Arike Ogunbowale

Arike Ogunbowale (born March 2, 1997)[1] is a Nigerian-American professional basketball player for the Dallas Wings of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She played college basketball for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, before being drafted by the Wings with the fifth overall pick of the 2019 WNBA Draft. She was the Most Outstanding Player of Notre Dame's 2018 national title run, hitting game-winning baskets in both the semi-final and championship game.[2]

Arike Ogunbowale
Ogunbowale in 2019
No. 24 – Dallas Wings
PositionPoint guard
LeagueWNBA
Personal information
Born (1997-03-02) March 2, 1997
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
NationalityAmerican
Listed height5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
Listed weight165 lb (75 kg)
Career information
High schoolDivine Savior Holy Angels
(Milwaukee, Wisconsin)
CollegeNotre Dame (2015–2019)
WNBA draft2019 / Round: 1 / Pick: 5th overall
Selected by the Dallas Wings
Playing career2019–present
Career history
2019–presentDallas Wings
Career highlights and awards
Stats at WNBA.com
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com

Career

High school

Ogunbowale played high school basketball at Divine Savior Holy Angels High School in Milwaukee. In the 2014-2015 season, the team won the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association Division I title, with Ogunbowale averaging 27.2 points per game. Ogunbowale was named 2015 Wisconsin Miss Basketball and was a McDonald's High School All-America selection.[3][4]

College

Ogunbowale averaged 11.4 points per game in her freshman season at Notre Dame as a reserve player, and became a regular starter the next year.[5]

In her junior season, Ogunbowale helped the Fighting Irish win the 2018 NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Tournament, making game-winning baskets in the semifinal against UConn and in the final against Mississippi State.[2] Shortly after the end of the 2017–18 school year, the Atlantic Coast Conference named her as its female Athlete of the Year across all sports, sharing honors with men's winner Lamar Jackson of Louisville football.[6]

In her next and final season at Notre Dame, she again helped them to the final of the NCAA Tournament but this time, despite contributing 31 points through that match and a tournament average of 22.8 points, she missed 1 of 2 free throws in the final seconds against Baylor, with her miss providing the final 1-point margin.[7]

Professional

Ogunbowale was the fifth overall pick in the 2019 WNBA draft by the Dallas Wings.[8] During the 2019 season, she was third in the league in scoring, averaging 19.1 points per game. She scored 20 or more points in 13 of her final 14 games, including the final 11 of the season. After the season, Ogunbowale was named to the All-Rookie Team.[9]

Personal life

Ogunbowale was born in Milwaukee to Nigerian parents Yolanda and Gregory Ogunbowale.[10] She is the youngest of three children. She is of Yoruba descent. Her mother Yolanda played softball at DePaul University and her brother Dare played football at the University of Wisconsin and is a running back for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. From 2009 to 2012, Ogunbowale was part of four Wisconsin State Cup-winning soccer teams.[5]

In April 2018, Ogunbowale was announced as one of the celebrities who would compete on season 26 of Dancing with the Stars. She was partnered with professional dancer Gleb Savchenko.[11] Ogunbowale and Savchenko were eliminated from the competition on May 7, 2018, placing 7th.

References
  1. "USA Basketball: Arike Ogunbowale". USA Basketball. July 7, 2014. Archived from the original on April 5, 2018. Retrieved April 7, 2018.
  2. "Another Arike Ogunbowale game winner leads Irish to NCAA title". ESPN. April 1, 2018. Retrieved April 7, 2018.
  3. Christopherson, Brett; Thompson, Adam (March 14, 2015). "WIAA girls state basketball: Saturday's results". Green Bay Press-Gazette. Green Bay. Retrieved April 7, 2018.
  4. "Arike Ogunbowale Bio". Notre Dame Women's Basketball. Archived from the original on July 31, 2018. Retrieved April 7, 2018.
  5. Boren, Cindy (April 2, 2018). "Who is Notre Dame's Arike Ogunbowale, who twice hit the shot of a lifetime in the women's Final Four?". Washington Post. Washington. Retrieved April 7, 2018.
  6. "Louisville's Jackson, Notre Dame's Ogunbowale Voted ACC Athletes of the Year" (Press release). Atlantic Coast Conference. July 5, 2018. Retrieved July 6, 2018.
  7. NCAA 2019 National Women's Basketball final
  8. Megdal, Howard (10 April 2019). "Arike Ogunbowale Is Ready for Her Next Shot, in the W.N.B.A." The New York Times.
  9. "Rookie of the Year Collier Headlines 2019 All-Rookie Team". WNBA.com.
  10. "5 things you should know about American basketball star of Nigerian descent". Pulse Nigeria. 3 April 2018.
  11. "Adam Rippon, Tonya Harding and more superstar athletes to face-off in Dancing With the Stars season 26". ABC News.
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