been pretty easy to separate coach and dad,” Fred says. “When she puts on the jersey, it’s coach mode. We still have our father-daughter moments — like our away game coffee routine.”
Charlee embraced that line from the beginning. “He doesn’t treat me any differently,” she says. “And I didn’t want him to.”
If anything, she leaned away from the spotlight.
“She never wanted to be captain,” Fred says. “She leads from behind the scenes. Quiet, humble. That’s just who she is.”
This season, something clicked—not just for Charlee, but for the entire team.
“We had almost everyone coming back,” she says. “That doesn’t usually happen. The chemistry was just there.”
Fred saw it too.
“In 23 years, this is one of the most team-centric groups I’ve ever coached,” he says. “No drama. No distractions. Just commitment.”
It was a culture built intentionally—one that extended beyond basketball. A 3.9 team GPA. Leadership in the community. A group defined as much by character as performance.
And it showed.
Then, before any championship was won, came the moment no one had seen before.
ACAA Player of the Year for Charlee. ACAA Coach of the Year for Fred. History: the first father-daughter duo to ever earn the awards in the same season.
“I knew he was going to win,” Charlee says with a smile. “With the season we had, it made sense.”
Her own name being called caught her off guard. “I wasn’t expecting it," she admits.
For Fred, the moment carried a different weight. “I’ve won this award before,” he says. “But this one… this one is different.”
Not because of the title, but because of who he shared it with.
2 days later, they added something more. Something especial.
An ACAA championship together. First one for Charlee, sixth for Fred.
After the final whistle, there was no hesitation.
“When it ended, I just wanted to go hug my dad,” Charlee says. “That was everything.”
A breakthrough moment. And a shared experience very few ever get to live.
“We’ve gotten to do things that not many father-daughter duos ever get to do,” Fred says. “Looking back now…... it’s really special.”
But the season wasn’t finished.
At the national stage—the CCAA Championship—Charlee's journey reached another level.
She was named CCAA Player of the Year, becoming just the second player in St. Thomas University history to earn the honour.
The late bloomer. Now, the best in the country.
Even as the season ended, there was still one final moment waiting.
At the Tommies annual banquet, Charlee was named Athlete of the Year for the Women’s Program and MVP of the women’s basketball team—capping off a season that felt almost storybook. The team was also recognized with the LeRoy Washburn Community Service Award.
For both, the meaning goes far beyond awards.
“This is something Charlee and I will carry for life,” Fred says.
At STU, success has always been about more than results.
“You’re taught to contribute to society, not just the sport,” Charlee adds.
Now, the story shifts.
Charlee is graduating, with plans to pursue occupational therapy at Dalhousie University—though she leaves the door slightly open.
“You never know,” she says with a laugh. “You might see me back.”
Fred smiles at that.
“No, you’re out. I don’t need all this again—it was very emotional,” he jokes.
But beneath the humor is something real.
“It’s going to be different,” Fred admits. “I’ve been coaching my daughters for years. The last four years with Charlee… It's been special. It’s hard to think about it ending. It’s not something I’m ready to talk about right now.”
In the end, their story isn’t defined by awards.
It’s defined by growth. Discipline. And memories will last forever.
A daughter who didn’t start as the star but became one.
A father who coached countless players but found something unique in coaching his own.
And a season where everything aligned.
“We don’t get any of this without the team,” Charlee says. “My teammates are everything.”
Fred agrees. “They made this happen.”
History will remember the awards.
But the story—the real story—lives in everything that came before them.
Both Charlee and Fred describe it the same way: an unbelievable journey.
By Martin Carvajal