New Flame carrying college spark to rookie season

• Agnes Emma-Nnopu recently signed a three-year deal with the Sydney Flames
• She is coming off an impressive college career, having won a National Championship aswell as making trips to the Final Four and Elite 8
• Emma-Nnopu is currently playing for the Knox Raiders in the NBL1 South

There are players that just make their teammates around them better and that is certainly the case for Sydney Flames recruit Agnes Emma-Nnopu.

Fresh off a five-year college career which included a National Championship, a Final Four run and an Elite 8 appearance, Emma-Nnopu returns to Australia ready to prove herself in the WNBL, a league she grew up watching.

Emma-Nnopu is a relentless force on both ends of the court — one moment she’ll be diving for a loose ball, the next she’ll be battling amongst the bigs for a rebound, and on the other end she can knock down triples, space the floor and create in the paint.

“For me, I’m very process driven,” Nnopu told basketball.com.au.

“I'm going to shoot my shots and some nights they fall, some nights they don't, but every single night I can give 100% effort, get loose balls, the 50/50 possessions and the one-percenters.

“That's definitely a huge part of my game.”

It’s those acts that will endear her to Sydney fans and will make her a great addition to a reshaped Flames roster. Joining Shaneice Swain and Emma Clarke, Sydney have added Emma-Nnopu, Keely Froling, import guard Grace Berger, import big Unique Thompson, superstar Lauren Nicholson returns after giving birth and Mikhaela Cann.

There is familiarity for Emma-Nnopu in choosing to sign with the Flames, having been coached by Guy Molloy when she was a training player with the Melbourne Boomers in 2020 before heading off to college.

That relationship played a big role in her signing with Sydney.

“He reached out early in this last season of my collegiate basketball career, just wanting to say he'd been following my journey and if playing in the WNBL was something that I was looking to do, he’d love to be part of that journey,” she said

“It just kind of felt full circle.

“I left for college having trained and worked out with Guy, and being part of that Boomers squad, so coming back after college and getting a chance to play again with him just seemed perfect.”

Emma-Nnopu’s time as a training player with the Boomers was vital for her development. Practicing with the likes of Opals Cayla George and Ezi Magbegor, and imports Sophie Cunningham and Lindsay Allen, while getting in extra sessions with Molloy was invaluable.

“It was very important,” she said.

“COVID was starting to spike, so being able to get onto the court and be in an indoor gym was getting harder, so having the opportunity to train with the likes of Sophie Cunningham and a couple other players that were in the WNBA — a league I aspire to hopefully play in — was really awesome.

“Even getting individual workouts in, Guy had me coming in a bit earlier every day we had practice just to get a workout in with him.”

There will be plenty more of those workouts in the coming years with Emma-Nnopu having signed a three-year deal with the Flames. There’s clearly a strong commitment from both sides, and Emma-Nnopu can’t wait to get involved.

“I feel like the hardest part about coming back from college is that you've been in a team environment where it’s like this is a family, and you stay with this group for x amount of years,” she said.

“Having something similar with Sydney is really nice, and I'll be able to get to know the community, the players and just be around that environment.”

Emma-Nnopu’s college career is among Australia’s most successful, having achieved the ultimate prize in her freshman season with Stanford winning the 2021 National Championship, before making it to the Final Four a year later and then this past season she played a key role in TCU’s memorable run to the Elite 8.

She’s just a winner.

“It was definitely something I dreamed of,” she said of playing college basketball.

“I went on a tour to the USA when I was about 15 and that's when I realised basketball and education — which are two things I prioritise — was something I could do together while getting to travel and experience the world.

“I took four official visits; Stanford, Duke, Texas and Boston College, and I really took my time with deciding what college to go to. In the end, Stanford ticked a lot of boxes; high-level academics, high-level basketball, and it’s in a really nice location too, so it was just the perfect place.”

After three years at Stanford, Emma-Nnopu made the decision to transfer to TCU in 2023, wanting to take on the next challenge.

“I love Stanford, I loved the people, and it was really hard saying goodbye, but I got my degree and it's easy to get comfortable in one place,” she said.

“For me to grow my game and be where I wanted to be when I finished college, I needed to allow myself the opportunity to grow.

“I felt boxed in there. Versatility was a huge part of my recruitment when I was coming out of high school, so getting back to those strengths and being in a team where I was able to go out there, make mistakes and continue to play through those mistakes was a huge part. Choosing TCU, [head coach] Mark Campbell and the vision he had, it was something that I couldn’t say no to.”

Campbell’s vision came to fruition as TCU just kept winning and winning in season 2024-25. Following Hailey Van Lith’s lead, the Horned Frogs built momentum with each passing game and made it to the Elite 8, chalking up great wins against Louisville and Notre Dame along the way. In the second round win over Louisville, Emma-Nnopu scored a season-high 23 points (4-from-7 3PT FG).

“It just really felt like we were playing for each other,” she said.

“For me, and I think for a lot of the girls, we really wanted to keep going because we didn't want to not go to practice the next day. We just loved hanging out with each other, and I feel that showed in the chemistry that we had on the floor.”

The growth of women’s college basketball has exploded over the past five years and Emma-Nnopu experienced that first-hand, highlighting the difference she saw from year one to year five.

“Winning the National Championship, obviously it was during COVID so I can't fully compare it because there were some restrictions, but the coverage that we had at Stanford to the coverage that we had at TCU just being in the Elite 8 was incomparable,” she said.

“There were so many more reporters, so much more media attention around it, and just a lot more hype, as it should be.”

Now back in Australia, Emma-Nnopu is currently playing for the Knox Raiders in the NBL1 South, alongside the likes of Kristy Wallace and Alicia Froling, as she prepares for her debut WNBL season.

“It’s always good to get back onto Australian soil and re-immerse myself back into the Australian style of playing,” she said

“I watched [the WNBL] growing up and would go to games. From watching to now getting to play in it later this year, it's something I've been wanting to be part of my professional career and to experience, so I'm very excited.”

Agnes Emma-Nnopu is ready to make her presence felt in the WNBL and help take the Flames forward in season 2025-26 and beyond.

About the Author

Hayley Wildes is passionate about all things Australian women’s basketball and loves to highlight the stories of players from all levels and competitions across the globe. From our own backyard in the WNBL, to the WNBA and the Opals, and everything in between, Hayley has you covered.