Arike Ogunbowale is taking her star power to the Dallas Wings

Notre Dame guard Arike Ogunbowale is explaining some of the ways that her life has changed since she hit The Shot.

“I just get a lot of stuff in my DMs that clearly I’d never have gotten before last year,” she says.

If you didn’t see The Shot — the buzzer-beater that made last year’s NCAA women’s tournament one of the most thrilling in history and won Notre Dame its second title — when it happened, you’ve almost certainly seen it since. Ogunbowale’s bucket is in just about every single commercial for this year’s NCAA women’s tournament, commercials currently in heavy rotation on ESPN.

“A lot of people won’t be able to say that they kind of became one of the faces of women’s basketball in college,” Ogunbowale says as she prepares for a return to the Final Four amid next to insurmountable expectations for a showstopping performance. “I mean, I think that’s pretty cool — It’s really an honor and a blessing to be in that position.”

Ogunbowale’s performance in the 2018 women’s Final Four put her in the national spotlight in a way few women’s basketball players at any level ever see: she went on Ellen, and spent part of her offseason competing on Dancing With The Stars. Most of the time, it’s tough to find women basketball players on TV at all, much less hamming it up with celebrities on network television. But it wasn’t just that Ogunbowale hit two consecutive buzzer-beaters — it was the way she hit them, with fearless style and unapologetic swagger, pointing at her forearm after the ball swished through the net to indicate the ice in her veins. And it was the fact that she hit them that way while being a woman — a fact she readily acknowledges.

“Watching our Final Four, people were really shocked that girl’s basketball could be that exciting,” says Ogunbowale. “I’m kind of glad it had such close games — they brought a lot of attention. People are realizing that the women’s game needs more coverage. Throughout the year, there are so many close games and overtime games and competitive games that they don’t show on TV just because they think it’s just women’s basketball. But that’s not actually a fact.”

Her experience in the spotlight has made Ogunbowale ready to be an ambassador for the WNBA — but the thing that anyone who’s watched her play knows is her game is a marquee event even without her ability to argue its merits. She averages 22 points per game, leading the way for Notre Dame. “I just really have a scorer’s mentality,” she says. “I want to get to the basket.” The way she gets to the basket is what makes her so fun to watch: she’s lightning-quick in transition, but if she runs into traffic Ogunbowale shoots regardless — even if she’s practically flat on her back. Most of the time, it goes in.

As Ogunbowale goes pro, the big question is how her flashy style will translate when she’s grinding it out as a rookie. But her reputation, her attitude, and her willingness to advocate for the women’s game will make her an asset to the league the second she gets drafted.

“I already know there are a lot of challenges, especially with the hate that women’s basketball and the WNBA get,” she says. “That’s something that hopefully I’ll be able to use my platform to help with. I know that’s going to be a challenge to get the respect and equality that we need. But also, it’s basketball — I’m just gonna have fun.”

Pregame warmup song: “‘Every Season’ by Roddy Ricch”

Favorite WNBA/NBA player: “Maya Moore. I like how she can just score really anywhere. She’s a strong guard, she can score in the post, she has a good midrange pull up, she can shoot the three, she can pass. I think she can really do everything.

“Kobe [Bryant] all around, but that’s actively playing, Russell Westbrook. He’s just a killer — he’s at 110 percent at all times. He wants to really dominate anyone that’s in front of him, he doesn’t care. I just love his mentality and how he plays.”

Most used app: “Twitter. I read a lot of threads and stuff — people are hilarious. I wouldn’t say I tweet a lot, but I read people’s tweets. I love that people can retweet, because I see stuff that I never would otherwise.”

Cats or dogs: Dogs. I have a goldendoodle named Kobe.

Non-basketball career: Play soccer.