Now in her sophomore season on the school’s hoops team, Wagner College center Lijirin Doyinsola Modesayor is in the starting lineup and hopes to be a valuable contributor as the season progresses. The more her game improves, the more her chances increase to find a spot on the Nigerian senior national team, which made history at this summer’s Olympics in Paris by advancing to the quarterfinals for the first time.
Modesayor played for the Nigerian junior national team, which earned her an international trip to play in the 2022 International Sports Federation Tournament in Belgrade, Serbia — her first time traveling outside of Nigeria.
“Coaches there saw my game and I started being recruited,” said Modesayor. “Also, I had a dunk video … that went viral. I’m also doing some modeling. People were interested that I’m a basketball player, but I also model back home.”
People were amused that she loved both modeling and playing hoops, but her videos started to get her attention. Modesayor wanted to hone her game and hoped for an opportunity that would help prepare her to play in the 2028 Olympics. Wagner College coach Terrell Coburn offered her a spot on the Seahawks, and in 2023, she signed to play college hoops on Staten Island.
“Wagner saw what they wanted in me,” Modesayor said. “I’m more defensive than offensive, but when I got here, Coach Coburn trained me, so I added offense to my play.”
She described the players on the Nigerian Olympic team as her role models and said some have become mentors. Her goal to emulate them took a step forward in September when she was named to the Nigerian team that competed at the FIBA U18 AfroBasketball Championships in Pretoria, South Africa.
Modesayor’s first year at Wagner was a learning experience. “I showed up with a positive mentality,” she said. After freshman year, she did not go home for summer break and instead remained on campus, using it as a time to become a more versatile player, including ball handling.
“That was when, every morning, I would do workouts with Coach Coburn, learning new moves,” she said. “Then, I was called for the national junior team. Coach said we want to make sure I put in all the work to make sure I play well. Everyone saw progress in me.”
The Wagner Seahawks have started the season 2–8. Northeast Conference action begins in January.