2026 Recruiting: Sara Okeke

[Bone Dog]

This is not as clear as another photo I cannot find but still you can see a difference in their height;

Okeke scoops MVP honors on home soil to lead All-Star Five

The Spanish center was a shining light for the hosts and came up big in the Final.

www.fiba.basketball

It is notoriously difficult to judge height from photos, unless you know the precise position of the figures in the photo and the relative position of the camera. If the camera is placed below the midpoint -- as here -- the closer player will appear taller.

That said, the second pic in this article does indeed make Tournebize appear to be more than an inch taller than Okeke. They look to be at roughly the same distance from the camera, and the camera appears to be placed at roughly waist height. And Tournebize seems to be slouching slightly.

It's also more useful to compare shoulder height (i.e. usable height) rather than head height, and Tournebize's shoulders appear to be sightly higher.

 

[asuwish]

A response to the comment (above) with Okeke being viewed as "limited" and a preference for Tournebize's skill set.
SARA OKEKE 6'3" (193 cm) per FIBA stats and Alicia Tournebize 6' 4" (194 cm)
were both on the ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM in this SUMMER'S FIBA
U18 WOMEN'S EuroBasket Tournament. Sara Okeke was the tournament's
MVP. So, it might be all in how someone is viewing the "skill set" comment
above. My guess is that the voters chose SARA OKEKE due to the
Spanish team winning the tournament. Tournebize is headed to South
Carolina. I guess Geno, if he is interested in a "center/post", might
just have to "settle" for the shorter (by 1cm) player and who (quoting from
thread #25, above) "has very limited range or ball handling skills". The photo
on the FIBA site has a picture of the ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM. Clearly
Tournebize is the taller player, and contrary to the "rumor" that I read
recently, Alicia is not 6'7" (unless she's grown that much since this past
summer).
THE STATS FROM THE SEMI-FINAL game of Spain (Sara) vs
France (ALICIA) are:
Okeke: 28 minutes, 14 points, 8 rebounds, 6 for 11 (54+%), 10
Tournebize 20 min, 7 points, 8 rebounds, 3 for 9 (33%), 11
See the FIBA webpage for the tournament for more complete stats.
Spain beat France 71 to 65 and went on to win the tournament.

. <== Zarathustra's contribution!

Math time: [2.54 cm = 1.000 inch (exactly, by definition)]: 193 cm = 75.984 in (6' 3.984"); 194 cm = 76.378 in (6' 4.378") ==> pretty much a wash at 6' 4" depending on shoes.

Personally, I would go with light-weight high tops for "bigger hops" and better ankle support...

I'm good with Geno getting Okeke, as I did not know that Tournebize was available, and the "head-to-head" match-up favored Okeke.

It's not the individual, but how the TEAM works together. TEAM work makes the DREAM work!!!

Go Huskies!!!
[/QUOTE]
Think Tina Charles vs Stewie. One of these kids shoots 3's, and can handle the ball while the other is a physical inside presence who unlike Tina can still defend on the switch and cover smaller players, but isn't expected to be nearly the offensive force Tina was. Geno can go really big and play Blanca with the other 3 because almost all can defend many types of players but those players would not match up with us. I actually think they will form a nice rotation and all the guards will do the same so he may press even more. How fast can his new bigs adapt?

 

[visitingcock]

What will matter is how they play.

Agreed!

Tall doesn’t guarantee ability. And the ability to dunk is the most unimportant factor in evaluating recruits. She has to prove her worth on the court and ii don’t see her proving anything this half/season. I expect her to play only against the Arkansas/Mizzou level of SEC teams.

Nevertheless, it will be fun to watch jet progress. I am more excited that she is the daughter of a coach and former high level player like Dawn.

 

[Sluconn Husky]

Back to the player:

 

[From Canada]

Agreed!

Tall doesn’t guarantee ability. And the ability to dunk is the most unimportant factor in evaluating recruits. She has to prove her worth on the court and ii don’t see her proving anything this half/season. I expect her to play only against the Arkansas/Mizzou level of SEC teams.

Nevertheless, it will be fun to watch jet progress. I am more excited that she is the daughter of a coach and former high level player like Dawn.

Today, on Christmas Day, I'm feeling generous, and since I'm a French speaker, it may be easier for me to obtain certain information that could be of interest to you. First, here is the translation of the official statement from her team, Bourges.

Official announcement - Alicia Tournebize leaves Tango Bourges Basket

Alicia leaves the club after an exemplary progression, marked by daily rigor, a high level of maturity in her game, and a determination that promises a bright future.

It's now official: she left Bourges on December 24. I assume she will be joining South Carolina in early 2026. Here is a brief summary of some information that may be of interest to you. Alicia is currently studying law in France. She is the daughter of Laurent Tournebize and Isabelle Fijalkowski, who were both basketball players, and her aunt Brigitte Tournebize also played. You pointed out that her mother was a coach, but what you should know about her is that she was a great player. Her mother will be inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2026, along with three other players: Amaya Valdemoro, Elena Delle Donne, and Candace Parker (see attachment).

Like Azzi Fudd, who wears the same #35 as her mother, the same applies to Alicia, who wears #13, which her mother wore. Her mother played one year (1994-95) in the NCAA with Colorado, 15.7 PPG, FG 59.7%, 6.5 rebounds. In 1997, she played in the first WNBA season with Cleveland, where she spent another year, two seasons with averages of 11.9 and 13.7 PPG, in 1998 in the playoffs, 17.7 PPG.

I agree with you, I don't think she'll get much playing time this year. In Bourges, she had statistics in the French league (LFB) of 2.9 PPG, 1.7 RPG, in about 7 minutes. The team also plays in the Euroleague, which is the most competitive level in Europe, and her stats are similar to those in the French league. By choosing to come and play in America, Alicia is delaying her WNBA draft eligibility by two years. She was born in 2007, so she will be eligible for the 2029 draft. Players must also have completed at least three years of college to be eligible, which means she will play for at least three and a half years. Sara Okeke was born in the same year and could declare after three years, which is the minimum requirement.

Women's Basketball Hall of Fame Announces the 2026 Inductees

The Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame (WBHOF), the sole institution dedicated to women’s basketball, has officially announced its Class of 2026.

www.wnba.com

Alicia Tournebize - Tango Bourges Basket - Player Profile - EuroLeague Women 2025-26 | FIBA Basketball

All detailed statistics, points, assists and rebounds of Tournebize - Tango Bourges Basket from EuroLeague Women 2025-26

www.fiba.basketball

 

[Conndog]

It is notoriously difficult to judge height from photos, unless you know the precise position of the figures in the photo and the relative position of the camera. If the camera is placed below the midpoint -- as here -- the closer player will appear taller.

That said, the second pic in this article does indeed make Tournebize appear to be more than an inch taller than Okeke. They look to be at roughly the same distance from the camera, and the camera appears to be placed at roughly waist height. And Tournebize seems to be slouching slightly.

It's also more useful to compare shoulder height (i.e. usable height) rather than head height, and Tournebize's shoulders appear to be sightly higher.

The eyes also can show the height difference

 

[Charliebball]

Back to the player:

She's about as quick down the floor as any 6'4" player I've ever seen.........my question is what kind of mid-range and outside game does she have?

 

[BobbyJ]

She's about as quick down the floor as any 6'4" player I've ever seen.........my question is what kind of mid-range and outside game does she have?

She doesn’t really have one yet but I think she’ll be a fast learner. European post players don’t generally have the skills trainers as readily available to them that motivated American HS kids do. But she’ll be plenty impactful around the paint while she’s developing that shooting game. 😉

 

[Bone Dog]

She's about as quick down the floor as any 6'4" player I've ever seen.........my question is what kind of mid-range and outside game does she have?

I have not seen any evidence of a developed offensive skillset further out than 5 feet from the rim. She is an aggressive shot blocker, which may be a blessing or a curse. But either way, she is active on defense and rebounding. She is utterly unafraid to mix it up in the paint against other bigs, she passes well, and as you say, she runs the floor really well. She really likes the eurostep.

I'm reminded a bit of Liv when she first arrived. She was also pretty quick running the floor and finished well in transition. She also had limited midrange skills. You could really see it in the way she shot free throws -- the ball seemed like some sort of alien object in her hands. But her rebounding, passing, and post moves were solid and got much more than solid in her time at Storrs.

From what I've seen, Olivia Vukosa (too many Olivias in our recent history) is a much more developed offensive player, especially from the midrange on out. Okeke seems a bit stronger and quicker and may be a better defender than Olivia, though this is a tough call to make. Is there any video of them going head-to-head? In any event, having the two of them would be a significant asset to any twin towers approach.

One other thing that strikes me is how similar Sara is in overall physique to Gandy. And Gandy also runs the floor pretty well. She just lacks the skills development.

 

[DEpup]

I'm not sure we would need her to be an all over the court scorer. Right now we are thriving with Serah scoring just at the rim basically and giving Sarah plenty of space to operate.

I think that will be even more important in a future world where Vukosa, Sarah, and Blanca are in the starting line up. They will need a good rim protector and put back machine so they can be all over the court. It won't work if everyone is fighting for the same space on the court.

If Okeke can come in and play good defense and get shots around the rim at first, mission accomplished. She can work for the next 4 years moving out to the elbows, short corner, and an occasional 3 pointer before she graduates.

I'm interested to see how her game develops in US high school. For all we know, she could have a mid range game and her European teams run systems where she is just down low based on their personnel.

 

[Zarathustra]

Whoever get Sara Okeke will be a very fortunate program!!!
Another historical note on the discussion of "who is tall"
and " How TALL are they REALLY"?
Consider David "The Admiral" Robinson, U.S. Naval Academy from
1983 to 1987. As many of us recall "the Admiral" FAMOUSLY grew
to 7'1" while AT THE NAVAL ACADEMY!!! which made him too tall
for ship duty. So.... incredible growth does occur. (I have family history
of someone growing "nearly a foot!!" after joining the army... All
the growth came AFTER he was 18 years of age.... but he was somewhat
short upon enlisting, but he ended up something like 6'4" / 6'5").
Back to David Robinson. SOURCE: WIKIPEDIA
David was 5'9" in his junior year in H.S. During his senior year
he grew to 6'6" and at the time there was a height restriction
of 6'6" (1.98 m) at the Naval Academy. When David arrived for his first autumn at Annapolis he was up to 6'7" but was granted a "waiver" with the assumption that
he "probably" was not going to grow more. He then "famously"
grew to his full adult height of 7'1". Could Alicia Tournebize
be a second DAVID ROBINSON??? COULD BE???
Back to Sara Okeke.... I hope that we could have her at the
"5" and have the BIG "O" at the FOUR with Blanca and Sara rounding
out the UCONN SKILL SET.... ONE CAN DREAM.!!.... ON TO THE NEW YEAR!
GO HUSKIES!!!

 

[BobbyJ]

Whoever get Sara Okeke will be a very fortunate program!!!
Another historical note on the discussion of "who is tall"
and " How TALL are they REALLY"?
Consider David "The Admiral" Robinson, U.S. Naval Academy from
1983 to 1987. As many of us recall "the Admiral" FAMOUSLY grew
to 7'1" while AT THE NAVAL ACADEMY!!! which made him too tall
for ship duty. So.... incredible growth does occur. (I have family history
of someone growing "nearly a foot!!" after joining the army... All
the growth came AFTER he was 18 years of age.... but he was somewhat
short upon enlisting, but he ended up something like 6'4" / 6'5").
Back to David Robinson. SOURCE: WIKIPEDIA
David was 5'9" in his junior year in H.S. During his senior year
he grew to 6'6" and at the time there was a height restriction
of 6'6" (1.98 m) at the Naval Academy. When David arrived for his first autumn at Annapolis he was up to 6'7" but was granted a "waiver" with the assumption that
he "probably" was not going to grow more. He then "famously"
grew to his full adult height of 7'1". Could Alicia Tournebize
be a second DAVID ROBINSON??? COULD BE???
Back to Sara Okeke.... I hope that we could have her at the
"5" and have the BIG "O" at the FOUR with Blanca and Sara rounding
out the UCONN SKILL SET.... ONE CAN DREAM.!!.... ON TO THE NEW YEAR!
GO HUSKIES!!!

You probably should do some research on how and when young women attain their full height.

 

[Bone Dog]

I'm not sure we would need her to be an all over the court scorer. Right now we are thriving with Serah scoring just at the rim basically and giving Sarah plenty of space to operate.

I think that will be even more important in a future world where Vukosa, Sarah, and Blanca are in the starting line up. They will need a good rim protector and put back machine so they can be all over the court. It won't work if everyone is fighting for the same space on the court.

If Okeke can come in and play good defense and get shots around the rim at first, mission accomplished. She can work for the next 4 years moving out to the elbows, short corner, and an occasional 3 pointer before she graduates.

I'm interested to see how her game develops in US high school. For all we know, she could have a mid range game and her European teams run systems where she is just down low based on their personnel.

I think you're right. What I see in Okeke is a pure center, not a 4 or a stretch 4. Just a center. And she looks to be damn good at it. Vukosa, by contrast, is a stretch something or other, 4 or 5. Gandy, if she ever makes the rotation, looks to be nothing but a 5 as well.

 

[Zarathustra]

You probably should do some research on how and when young women attain their full height

The fact of ALICIA Tournebize's reported 6'7" height seems within the realm of

probability. (See thread note #112 above). The "bell shaped curve" has done the research for me. David Robinson is an example of someone (more than) "three standard deviations" outside the temporal "norm" of the "adolescent growth spurt". Alicia just proved that Dawn and USC have struck " Lightning in a Bottle" in their search for a "BIG". UCONN potentially getting a commitment from Sara Okeke
could be an example of Geno's "Second Strike" capability!! GO UCONN!!!

 

[BobbyJ]

probability. (See thread note #112 above). The "bell shaped curve" has done the research for me. David Robinson is an example of someone (more than) "three standard deviations" outside the temporal "norm" of the "adolescent growth spurt". Alicia just proved that Dawn and USC have struck " Lightning in a Bottle" in their search for a "BIG". UCONN potentially getting a commitment from Sara Okeke
could be an example of Geno's "Second Strike" capability!! GO UCONN!!!

I'll try this again. Research how and when YOUNG WOMEN attain their full height. Not young men like Robinson. There are differences.

 

[From Canada]

I'll try this again. Research how and when YOUNG WOMEN attain their full height. Not young men like Robinson. There are differences.

I did some research to find out when girls stop growing, and here is the AI's answer:

Growth spurt: Girls experience a significant growth spurt around the age of 10-11, often after the first signs of puberty.

End of growth: Growth slows significantly after the peak, often two years after the first period, and generally ends between the ages of 16 and 18, sometimes a little later.

Factors influencing adult height

Genetics: The height of the parents plays a major role in the final height of the child.

Attached is her mother Isabelle Jajikowski, a former basketball player who is 6'5" (1.96m) tall. Genetically speaking, it's not impossible, but she would have grown 7cm, which is almost 3 inches, by the age of 18. She would therefore be as tall as Lauren Betts and taller than Dominique Malonga, who is the other great hope of the French national team.

Translated with DeepL.com (free version)

Isabelle Fijalkowski - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Bone Dog]

I did some research to find out when girls stop growing, and here is the AI's answer

I love the way this post begins. In one sentence it goes from "I did some research" to "...and here's the AI's answer."

If this isn't a sign of the times, humorously intended I presume, I don't know what is. The fact that we can all get this joke with a sort of gallows humor might just be what saves us all from impending doom.

 

[Charliebball]

I'll worry about how tall she is after she starts blocking UConn's shots in the semi-finals of the big tournament......until then, does it really matter......?

 

[GenoWept]

Not sure when, but at some point since we learned Sara Okeke was a UConn POI, she has followed Texas WBB on Instagram. Not sure if that indicates that’s where she could be heading??

 

[Bone Dog]

Not sure when, but at some point since we learned Sara Okeke was a UConn POI, she has followed Texas WBB on Instagram. Not sure if that indicates that’s where she could be heading??

I hope not, but I get the interest from Vic’s side. She’s a mobile big with good post moves and shot blocking skills. In that respect she’s a bit like Taylor Jones but with much better foot speed. Vic knows what to do with that kind of player.

 

[FingerLakes]

I hope not, but I get the interest from Vic’s side. She’s a mobile big with good post moves and shot blocking skills. In that respect she’s a bit like Taylor Jones but with much better foot speed. Vic knows what to do with that kind of player.

So does Geno

 

[donalddoowop]

So does Geno

Are you sure about that? Vic does a lot better job than Geno with tall players. Jana started on a NC team last season and is struggling to get playing time this season. I believe Jana would be starting at a number of other schools.

 

[BobbyJ]

Are you sure about that? Vic does a lot better job than Geno with tall players. Jana started on a NC team last season and is struggling to get playing time this season. I believe Jana would be starting at a number of other schools.

In 35 years as a HC, Shaefer has had exactly 2 post players drafted to the WNBA. That was T. McCowan and C. Collier and their career trajectory shows how well they were prepared. He may get big players but he doesn't develop them any better than anybody else. Count up how many Auriemma has had.
Regarding JEA, she probably would start at other schools but they wouldn't be top 10 schools and it wouldn't be for coaches who want to play fast, transitional ball. And without Auriemma's disciplined approach, she'd be lucky to play half a game because of foul trouble.

 

[Stronga12]

Not sure when, but at some point since we learned Sara Okeke was a UConn POI, she has followed Texas WBB on Instagram. Not sure if that indicates that’s where she could be heading??

I don't think it indicates anything other than that Texas is recruiting her and one of the possible landing spots. Her high school coach said in November that she had only just started her recruitment and that it will last into April.

 

[Majorthreat]

In 35 years as a HC, Shaefer has had exactly 2 post players drafted to the WNBA. That was T. McCowan and C. Collier and their career trajectory shows how well they were prepared. He may get big players but he doesn't develop them any better than anybody else. Count up how many Auriemma has had.
Regarding JEA, she probably would start at other schools but they wouldn't be top 10 schools and it wouldn't be for coaches who want to play fast, transitional ball. And without Auriemma's disciplined approach, she'd be lucky to play half a game because of foul trouble.

I agree. Breya Cunningham will be the next big drafted and Oldacre will go this year but not as a lottery pick. Jana hasn't really developed from her projection from the FIBA16 days. She is a space eater and does well against other 6'5" or taller bigs. She misses layups at a crazy rate like she is nervous. Her balance is off a lot and she hits the floor a lot as well. I think she gained some weight when she had her injury and became less mobile.