7-foot-1 Okechukwu makes Texas Tech debut in big win, granted four years of eligibility
Seven-foot-one Nigerian player Stephanie Okechukwu made her debut in US women's college basketball on Thursday night. In her first game for Texas Tech, the team beat Charlotte easily, 64-37.
The 21-year-old Okechukwu is classified as a sophomore. In her debut she had six points, 10 rebounds and three blocks in 21 minutes.
She made her presence felt early in the game, when a Charlotte player went up for a simple put-back only to be blocked by Okechukwu.
According to her bio, Okechukwu was born in Nigeria and then played high school basketball in Japan. In YouTube videos posted earlier this year, the Texas Tech center is seen dominating what looks like high school basketball; in one video, her team wins 119-43.
On Wednesday, Texas Tech announced that the NCAA had granted Okechukwu four years of eligibility. In a social media video, Okechukwu said she thinks about this every day.
Texas Tech women's basketball coach Krista Gerlich told the media this week that the decision was huge for them. She said the NCAA did a really great thing for the right reasons; they were expecting two years of eligibility, hoping for three, and to be blessed with four was out of this world.
Why there was a question about Okechukwu's eligibility is unclear, according to the report. Gerlich said she has not played college basketball before.
Photo captions described the game as a Division I non-conference women's basketball game on Thursday, November 5, 2026, at United Supermarkets Arena.
