Rhode Island Director of Athletics Thorr Bjorn and women’s basketball head coach Tammi Reiss announced a four-year contract extension for associate head coach Adeniyi Amadou.
Most assistant coach contracts at Rhode Island are single-year deals that are subject to renewal on a yearly basis. Amadou’s new deal – which also includes a clause that identifies him as the program’s head coach in waiting – runs through the 2026-27 season.
“Since his arrival, Adeniyi has played a significant role in building a stable, championship program at Rhode Island,” Bjorn said. “By providing him a multi-year extension, we are committing to keeping him at Rhode Island long term. The reality is that success at URI is going to lead to opportunities for all members of the staff, and we want to do what we can to retain Adeniyi.”
Since joining Reiss when she took over in Kingston, Amadou has helped the Rams win a 2023 regular-season Atlantic 10 title and make back-to-back appearances in the WNIT, including a run to the Super 16 this year.
“Adeniyi has been instrumental in building this program from the first day we arrived on campus,” Reiss said. “He is completely committed and dedicated to the University of Rhode Island and elevating this program to the national stage. He has been sought after by various programs on the women’s and men’s side and has turned down multiple offers. I cannot imagine looking to my left and not having him alongside me on the sidelines. I know his hope and dream is to become a head coach and run a program of his own one day.”
Reiss signed a 10-year contract extension of her own in March of 2022, and the team’s success this year resulted in an automatic extension that keeps her at Rhode Island through the 2032-33 season. During the length of Amadou’s deal, should Reiss leave for another head coaching position, Amadou will either be named as head coach or receive financial compensation.
During the four years Amadou has been on staff, he has been instrumental in creating an international pipeline. The Rams have expanded their global footprint thanks to Amadou’s recruiting overseas, and the program has seen nearly a dozen international players featured on its roster. Amadou helped train Rhody’s first WNBA signee in Emmanuelle Tahane, who was just the second Atlantic 10 Player of the Year in program history. After graduating from URI, Tahane spent the summer of 2022 with the Chicago Sky training camp and is currently playing professionally in France.
“I want to thank Thorr Bjorn and University President Marc Parlange for sharing my belief in Adeniyi and naming him head coach in waiting,” Reiss said. “It also gives me great pleasure to help my brother accomplish a dream of his, as he has helped me accomplish so many of mine. Rhody Nation, our future is bright!”
