By John “Woods” Armwood III
For Ezinne Kalu—known to many as the “Nigeria Queen”—basketball has always been about grit, hustle, and heart. Now, she’s channeling that same fierce energy into building something bigger than herself: Clamps Only, her groundbreaking defensive basketball camp.
“It means everything to me because everything happened full circle,” Kalu says, beaming. “I was the keynote speaker for this high school graduation, my alma mater. My birthday was a few days ago. And to have my camp here in the exact same school where I broke records—it means a lot.”
Filling the Gap in Basketball Training
The inaugural Clamps Only camp kicked off in North New Jersey, Kalu’s hometown, filling the gym with young athletes eager to learn the art of defense. It’s more than just drills; it’s a philosophy and a movement.
“There’s so many skill camps going on, but nobody’s teaching how to defend and play both ends of the floor,” she explains. “Nobody’s teaching IQ. Nobody’s teaching position. Nobody’s teaching basketball terminologies. Now is the time. Clamps is a popular term in basketball. When people say clamps, they mean defense. Clamps Only means that’s only what it is—just straight locking up, clamping up, heart, mind, body, and soul all in it.”
While Kalu has excelled internationally and even shared the court with WNBA stars like Breanna Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu, her identity has always been defined by defense.
“I love it. I love getting after it. I love the grit. I love diving on the floor. All that encompasses me,” she says. “I wanted to have a foundation where I can give that same energy back and create those same players.”
A Legacy in the Making
For Kalu, Clamps Only isn’t just a camp—it’s a legacy.
“Clamps Only has got to be a name that goes down in history as one of the best and most elite defensive camps ever,” she says. “I’m excited. This is something special I’ve been working on for a while. To give it back here to the city where I was raised first—it’s an amazing feeling for sure.”
Beyond teaching defensive footwork or how to read a screen, Kalu’s camp instills something deeper. Every participant recites the Clampers Creed:
“I defend with heart. I hustle with pride. I lock in, not out.”
It’s a mantra Kalu hopes will echo beyond basketball courts.
“Especially with me putting on something like this—you just never know who’s watching,” she says. “You never know who might say, ‘Oh, let me go ahead and hop on that wave.’ I’m hoping I spark a movement. I hope people look at this and say, ‘Wow, okay, she’s on a different level. How can I be part of this? Or how can I create my lane?’”
Kalu already has plans to expand Clamps Only to Atlanta—and eventually across the country and even globally. For her, the mission is clear:
“The league is about having a bag, but it’s also about, can you stop that bag? That’s important. It’s really important.”
Eyes on the Future
From her early days grinding on New Jersey courts to representing Nigeria on the international stage, Ezinne Kalu has never backed down from a challenge. Now, she’s challenging a new generation to lock in—and lock up.
And she’s only just getting started.