Uche Izoje: Team Nigeria

[OrangeXtreme]

https://www.espn.com/espn/story/_/id/48538929/maryland-okananwa-leads-dtigress-refresh-nigeria-call-ncaa-talent-face-wnba

Another addition is Uche Izoje, who may be college basketball's most compelling origin story. The 6-foot-3 center from Asaba, Delta State, left Nigeria at age 13 to play basketball in Japan, spent two seasons with Chanson V-Magic in the Women's Japan Basketball League as a two-time All-Star and 2024 Rookie of the Year, then arrived in the United States for the first time to play at Syracuse.

In her debut college season she averaged 15.6 points, 9.2 rebounds and a conference-leading 2.6 blocks per game, capping a standout debut season by winning ACC Rookie of the Year and going on to score 23 points in 25 minutes against Iowa State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Hall of Famer Geno Auriemma called her "the best player we've seen this year."

 

[OrangeXtreme]

 

[Cheriehoop]

Hope we can see the box scores after these games. Great experience for Uche.

 

[OrangeXtreme]

 

[Capt. Tuttle]

I didn’t realize Geno said that. High praise indeed

 

[llandz]

Felicia is traveling with her.

 

[llandz]

Felicia is traveling with her.

replying to my own post, lol. Maybe she is checking out other players on the Nigerian team.

 

[OrangeXtreme]

 

[PeteCalvin]

Will be great experience for her!

 

[OrangeXtreme]

 

[sufan59]

Solid day, granted she’s going up against WNBA players lol

 

[sufan59]

 

[BillSU]

SYRACUSE WOMENS BASKETBALL'S BEST TEAM TO COME. IT WILL BE BUILT AROUND:
UCHE IZOJE SOPHOMORE CENTER 6' 3" 165

15.6 PPG, 9.2 REB, 1.4AST, 55.4 FG%

Detailing Uche Izoje’s decision to return to Syracuse for 2nd season

Retaining ACC Rookie of the Year Uche Izoje was Syracuse’s top priority this offseason. On Friday, her decision to return became public.

dailyorange.com

Uche Izoje could’ve gone anywhere she wanted, her agent Gerard Colomé said. But first, she had to give Syracuse a fair shot at getting her back. On March 14, a week before the Orange faced Iowa State in the NCAA Tournament First Round, she had a long-anticipated discussion.

Izoje, head coach Felisha Legette-Jack, assistant coach Khyreed Carter and general manager Mykala Walker gathered in the Carmelo K. Anthony Basketball Center. Colomé was in Atlanta at the time, but he joined the conversation through a video call. This was SU’s best chance to convince its star center to stay rather than leave for a perennial top program.

This past season, Izoje transformed a flailing Syracuse team into a March Madness story nobody on the outside expected. She became SU’s second-ever Atlantic Coast Conference Rookie of the Year and received praise from the most respected figures in the sport.

Izoje and the Orange had to find a common ground on the future. Building off this past season’s success started with retaining Izoje.

“From what (Syracuse’s coaching staff) told us, they intend to put together the best team possible,” Colomé told The Daily Orange. “And they plan on doing it around Uche.”

The decision had been finalized since March 18, but on March 27, Syracuse announced Izoje was officially returning to the Orange for her sophomore season. In 33 starts this past year, Izoje led SU in points (15.6), rebounds (9.2) and blocks (2.6) while shooting 55.4% from the field.

She etched her name in Syracuse’s record books all year, ranking fourth in single-season blocks (85), third in single-season total rebounds (303) and third in single-season field goals (230). In an era of transfers and rampant movement driven by name, image and likeness money, keeping Izoje became the most important task of SU’s offseason.

Although Syracuse bowed out of the NCAA Tournament in the second round on March 23, Izoje believes the Orange can return to meaningful postseason basketball next season, per Colomé. And it starts with her.

“(Izoje) wants to win,” Colomé said. “And now that we made the decision to return, the program is capable of putting together a competitive team to win.”


FLJ knows how to win. She's going to begin in earnest with the '26 - 2027 team building around Uche Izoje. It's time for the SU Women's team to show up again with a strong, exciting women's team and take it to the championship. And, it's time for fans to get their behinds in the seats at the Dome and money in their pockets and support this new team as best they can.

 

[Dr. Bill]

SYRACUSE WOMENS BASKETBALL'S BEST TEAM TO COME. IT WILL BE BUILT AROUND:
UCHE IZOJE SOPHOMORE CENTER 6' 3" 165
View attachment 262641
15.6 PPG, 9.2 REB, 1.4AST, 55.4 FG%

Detailing Uche Izoje’s decision to return to Syracuse for 2nd season

Retaining ACC Rookie of the Year Uche Izoje was Syracuse’s top priority this offseason. On Friday, her decision to return became public.

dailyorange.com

Uche Izoje could’ve gone anywhere she wanted, her agent Gerard Colomé said. But first, she had to give Syracuse a fair shot at getting her back. On March 14, a week before the Orange faced Iowa State in the NCAA Tournament First Round, she had a long-anticipated discussion.

Izoje, head coach Felisha Legette-Jack, assistant coach Khyreed Carter and general manager Mykala Walker gathered in the Carmelo K. Anthony Basketball Center. Colomé was in Atlanta at the time, but he joined the conversation through a video call. This was SU’s best chance to convince its star center to stay rather than leave for a perennial top program.

This past season, Izoje transformed a flailing Syracuse team into a March Madness story nobody on the outside expected. She became SU’s second-ever Atlantic Coast Conference Rookie of the Year and received praise from the most respected figures in the sport.

Izoje and the Orange had to find a common ground on the future. Building off this past season’s success started with retaining Izoje.

“From what (Syracuse’s coaching staff) told us, they intend to put together the best team possible,” Colomé told The Daily Orange. “And they plan on doing it around Uche.”

The decision had been finalized since March 18, but on March 27, Syracuse announced Izoje was officially returning to the Orange for her sophomore season. In 33 starts this past year, Izoje led SU in points (15.6), rebounds (9.2) and blocks (2.6) while shooting 55.4% from the field.

She etched her name in Syracuse’s record books all year, ranking fourth in single-season blocks (85), third in single-season total rebounds (303) and third in single-season field goals (230). In an era of transfers and rampant movement driven by name, image and likeness money, keeping Izoje became the most important task of SU’s offseason.

Although Syracuse bowed out of the NCAA Tournament in the second round on March 23, Izoje believes the Orange can return to meaningful postseason basketball next season, per Colomé. And it starts with her.

“(Izoje) wants to win,” Colomé said. “And now that we made the decision to return, the program is capable of putting together a competitive team to win.”


FLJ knows how to win. She's going to begin in earnest with the '26 - 2027 team building around Uche Izoje. It's time for the SU Women's team to show up again with a strong, exciting women's team and take it to the championship. And, it's time for fans to get their behinds in the seats at the Dome and money in their pockets and support this new team as best they can.

So far, this rebuild isn't looking so good! We signed none of the Marquee Portal players, we have yet to replace all of the 3 point shooters that we lost, I am not disparaging the players we signed, they are very nice additions with skill sets that we need...But, let's talk about Tennessee for a minute, they have the ultimate rebuild... They lost every single player on their roster and started the Portal season with Zero Players. I think they have signed 6- 7 players so far. Maybe, we are keeping everything close to the vest...but with no information from the program, the action so far, doesn't seem to match the commitment stated in the article above about doing our best to build a team around Uche! I sure hope I am wrong...Let's Go Orange...