Lyons senior and Stanford recruit Nora Ezike is the Suburban Life Girls Basketball Player of the Year

It is difficult to believe watching her, but Nora Ezike’s main sport growing up was not basketball.

The Lyons senior started playing basketball in middle school for the local school and park district teams, but she tried soccer first and played that sport through her junior year in high school.

“Soccer was my main sport throughout elementary and middle school. I played basketball as a sport to pass the time,” Ezike said. “Once I got to freshman year in high school was when I fell in love with [basketball].”

The player and sport indeed have proved to be a perfect match.

Growing to 6-foot-2, Ezike combines the power of her frame with rare athleticism and ability to run the floor for a post player her size.

She burst onto the varsity scene as a sophomore for a 28-win Lyons team, and she improved statistically as a junior.

This season, though, Ezike and Lyons went to another level.

Ezike averaged 21 points and seven rebounds a game while shooting 61.6% on 2-point field goals for a Lyons team that broke the school win record, went 31-3 and won West Suburban Silver and regional championships. She had eight double-doubles and set a Lyons single-season scoring record with 713 points. She finished as the third-highest scorer in Lyons history with 1,449 career points and was named first team All-State by the IBCA.

Ezike is the Suburban Life Girls Basketball Player of the Year.

“Nora is nothing short of a generational talent in high school basketball,” Lyons coach Meghan Hutchens said. “With a combination of exceptional skill, natural athleticism and her commitment to improvement, she has solidified her place as a legacy player in our program. The commitment to improvement is what really allowed her to excel this year.”

Hutchens first saw Ezike play for the LT Minors, a youth team coached by former Lyons player Kayla Morrissey. Hutchens recalled the group having a strong passion for basketball and getting along exceptionally well, but Ezike’s potential was not yet realized.

“At that time Nora was a tall and quick player, but she hadn’t quite caught the basketball bug yet,” Hutchens said. “She didn’t realize her potential.”

After she tried out for the high school team, Ezike was encouraged to play for an AAU team and joined the M-14 program. There she was given the freedom as a post to play outside and develop her skills.

Her breakout sophomore year saw Ezike rated as the No. 1 player in Illinois’ Class of 2025 by the website Prep Girls Hoops Illinois and among the top three by 247Sports. Her recruitment exploded in the summer of 2023 with close to 15 scholarship offers.

Ezike, who comes from a family of doctors and plans to pursue a degree in medicine or business, eventually committed to Stanford.

“I feel like Stanford was always my dream school since I was younger, first playing soccer, and with basketball it was still my dream school,” Ezike said. “It has the unique combination of high-level sports, and then the academics was great. Since I was younger, I prioritized to do well in school. The Stanford program reflected that.”

Lyons won 20 games in Ezike’s junior year, but coach and player both felt the team underachieved. It motivated Ezike to be a better all-around player, to bring higher intensity to everything she did.

“This was my chance as a senior to communicate and lead the team,” she said. “This was our year. We wanted to give it all we got.”

Ezike quickly did that.

She and teammate Emma O’Brien each scored 27 points in a season-opening statement win over Benet. It fueled Lyons' 14-0 start to the season that was capped by a win over Prospect, a game in which Ezike scored a school record 40 points.

“Her skill set is unparalleled. She can impact the game in virtually every aspect,” Hutchens said. “Whether it’s her speed downhill, scoring ability in the open court, posting up with her back to the basket, court vision or defense, Nora excels in all facets of the game. Her speed and size is unmatched at the high school level.”

Ezike and Lyons' season did not end the way they wished. Lyons lost to Young in a sectional regarded as the best in Class 4A that eventually crowned state champion Kenwood. But she’s proud of the historical legacy left at Lyons this season.

Ezike looks forward to the next chapter of her playing career. She regularly watches the college game. She is inspired by players such as Iowa’s Hannah Stuelke and USC’s JuJu Watkins.

“I’m very excited to start a whole new chapter, but it’s made me nervous, making sure I’m training and eating right,” Ezike said. “It will be a huge change to go to college.”