Nora Ezike ‘25 had always known she wanted to go to Stanford University and junior year is when she gained the opportunity to make her dream a reality.

While she began playing basketball on her middle school team at Highlands, it was not until Ezike started high school that she initially fell in love with the sport. 

“I really fell in love with [basketball] going into freshman year when I started playing for M14 which is my AAU [Amateur Athlete Union] club team just because of the competitiveness, and I really just loved everything about it,” she said.

In addition to participating in a competitive club team, Ezike began training with her uncle, Stanley Boateng. There, she worked to develop her technical skills and overall ability which has improved her versatility in the game. 

“I feel I’ve grown all around as a player, but especially when I was younger, I was specifically a post,” Ezike said. “I’ve been able to expand my game by improving my handles, and improving my shot allowed me to play on the outside and develop my skills all around.”

In her freshman year, Ezike was asked to move up to the varsity team, which forced her to adapt to the competitive level of play as well as her new teammates.

“It was a big change for me to be playing at such a high level with older girls who I wasn’t familiar with,” Ezike said. “But moving down to the sophomore level for some of the season allowed me to regain my confidence and trust in myself and my game and develop more.”

Ezike’s hard work and growth did not go unnoticed. While she began receiving college offers as a sophomore, it was not until her junior year that she was first approached by Stanford.

“I always knew Stanford was my dream school since I was younger just because of how excellent it is in terms of academics and athletics,” she said.

After finally getting the call from Stanford, Ezike went on an official visit to get a feel for the school and her potential team.

“From just talking to the coach in person and talking to the players, everything felt right, and like it was the place I was meant to be at,” Ezike said. 

Through her athletic journey, the team and coaches have supported Ezike and watched her grow, assistant varsity coach Melissa Mitidiero said.

“This feat is unbelievably difficult to do, but also, what is really cool about this is that this was her dream coming into LT as a freshman,” Mitidiero said. “There are not many athletes that can say they were able to achieve playing at [their] dream school.”

Head varsity basketball coach Meghan Hutchens also noted Ezike’s exceptional achievements, highlighting her valuable role on the team as both a player and a person.

“She’s a generational player,” Hutchens said. “You don’t get players like that coming through LT or anywhere every day.”

As she goes into her final high school season, Ezike is looking forward to continuing her hard work and continuing to grow this year and beyond, setting goals of achieving individual and team success.

“I’m looking to improve my leadership and have more of a voice on the court so my teammates can look to me as someone they can count on both on and off the court,” Ezike said. “I just want to stay consistent in my game because I know there’s going to be ups and downs, so I want to keep my confidence and play how I always play.”