Good luck getting anything off inside against Texas Tech this season, because 7-foot-1 sophomore Stephanie Okechukwu is around.
Standing at 7-foot-1, 21-year-old Nigerian-born sophomore Stephanie Okechukwu is officially the tallest player in women's college basketball history.
After sitting out while the NCAA sorted out her eligibility, eventually granting her a full four years, she finally made her regular-season debut against Charlotte. In just 21 minutes of action, she grabbed 10 rebounds, rejected three shots, and got six points in a 64-37 victory.
The ESPN video shows just how unfair that 7-foot-1 size looks in real time, with Okechukwu making defenders look like middle schoolers. It's total chaos for opponents, with three blocks in a matter of minutes, as Charlotte players are sent to the ground from her strength and blocking ability.
However, one thing she does need to work on is her speed and mobility, as she does appear to be quite slow-moving in the limited footage provided.
As you can imagine, fans had a field day with the highlights.
This fan mentioned her size: "7'1 in the women's game is a problem for every post defender. Nobody's boxing that out."
"Not a single offensive highlight." One supporter suggested there's a reason behind the lack of offensive highlights.
Another fan reckons Texas Tech could even go unbeaten: "I will not understand basketball if Texas Tech loses a basketball game this year."
"How do you even guard someone 7'1″ in the paint?" Another fan asked.
Lastly, this fan predicted a WNBA entry: "So unfair. She's gonna make $60k/year in the WNBA just for being tall."
We've already seen how 7-foot-4 center Zhang Ziyu left Caitlin Clark surprised after facing China during Team USA's World Cup triumph, and that same is being said about Okechukwu.
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