Tunji soroye

I started playing basketball for fun around the age of 15, in my home town Ibadan, in Oyo State, Nigeria. I practiced whenever I could, and eventually I played in a local tournament where I was discovered by one of the best teams in Nigeria. That exposure ultimately led me to the African Championship in Egypt, and the Junior World Championship in Argentina at age 17.

During the tournament in Egypt, one of my coaches reached out to high school coaches from the US on my behalf. I was brought to the US to play high school basketball that same year.

After high school, I played collegiate basketball for the University of Virginia, where our team won the regular season championship in ‘05/’06 and played in the NCAA tournament more than once. I am beyond privileged to have played at and graduated from UVA.

Today, I am a father to two beautiful daughters and when I think about their life growing up in the US, I can’t help but think how different it will be. If I had missed the opportunity to showcase my talent during that first tournament to someone who could actually change my life, I can’t imagine it would have gone the same way. It is my mission to provide the same life changing opportunities to more kids like me in Nigeria