Colgate Athletics announced Wednesday the hiring of Ganiyat Adeduntan (pronounced Gha-knee-yacht A-Da-dun-Ten) as the ninth women’s basketball head coach in its Division I program history.
Adeduntan arrives after three seasons as the top assistant coach and four seasons overall on the staff of Jennifer Rizzotti at George Washington. She helped the Colonials win an Atlantic-10 Conference championship and served as the program’s recruiting coordinator.
In the summer of 2020, the Athens, Georgia, native was named a top-50 Impactful Mid Major Assistant by Silver Waves, and was invited to attend the prestigious TopConnect Virtual Seminar.
“I am incredibly excited to welcome Ganiyat into our Colgate Athletics community,” said Dr. Nicki Moore, Colgate Vice President and Director of Athletics. “After a very competitive search process with some very strong candidates, Ganiyat distinguished herself as the absolute right coach for our women’s basketball program at this important time in its evolution. Coach G has proven herself as a positive coach who genuinely cares for her student-athletes and who is driven to support their focused development both on and off the court. As a former Division I student-athlete and scholar in her own right, I am confident that Ganiyat and the staff she will gather around her will help us fulfill our promise to develop true scholar-athletes and to pursue competitive excellence in every field and every arena.
“I want to thank our search committee, led by Deputy Athletics Director and Senior Woman Administrator Juliana Smith, that included Head Men’s Basketball Coach Matt Langel, Head of Research & Instruction and Associate Professor in the University Libraries Josh Finnell, and Administration Fellow Malachi Hoskins. I also want to thank Daniel Parker and DeLaina Jordan of Parker Executive Search, who supported the search. As with so many things at Colgate, the success of this search is a product of our inclusive community of competitive excellence that brought many members together from women’s basketball student-athletes and alumni to Associate Dean of the Faculty Lesleigh Cushing and President Brian Casey. The future of Colgate Women’s Basketball is bright, and I can’t wait to get to work with Coach G!”
Recruiting Success
While at George Washington, Adeduntan was instrumental in the recruitment of two former top-100 recruits from ACC schools in Ariel Stephenson (#42, Wake Forest) and Sydney Zambrotta (#56, Louisville) to continue their careers with the Colonials.
She worked directly with the development of guards and wings. Under her guidance, GW produced all-conference guards in Mei-Lyn Bautista and Brianna Cummings. Adeduntan also assisted with scouting of opponents, community service initiatives, housing, compliance and overseeing student-athletes’ academic progress.
“I am extremely honored and humbled to have been selected as the next women’s basketball head coach at Colgate University,” Adeduntan said. “I am excited about working at a world-class elite institution with the privilege to not only coach but inspire, educate, empower and develop some of the most brilliant minds. I am thrilled to work with a community whose values align perfectly with mine.
“The athletics department, along with Colgate University as a whole, matches who I am to the very core. I want to thank President Casey, Dr. Nicki Moore, Juliana Smith and the entire search committee for selecting me to lead this program. I promise to bring energy and enthusiasm every single day, and I cannot wait to get started.”
Championship Season
Adeduntan helped engineer a championship season in her first season on the bench as the Colonials won the Atlantic 10 Championship and advanced to the first round of the NCAA tournament. Her scouting throughout the season led to a number of wins, including a key road regular-season victory at Saint Joseph’s and the championship victory over the Hawks a few weeks later.
She went to George Washington after spending three seasons as an assistant coach at Northeastern. Adeduntan helped engineer an 11-win turnaround from her first season on the staff to the second season as the Huskies improved from four wins in 2014-15 to 15 wins in 2015-16.
Prior to her time at Northeastern, Adeduntan served as the head coach for two seasons (2012-14) at Wheelock in the Division III ranks in Boston. There, she led the Wildcats to their first playoff appearance in 12 years. She also had career stops at Northeastern (Administrative Assistant, 2010-12); Essence Girls Basketball AAU (2007-10); North Florida Christian School for her first head coaching role (2008-10); and Florida State University School (2006-08), where she helped guide the Seminoles to the Class 3A State Championship in 2007.
Florida State 1,000-Point Scorer
Before coaching, Adeduntan enjoyed a stellar playing career both at the prep and collegiate level. She was a four-year letterwinner and 1,000-point scorer at Florida State under head coach Sue Semrau. She earned placement on the ACC All-Freshman Team, was a four-year member of the ACC All-Academic Team and earned All-ACC Honorable Mention honors as a junior in 2005. She also was a CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District honoree in 2005.
Adeduntan was one of the top players in the nation coming out of high school and a McDonald’s All-American finalist, as well as the Georgia Gatorade and Northeast Georgia Player of the Year.
She earned both her Bachelor of Science in Nursing and Master of Science in Nursing (Nurse Practitioner) from Florida State, as well as her Doctorate in Nursing Practice from Northeastern.
What They Are Saying About Coach Adeduntan
Tanya Vogel, Director of Athletics, George Washington
“Simply put, Ganiyat is one of the most incredible people in our organization. Colgate and Colgate Women’s Basketball are getting an educator who leads with love, builds authentic relationships and understands elite level basketball. Coach G is an incredibly hard worker who will pour into her student-athletes as they grow together in the pursuit of their very best. Colgate Women’s Basketball is in great hands!”
Sue Semrau, Women’s Basketball Head Coach, Florida State
“In the hiring of Coach G, Colgate has hit a home run! From the day I started watching her as a player, I knew she was versatile and hard-working. From the day I started coaching her, I knew she was gifted and intelligent. From the day I started watching her coach, I knew she was passionate and driven. From her relentless work ethic to her genuine and warm personality, she engages everyone she comes in contact with. I can’t wait to witness the growth of Colgate Women’s Basketball!”
Courtney Banghart, Women’s Basketball Head Coach, North Carolina
“Ganiyat is no longer a rising star in our business; she is a star. She will bring passion, preparedness, and commitment to the role and she will build meaningful relationships with her current team and in the recruiting space. Colgate has long attracted high level scholar-athletes and Coach G is one herself, making this a perfect fit. Congrats to Nicki Moore and the entire Colgate community for bringing in such a high caliber person and leader to lead the women’s basketball program. The Patriot League got better today, and I am excited for all that’s ahead for Coach G and her Colgate Raiders!”
Cori Close, Women’s Basketball Head Coach, UCLA
“Colgate has made a spectacular hire in Ganiyat Adeduntan as the new women’s basketball coach. Ganiyat is passionate about the game as well as the total student-athlete experience! She will lead Colgate to new heights on the court but also a deeper impact off the court. I can’t wait to watch Colgate soar under Ganiyat’s leadership.”
John Square, Associate AD for Internal Operations/Women’s Basketball Sport Supervisor, George Washington
“Ganiyat has been a rock for the student-athletes in our program. She has also left her mark on our entire department through her work as a leader for our coaches and staff in the space of professional development and diversity, equity and inclusion. Ganiyat’s passion to serve people and willingness to be a lifelong learner will help her become the best version of herself. Colgate has hired a winner, but more importantly, they have hired a values-based leader whose students will learn in a loving environment.”
