Arike Ogunbowale is forever a Final Four legend

Arike Ogunbowale pounded the ball after she made the worst mistake in her sports career. Just seconds prior, she clutched her knees knowing the free throw that’d just rimmed out cost her team a championship. The Baylor Bears beat Ogunbowale’s Notre Dame Fighting Irish, 82-81, to win the NCAA tournament after she accidentally made the second free throw.

She stayed composed in the seconds after her miss and before the buzzer sounded. Ogunbowale was collected at the handshake line too, and nodded along as Baylor head coach Kim Mulkey told her she was “one of the best who ever played.”

And then, as the senior stepped off the floor, Ogunbowale broke down in tears, putting her face inside her jersey. This is an April scene none of us had seen before, and it was crushing.

No college player has experienced the highs and lows of the NCAA tournament like Ogunbowale, who one year after cementing her legend as the most clutch shot-maker in March Madness history, came up short.

We’ll fixate on the moment that ended Notre Dame’s season because of its recency, because of its importance in valor, and because it was the ending we’d never expected. But to hold that moment equal to Ogunbowale’s others does a disservice to one of women’s college basketball’s few celebrities able to overcome what at times feels like an insurmountable task — gaining the same respect a men’s basketball player would.

Women’s hoops at the collegiate level struggles to gain the recognition it deserves to little fault of its own. The product has stood stellar with the college system raising the many greats we see in today’s WNBA world, whether it be Maya Moore, Candace Parker, Brittney Griner, Breanna Stewart, or any other former champion. Ogunbowale is the next name to push women’s basketball viewership that much closer to the norm and away from the “other.” It’s easy to see how.

With the final ticks playing out in Sunday night’s Baylor-Notre Dame game, Twitter flooded with commentary predicting how the game would unfold. Here’s what it looked like:

The world knew with the clock running down, it was Arike time. Just as it was once Kobe time, and still is Steph Curry time.

A year ago, Ogunbowale, as a junior in college, held her name synonymous with game-winning shots because she was just that good.

She was the center of the college basketball world after knocking out UConn in the 2018 Final Four.

And then she became the center of the basketball world as a whole after doing the same to Mississippi State to win the title.

Ogunbowale transcended women’s college basketball. She appeared on the Ellen Show, got surprised by Kobe Bryant, and competed on Dancing with Stars.

She was the face of an under appreciated sports league both on and off the court, and brought new fans in along the way. For that, she will forever be respected by peers. The little girls shooting pull-ups with the shot-clock winding down screaming “Arike,” will thank her too.

Ogunbowale made a critical error that could’ve reversed the fortune of her Notre Dame team. They also wouldn’t have been in position for success without her 31 points and six rebounds.

Regardless, a missed free throw doesn’t change anything Ogunbowale’s done for the sport. Ogunbowale is one of women’s college basketball’s most dominant scorers, and inspiring athletes ever. Ogunbowale’s done it all.