HIGH SCHOOL
Worcester Telegram & Gazette
Feb. 2, 2026, 5:07 a.m. ET
WORCESTER – After the Abby Kelley Foster girls’ basketball team took a tough loss at David Prouty last month and went through the post-game handshake line, one of the referees called Bears coach Brian Morse aside to praise his senior captain Layomi Akintan.
“It had nothing to do with the 14 points she scored,” Morse said. “It was all about her leadership. (The referee) said, ‘I’ve seen a lot of basketball this year and a lot of players, and she stands out because of the way she handles things and goes about things and the manner in which she is positive with everybody no matter what the situation is.’
“She’s the best leader I’ve had,” Morse said, “and a fantastic captain.”
Morse calls Akintan an “all-around star,” and that is not an exaggeration.
In addition to playing basketball, Akintan is class historian, president of the media team, National Honor Society president, a member of the dance team, the Black student union, the future health leaders club and youth against homelessness initiative. She plays saxophone in the school band and she handles social media for her church, Redeemed Christian Church of God.Need a news break? Check out the all new PLAY hub with puzzles, games and more!
All of these activities are on top of her rigorous International Baccalaureate (IB) class schedule. IB is an internationally recognized two-year pre-university curriculum that focuses on critical thinking, academic research and holistic development.
“Growing up,” Akintan, who has a younger sister and brother, said, “we had to be very well rounded. My parents (Margaret and Dee) said, ‘Try all these things and find something you like.’”
Akintan liked everything.
“It requires a lot of time management,” she said, “but my parents help me. They are on top of me.”
When Akintan was in sixth grade, her mother encouraged her to start thinking about what career she would like to pursue. At the same time, Akintan’s grandmother passed away after battling cancer. Akintan decided she wanted to become a doctor, specifically a pediatric oncologist.
Akintan will study pre-med in college. She is waiting to hear back from her two top schools, Brown University and Emory University.
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Akintan asked Morse to write a recommendation for her Jackie Robinson Foundation Scholarship application.
“It was an easy one to write,” Morse said.
Akintan, who grew up in Worcester and now lives in Rutland, has attended Abby Kelley Foster since kindergarten.
“We have such a tight-knit community,” she said. “I’ve been with these people for 13 years of my life.”
Over the last two seasons, Akintan has come into her own on the basketball court, but she has always been a Bears contributor.
“Playing Abby Kelley basketball all these years, I looked up to all the people above me and realized, ‘I want to be there one day. I want to lead the team,’” Akintan said. “I didn’t start consistently scoring until my junior year. The other years I tried to do anything else I could because the scoring wasn’t coming naturally to me. I found that helping the other girls more, trying to uplift them, that also brought me fulfillment, too, because I’m still helping the team in other ways. The scoring came later on.”
With the help of Akintan’s leadership, the Bears (9-5) are seeking a third straight Division 5 state tournament berth.
“I had a conversation with our juniors this week,” Morse said. “I said, ‘With Layomi’s leadership, we’ve taken another step. She’s showing you to do the right things. It’s your responsibility next year when you’re seniors to take those things to the next group.
“Layomi is a real leader,” Morse said. “She’s not a leader only when things are easy; she’s a leader when things are hard. She’s still front and center when she makes a mistake and says, ‘That’s on me.’ When you have people who are as selfless as she is and who holds everyone to the same standard – and she holds herself to the highest standard – it lifts everyone else to that level.”
Getting to know Layomi
Favorite food: Any type of pasta
Favorite sports team: Los Angeles Lakers
Favorite athlete: LeBron James
Favorite subject in school: Biology
Favorite social media follow: Jayla Brenae (lifestyle and family content creator) on Instagram
Favorite hype song: Any rap song
Favorite movie: “Black Panther”
‒Contact Jennifer Toland at [email protected]. Follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @JenTolandTG.