Maodo Lo ’12 at Olympics

Olympian Maodo Lo ’12 shines for Germany at Tokyo Games

For most athletes throughout the world, the Olympic stage is the pinnacle.

When the 2020 Tokyo Olympics started in July 2021, Wilbraham & Monson Academy’s Maodo Lo ’12 was on that stage.

Representing his home country and sporting uniform No. 4, Mr. Lo helped Germany reach the quarterfinal round of the men’s basketball tournament. Playing guard, he averaged 13.5 points, five assists and logged as many minutes as any other German player.

“It was great to see Maodo playing for Germany in the Olympics,” said WMA Boys’ Basketball Coach Mike Mannix, who was an assistant coach when Maodo attended the Academy in 2011–12 as a postgraduate. “He was the consummate teammate. He carried himself with great maturity on and o of the court. His play spoke for itself. He was smart, played hard and was unselfish. His consistency and approach to the game set him apart from others. You could count on Mo to want the ball and make shots down the stretch.” Individually, Mr. Lo’s Olympic debut couldn’t have gone any better. A month after helping Alba Berlin to the German League title, Mr. Lo pumped in a game-high 24 points on 9-of-12 shooting in a 92–82 loss to Italy. With 6-for-9 shooting on 3-pointers, Mr. Lo’s name trended on social media. Mr. Lo followed his Maodo Lo ’12 on the WMA campus. opening-game performance with 13 points and nine assists when Germany topped Nigeria 99–92. After an 89–76 loss to Australia, Mr. Lo netted a team-high 11 points and played more minutes than anyone on his team in a 94–70 quarterfinal loss to Slovenia.

Days after Germany was eliminated, Mr. Lo signed to a two-year extension with Alba Berlin, his hometown. Mr. Lo has played professionally in Germany since graduating from Columbia University, where he averaged 14.5 points during his remarkable four-year career.

Maodo Lo ’12 played four years at Columbia University.

Olympic action in 2021.