STANFORD, Calif. – Stanford freshman Nora Ezike will represent Nigeria at the FIBA U19 World Cup, which begins Saturday in Brno, Czechia.
Nigeria was drawn into Group B and will open its tournament against China on Saturday at 5 a.m. PT, followed by group phase games against Canada on Sunday and Portugal on Tuesday. All teams qualify for the Round of 16 next Wednesday, where Group B will play crossover games against Group A (USA, Israel, Hungary, Korea), with those winners advancing to the quarterfinals.
Ezike is part of Stanford’s star-studded freshman group, collectively rated No. 3 by espnW Hoopgurlz. A four-star forward ranked as the No. 85 player in her class, Ezike averaged 21 points and seven rebounds per game as a senior for Lyons Township, which posted a 31-3 overall record. She had eight double-doubles, set a single-season school record with 713 points and was named to the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Class 4A first team.
Ezike will be the third Stanford women’s basketball player to represent Nigeria at a major international tournament. Ros Gold-Onwude played for Nigeria at the FIBA Africa Championship in 2011 and Enjoli Izidor did so at the FIBA Africa Championship in 2007 and FIBA World Championship in 2006.
Sophomore Shay Ijiwoye represented Nigeria as part of the World Select Team at the 25th Nike Hoop Summit in 2024.
Games in Czechia are available on FIBA’s YouTube page at youtube.com/FIBA.