Aug. 3, 2009

Bronx, N.Y. - Former Fordham women's basketball standout Mobolaji Akiode `03 continues to make waves on the court in her home country of Nigeria, though this time not as a player but as the founder of the Hope 4 Girls Nigeria program.

Akiode's vision for this non profit organization is to use sports as a medium to reach out to young women with the belief that the sky's the limit both on and off the court. The program aims to expose young African women to literacy eradication programs and networking opportunities with both their peers and college coaches from the U.S and in Africa.

During her days at Rose Hill, Akiode put together an impressive career that ranks her eighth all-time in career points with 1167 while her 495 points in the 2002-03 season is ninth best in a single season. Akiode moved on after Fordham to play for the Nigerian National Team from 2004-07, a stint that included a trip to the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece.

The Fordham ties with Hope 4 Girls Nigeria does not end with Akiode, as former Rams' head coach Kevin Morris (1993-2000), who coached Akiode in her freshman year, will take a break from his duties as head coach of the Rutgers-Newark women's basketball team to join Akiode.

To learn more about Hope 4 Girls Nigeria, click here.