The Texas Tech Lady Raiders are adding to their roster in the form of the tallest player in college women’s basketball with Stephanie Okechukwu a prospect out of Nigeria. She has arrived in the United States and is expected to be added to the roster as a mid-season addition pending NCAA approval, per source as of Wednesday the team was still awaiting to hear from the NCAA but this could come at any time.
An official announcement with more information is expected from the school upon her arrival.
Per sources, Okechukwu was previously set to attend West Virginia at the start of the 2025-2026 season. She was pursued through the fall by multiple programs and ultimately landed on Texas Tech who has worked tirelessly to help her get to the United States and eventually now to Lubbock. The last hurdle is waiting for NCAA approval which could be announced as soon as the official team announcement later today.
With the recent wave of mid-season signings in college basketball, as long as her immigration and visa paperwork is in line she would seem to check the boxes for approval as Okechukwu has no prior collegiate experience and has never been drafted or played in the WNBA.
She will be the tallest player to play NCAAW college basketball. The current tallest active player is Abbie Boutilier (6-10) who started her career at Texas before transferring to Eastern Illinois. Okechukwu has spent time playing in her native country of Nigeria as well as the Phillippines and Japan. Her 7’0 height and 7’4 wing span make her an instant impact matchup player with the ceiling to be more than that if she can assimilate quickly.
Per sources the players were made aware of this addition last week and are excited to see how she can help contribute to what is already a historic season. In fact one more win on Saturday versus Arizona will mark a 16-0 start to the season, of which would be the best in school history.
More information and an official announcement on Okechukwu are expected to come from Texas Tech.
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