Arike Ogunbowale names JuJu Watkins, Paige Bueckers and more as must-watch players, says she sees herself in South Carolina star
Dallas Wings star Arike Ogunbowale sees reflections of herself in South Carolina guard MiLaysia Fulwiley, saying the South Carolina star plays the same "street ball" style that she showcased during her college years at Notre Dame.
Ogunbowale was a guest on Wednesday's episode of the "We Need To Talk Now" podcast hosted by Alicia Jay and Ashley Nicole Moss. Ogunbowale, a former NCAA champion, described how she sees herself in the 5-foot-10 sophomore.
"I love watching South Carolina. I love Dawn (Staley). There's great players there. I love MiLaysia (Fulwiley)," Ogunbowale said. "Just her game, it kind of reminds me of myself. She has that kind of street ball handles and all that stuff, so I love watching her." (9:23 mark)
The Dallas Wings guard also expressed admiration for the new generation of women's basketball players, including USC's JuJu Watkins, UConn's Paige Bueckers, UCLA's Kiki Rice and LSU's Flau'jae Johnson.
Arike Ogunbowale said she loved seeing them play and named them as her must-watch players for women's college basketball.
"I love JuJu. (I) love Paige. I love Kiki Rice. I'm excited to see her play this year. I love Flau'jae," she said. "There's a lot of players. I think these past couple years I haven't been that excited about college basketball." (9:42-onwards)
Arike Ogunbowale and MiLaysia Fulwiley had impressive stats as freshmen
Arike Ogunbowale and MiLaysia Fulwiley had comparable freshman seasons at Notre Dame and South Carolina, respectively.
Ogunbowale, a Milwaukee native, played 35 games for the Fighting Irish during the 2015-16 season and posted averages of 11.4 points, 3.4 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 0.6 steals in 19 minutes per game. She shot 43.3% and connected on 71.8% of her free throws.
Fulwiley, meanwhile, appeared in 38 games and tallied 11.7 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 2.2 apg and 1.7 spg in 18.4 minutes for the Gamecocks this past season. The W.J. Keenan High School alumna shot 43.8% and 78.2% from the foul line.
Arike Ogunbowaleimproved on her stats each year for the Fighting Irish. She blossomed into a key contributor to the team, and in the 2017-18 season, she led Notre Dame to the national title, averaging 20.8 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 2.8 apg and 1.4 spg.
Ogunbowale had a chance to secure a back-to-back, but she missed one of her two free throws in the 2019 NCAA women's final against Baylor. She finished with 31 points in that game.
Fulwiley, meanwhile, has an opportunity to improve her stats this season and help South Carolina win back-to-back, an achievement that Ogunbowale failed to reach in her last year as a college player.
Will MiLaysia Fulwiley help the South Carolina Gamecocks win back-to-back national championships this season? Let us know your views in the comments section.