By Shane Donaldson
Associate Athletic Director, Communication and New Media
KINGSTON, R.I. - To call point guard Anaïs Levasseur competitive would be an understatement.
Ask her what basketball means to her, and a smile will work its way across her face.
"Basketball is about winning," Levasseur said. "I love winning. I love competing. Basketball is great. If it was another sport that I was better at, it would be the same approach. I just want to win."
It was a small sample size thanks to a season-ending injury seven games into her freshman year, but Levasseur helped UAlbany go 5-2 to open the 2025-26 campaign. That stretch included wins over Dartmouth, Siena and St. Bonaventure. The only losses came at Syracuse and at Rhode Island, a place she now calls home.
The early results for Levasseur - a self-proclaimed pass-first point guard - were impressive. Before her season-ending hip injury suffered against RPI, she had 15 assists with just five turnovers. Three of those turnovers came at Syracuse in her second career game, a daunting task for any freshman.
Talk with Levasseur, and you'll find a maturity that belies a player will just seven collegiate games to their credit.
"Even if you are not one of the older players on a team, you need to be accountable," Levasseur said. "You need to be a leader and be part of the team in general. Even if you are not on the court playing or getting a lot of minutes, you are committed to being a part of something bigger. That was the biggest thing I learned adjusting to the college game."
Levasseur was a highly decorated player coming out of Cégep Champlain Saint-Lambert. The Quebec City native was the RSEQ Player of the Year in 2024-25, averaging 13.8 points and 3.4 assists while leading her team to a 13-1 regular-season record. A solid shooter, she likes to get into the open court to create scoring opportunities for her teammates.
Like her head coach
Colleen Mullen, a point guard during her own collegiate career, Levasseur brings a gritty attitude to the court.
"Coach Mullen is really big on establishing a defensive mentality. Our defense is important," Levasseur said. "Everyone needs to play hard on defense when they are on the court. It doesn't matter what your skills are offensively. You have to be able to play defense to be on the court. That is definitely part of the dog mentality. You need that competitiveness to play for her. There is a lot of competitiveness in every practice. You want to win every single drill. We learn to play together while we compete with each other."
Beyond that competitiveness, it is the relationships with others in the program that helped bring Levasseur to Rhode Island.
"It is fun to have some people that you already know," Levasseur said. "It doesn't really feel like starting over because there are so many familiar things. Coach Mullen does a great job with recruiting, so you know when someone comes in, it's going to be someone you want to play with and someone you want to get to know. It is a lot of people who I know will want to push me and make me better, and that was a big reason for coming here."
Now that she is here, Levasseur has been struck by the response from the surrounding community.
"All the players who have either played here or are from Rhode Island, they are so known in the community. That is so cool," Levasseur said. "
Mia Fiore, a lot of people know of her. She is a favorite for a lot of people, which is fun to see. We made some calls to season ticket holders a few days ago, and people seemed so excited to see the team in action. As a player, when you see that response and your season hasn't even begun, it makes you excited.
"It is surprising, but it's also encouraging. People recognize that the program has been doing a good job, and they want to see what we can do on the court. It is added motivation for us to work hard make sure we give them something fun to watch."
Catch up on the previous Summer Sessions features, written by Shane Donaldson:
Summer Sessions: Amori Jarrett
Summer Sessions: Lauren Bousquet
Summer Sessions: Alex Newson
Summer Sessions: Queen Ikhiuwu
Summer Sessions: Martina Borrellas
Summer Sessions: Delanie Hill
Summer Sessions: Sophia Vital
Summer Sessions: Amaya Stewart
