Getty Arike Ogunbowale #24 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish is defended by Crystal Dangerfield #5 of the UConn Huskies during the second quarter in the semifinals of the 2019 NCAA Women's Final Four.
For 2 straight seasons, Notre Dame has taken out Connecticut in the Women’s Final Four. Both times, the brightest star for the Fighting Irish was senior guard Arike Ogunbowale. Last year, she drained a last-second shot in overtime to fuel a 91-89 victory.
This year, she racked up 23 points (including 3 triples) and 6 rebounds to clinch a 2nd-straight appearance in the national championship game. It set up Sunday night’s matchup with Baylor (6 p.m. EST, ESPN) in Tampa, and a chance for legendary coach Muffet McGraw’s third title in her over 30-year tenure in South Bend.
On the season, she is scoring 21.5 points per game. Here’s what you need to know about the 22-year old.
1. She Broke Out in Last Season’s Tournament with Her Game-Winning Shots
Ogunbowale
For The Win
GOOD!!
One year ago today, Notre Dame beat Mississippi State in the national championship on a buzzer-beating game winner from Arike Ogunbowale
Two days after she nailed the game-winner over the Huskies, she beat the buzzer with a 3-pointer from the corner against Mississippi State in the final. Her 16 second-half points, especially the final 3, capped a 61-58 come-from-behind win for Notre Dame’s first title since 2001.
It actually wasn’t the greatest game before then, as she totaled 18 points on 6-of-21 shooting from the floor. Despite the inefficient outing, she knew the ball had to go to her.
“It just felt right,” said Ogunbowale, who scored 16 of her 18 points in the second half. “I practice late-game all the time. I just ran to Jackie (Young) and said, `Throw it to me, throw it to me.”
Her efforts earned her the 2018 NCAA Women’s Tournament Final Four MVP.
2. She Was a Miss Basketball out of the State of Wisconsin in 2015
Ogunbowale attended Divine Holy Angels High School in Milwaukee, while her family claims Nigerian heritage. In the last game of her senior year, she 27 points to lead the Dashers to a 64-29 win over D.C. Everest in the WIAA Division 1 state championship game at the Resch Center. She amassed 55 in the semifinal.
Her list of prep accomplishments is vast. Here’s just a best hits list.
• 2015 McDonald’s High School All-America (just the 3rd
• Played in 2015 Jordan Brand Classic
• 2015 Parade All-American
• 2015 USA Today All-USA Second Team choice
• 2015 Naismith Trophy second-team All-American
• Three-time Gatorade Wisconsin High School Player of the Year (2013, 2014, 2015)
• Three-time Associated Press Wisconsin High School Player of the Year (2013, 2014, 2015)
• 2015 USA Today Wisconsin Player of the Year
• 2015 Wisconsin Miss Basketball
According to her Notre Dame bio, she ranked No. 4 in the 2015 class by All-Star Girls Report, No. 5 by Prospects Nation and a 5-star recruit by espnW.
3. She Was Credited for her “Mamba” Mentality By Kobe Bryant
After her back-to-back buzzer beaters, the then-junior became an overnight celebrity. She captured the nation’s attention, including her self-proclaimed idol Kobe Bryant.
Bryant tweeted at her after her shot against Connecticut, which led to an effusive reaction. With the ensuing winner to take the national title, her fame grew exponentionally.
The 5-foot-8 guard was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated the week after and traveled to Los Angeles to tape an appearance on the Ellen Show. DeGeneres surprised her by introducing her to Bryant, who gave Ogunbowale autographed jerseys for her and her dog Lil’ Kobe.
Bryant retweeted a picture of the pooch in his Laker gear, saying “it’s a good look!”
4. Ogunbowale Appeared on Dancing With the Stars Season 26
Ogunbowale is an Olympic-caliber athlete, playing at various levels for the USA Basketball team in FIBA and Youth Olympic competitions. This fact, and her burgeoning fame, led to an appearance on an athlete-focused season of Dancing With the Stars.
The following athletes appeared alongside her on the show: NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Former MLB star Johnny Damon, Olympic figure skater Mirai Nagasu, Olympic luger Chris Mazdzer, NFL star Josh Norman, Olympic softball player Jennie Finch, Olympic figure skater Tonya Harding, Olympic snowboarder Jamie Anderson andOlympic figure skater Adam Rippon.
Rippon took home the title that season. Her partner was Gleb Savchenko, who performed the Fox Trot and Salsa with her. While she earned the second-highest score for her routines, she didn’t advance in the poll as voted by fans.
5. She Comes From a Successful Family of Athletes
She is the daughter of Yolanda and Gregory Ogunbowale and the youngest of three children. Her older brother Dare occasionally started at running back for the Wisconsin Badgers, amassing over 1,500 rushing yards.
Yolanda was a softball pitcher at DePaul, while Gregory played soccer and rugby before serving in the Nigerian Army.
Before she excelled on the court, she participated on four Wisconsin State Cup championships during her club soccer days with Lake Country United and FC Milwaukee. Basketball was an inevitability, based on a story this past week in SI.com by Ben Baskin.
There is an old photograph that her parents like to talk about. It’s of their youngest child, standing in the backyard of their Wisconsin home, wearing only a diaper. They had all been outside, for reasons that have since been forgotten, and their two-year-old daughter had wandered off. When they found her, she was standing in the grass, a regulation-size basketball in her hands, gazing up at the 10-foot-high hoop. Arike Ogunbowale wanted to shoot.
When she turned three, her parents bought her a blue and orange Fisher-Price basket and put it in her room. Arike would toss mini basketballs at the rim all day, and as she put up shot after shot, her mother, Yolanda, would whisper a single word in her ear over and over. Concentrate, her mother would say, and then Arike would breathe, repeat the word back and shoot. Soon she didn’t miss.
She’s never turned back, as her performance these past two seasons have likely earned her a selection in this summer’s WNBA Draft.