Former senior women’s national basketball team star, Theresa Azibaye Mac-Dangosu has singled out junior rookie, Nora Ezike as ‘a huge benefit’ for the future of Nigeria’s women’s squad, D’Tigress.
Sports247 gathered that Ezike recently set several tongues wagging when she starred for Nigeria’s Junior D’Tigress at the 2025 FIBA World U19 Women’s Championship in Brno, Czech Republic; where she helped them pull off a historic opening victory against China.
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Although the team coached by Juliana Akhere later lost to the same China in the qualification stage – after slumping to Canada, Portugal, Hungary and Korea along the way – they earlier pulled off another memorable feat by defeating Argetina in their second group match.
However, it was during the Junior D’Tigress’ 93-88 victory over China on July 12th that the mettle of USA-born Ezike stood out prominently, as the University of Stanford fresher hit a game high 25 points plus six rebounds, four assists and two steals on her Nigeria debut.
It was a confirmation of the heroics that gave Ezike an accelerated promotion to the university level from Lyons Township High School, where she emerged as sports girl of the year 2025 and gained a spot on the Iliinois Basketball Coaches Class 4A team of the season.
She averaged 21 points and seven rebounds per game in her senior year at Lyons, plus eight double-doubles that helped her school set a record of 713 points in a single US Collegiate Basketball Championship season.
Those marks appear daunting and, although Ezike could not lead Nigeria to glory at the recent global youth competition in Czechia, Dangosu rates her as a gem in the historic squad that finished 12th overall among the pack of world leading female basketball nations.
Also in the Nigerian squad captained by Wandoo Hembam at Czechia 2025 were Jessica Ajayi, Beggi Idubamo, Gbemisola Samuel, Toby Nweke, Momoluwa Tewogbade, Francisca Chukwu, Olarewaju Ayodeji, Abigail Isaac, Victoria Olaoluwa and Favour Sampson.
While reflecting on the team’s performances at the competition, Dangosu, who starred for Customs of Lagos and Kenya Ports Authority of Nairobi after excelling in the US, noted that Ezike is now leading an array of future stars for D’Tigress.
Dangosu expatiated, “We have Nora, who is already signed for Stanford, and that’s a huge benefit for Nigeria. We also have some of the other girls who have signed with different NCAA schools.”
Dangosu, who played at college level with Warner Pacific and Miles Community, before moving to Florida Southern University and later University of Montana Western, also provided a ray of hope for Junior D’Tigress’ home-based players to hit the golden fleece along the line. 
The player-turned-social media influencer disclosed, “The ones in Nigeria, basically home-based players, are still practising and playing regularly at their various bases.
“(The domestic scene) we know is not too functional as it should be. But, we are hoping that, with time, we’ll be able to groom more players who would come into the national team.”
Dangosu, who also runs a fashion outfit and engages in motivational events, concluded with a verdict that the future of Nigeria’s women’s basketball sector is bright, as female talents are emerging through various cadres of the game.
“Whether under-18, under-19 or the senior squad, D’Tigress, we have players coming up through the ranks.
“As they grow, they would be able to stand the level of competition that is out there,” the highly articulate Dangosu enthused.
