Pasadena, Texas – As the music bounces off the walls of the Phillips Field House, basketballs make contact with the court at a similar rhythm. At the far end of the gym is a 6-foot-4 forward for Ford Bend Hightower who has been dominating on both sides of the court her entire junior season.
Ogechi Okeke is regarded as one of the best high school basketball players in the class of 2027, and she’s being recruited by almost every school in the country. But she remains humble, and all that attention isn’t something she focuses on.
“I think it’s great, I try not to think about it, I just wanna enjoy every single moment with my teammates because you at the same time, high school isn’t forever, I wish it was,” said Ogechi.
“You wouldn’t even know that she’s a top-ranked player,” said senior guard Sydney Thomas. “She’s the most humble, most fun person to be around every day, and I just enjoy being around her every day, honestly.”
Ogechi’s humble personality transfers to her play on the court; she doesn’t want to be the one to always take the shot, and she often looks for her open teammates.
“Even though I have a wide open layup and Coach Brewer gets in my butt about ‘take the layup,’ but I mean, honestly, if I see one of my teammates in the deep corner because I know that’s a shot that they have and sometimes there’s a game where they can’t really hit their shot but I just want them to know even though you can’t hit your shot I’m always going to look for you,” said Ogechi.
“She’s amazing, the fact that she’s so humble is one of the best things about her,” said Hightower Head Coach Jasmine Brewer. “She cares about her team, she wants to see them be successful, so it’s not all about her. Having that family environment for our kids is big, and that’s why we call ourselves the sisterhood.”
The Lady Hurricanes will face Shadow Creek in the Regional Final round on Friday at 6 p.m. at Phillips Field House in Pasadena.