NCAA Fans Had Plenty to Say After 7’1” Texas Tech Sophomore Makes Her Debut as the Tallest Player in Women’s College Basketball History

It is the fourth quarter in Lubbock, and Stephanie Okechukwu is finally playing college basketball. After 10 months of waiting, she has six points and nine rebounds in 19 minutes in her first game for Texas Tech against Charlotte. It is a night she cried about earlier this week, and fans online have already started talking.

The talking starts with her size. Stephanie Okechukwu is 7-foot-1 with a 7-foot-4 wingspan, which makes her thetallest player in women’s college basketball history.

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The previous tallest were Middle Tennessee State’s Nicole Dominguez and Eastern Illinois’ Abbie Boutilier, who are both 6-foot-10. She is three inches taller than both.

Her road here was long. She is from Umunneochi, Nigeria, and attended high school in Kyoto, Japan, where she fell in love with basketball. She then played AAU ball in the Philippines. Other major-conference schools, including West Virginia, wanted her, but Texas Tech sent an assistant coach to visit her in Africa.

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Texas Tech signed her on Jan. 2, 2026, as a midseason addition. She sat out last season while the NCAA reviewed her case.

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This week, she got her answer. The NCAA first gave her two years of eligibility. Texas Tech asked for two more so she could finish her degree, and the NCAA granted all four. Associate coach and general manager Erik DeRoo told her in a video, and she answered, “Stop! Stop! No, are you serious?” She plans to major in business.

Head coach Krista Gerlich called it what “college sports should be about.”

She gave a first look in an 81-40 exhibition win over Angelo State on Oct. 18. She scored 18 points on 8-of-9 shooting with five rebounds and two blocks in 19 minutes. Tonight, she is on pace for the same minutes.

The Lady Raiders finished 26-8 last year, but only two players return, so her role matters.

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Fans did not wait for the final buzzer.

One…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/ncaa-fans-had-plenty-7-014249598.html

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Publish date : 2026-11-06 01:42:00

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