Lyons junior Nora Ezike, one of the most heavily recruited players in the state, wasn’t available for the Montini Christmas Tournament in late December.
Her teammates understood. She was with her family in Nigeria.
“We try to go every other year,” Nora Ezike said. “It was hard during COVID, but we like to spend Christmas there.”
Nigeria is a place close to her heart. It’s the birthplace of her father, Emeka, and the parents of her mother, Ngozi, and it’s the home of many relatives.
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Nora Ezike, a 6-foot-2 forward who has offers from more than 20 Division I programs, credits her parents for instilling a hard work ethic and passing down some athletic gifts.
Dr. Emeka Ezike is a family practice physician. Dr. Ngozi Ezike, who grew up in California and graduated from Harvard, was the director of the Illinois Department of Public Health during the COVID-19 pandemic and is the CEO and president of the Sinai Chicago hospital system.
Both parents speak multiple languages. Nora Ezike said her mother is fluent in English, Spanish, French and Igbo, a language native to Nigeria, and speaks some Swahili and Portuguese, while her father speaks Igbo and English.
“My mom used to play volleyball, basketball and track, and my dad also does golf,” Nora Ezike said. “They still play tennis.”
She said her parents are the main role models for her siblings, all high achievers academically. Her sister Adaora also played basketball for the Lions.
“My parents are probably my biggest inspiration because they always work hard, and they really inspire me, especially in school,” Nora Ezike said. “They’ve always inspired me to work hard in school and do the best I can, and in sports they’re always encouraging me and trying to help me any way they can, with training or sending me videos to help me improve.”
Nora Ezike is both a top student and a terrific athlete. She is taking four Advanced Placement courses and has a weighted 5.3 GPA. On the court, she is the second-ranked junior in the state by Prep Girls Hoops Illinois. She has offers from such programs as Columbia, DePaul, Harvard, Northwestern, Miami, Michigan, Princeton, Purdue and Wisconsin.
“It’s very exciting,” she said of the recruiting process. “I like being able to communicate with coaches, and I’m very grateful for all the schools that reached out to me and also the hard work paying off.”
Nora Ezike, who also plays goalkeeper for the Lyons girls soccer team, is steadily improving on the court. After averaging 11.2 points and 6.7 rebounds as a sophomore, helping the Lions win 28 games and conference and regional titles, she is averaging 15.5 points and 8.0 rebounds this season. She had 32 points and 15 rebounds in the Lions’ win against previously unbeaten Glenbard West on Dec. 12.
“She grows more important as each game goes on,” Lyons coach Meghan Hutchens said. “When you watch her from the sideline and you see the height and her explosiveness to finish, it’s exciting.
“More importantly, the kids really love her. They respect her. They work well together as a unit, and I think they all have something really special to offer each other on and off the court.”
Senior center Kennedy Wanless, a team captain, likes what Nora Ezike contributes to the Lions (12-6 through Jan. 4).
“I feel like she’s brought full leadership,” Wanless said. “Everybody kind of looks up to her to be a role model, and then on the court she’s really good about taking her shot, but also making sure everyone is involved and passing it around.”
Nora Ezike said one of her biggest strengths is her ability to get to the basket. That’s certainly the most eye-catching of her skills.
Hutchens marveled over one play Nora Ezike made during the Lions’ 71-33 win against Lane Tech on Nov. 22. She jumped in the air to steal the ball at midcourt and took only a few strides to get in the lane and make a contested layup.
“Nora just adds that unique piece of being a unique player,” Hutchens said. “When she had that pick-six at half-court, just that height that she got, that was so fun to watch.”
Hutchens is proud of how academically talented the Lions are. The next step is to mirror that on the court.
“They’re all smart, so we’ve been working on just growing her basketball IQ along with that,” Hutchens said. “We call it AP basketball. We’ll continue to grow her knowledge.”
Nora Ezike’s thirst for knowledge is unquenchable, and she’s not shy about setting high goals. She has thought about following her parents into medicine, but business and finance are possibilities too.
Her college decision lies in the future. For the first two months of 2024, she is focused on team goals.
“I really hope that we’re connected and we can continue to improve together as a team,” she said. “The last two years we’ve been undefeated conference champs, so I hope that happens again, and we just want to keep advancing in the tournament.”
With 6-1 sophomore forward Emma O’Brien, the Lions have a feared one-two punch inside for this season and next. Hutchens is relishing her time coaching them.
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“It will be fun to watch those two play side by side,” Hutchens said. “I’m grateful to have these players and be able to coach someone like Nora through her career and then watch her in college.
“I’m just trying to prepare her the best I can so she goes there more prepared than some high school kids will ever go to college.”
Matt Le Cren is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.