Elijah Olaniyi, a former player for Stony Brook and Miami, has tragically passed away after battling brain cancer. He was only 26 years of age.

During his college basketball career, Olaniyi made significant contributions at Stony Brook before transferring to Miami and later returning to finish his career at Stony Brook in the 2021-22 season. He was known for his remarkable talent, achieving All-AEC honors twice and also earning Rookie of the Year in 2017-18 after being relatively unnoticed during his recruitment from Newark, New Jersey.

In November 2023, Olaniyi’s dreams of pursuing professional basketball were abruptly halted by a brain cancer diagnosis. After undergoing three surgeries in December to remove 95% of a tumor from his brain, biopsy results confirmed the presence of cancer.

Olaniyi began undergoing chemotherapy and radiation soon after. In an interview, he revealed that symptoms related to his condition had been affecting him for a long time, particularly during the 2021-22 season.

In a poignant quote, Olaniyi shared, “I remember waking up with a nosebleed. Now I’m getting information that I was actually having a seizure…”

Elijah Olaniyi’s name will forever be etched in the record books of Stony Brook, where he ranks ninth all-time in scoring, seventh in steals, and tenth in total rebounds.