Individually, Arike Ogunbowale is having a stellar 2024 season. She’s averaging 22.3 factors, 5.3 assists, 4.8 rebounds and a couple of.3 steals per sport, all profession highs for the Dallas Wings guard. With the season’s remaining stretch approaching and Satou Sabally again, the Wings are in prime place to combat for a playoff spot and make some noise this postseason.
Swish Attraction interviewed Ogunbowale to debate how she’s ready for this profession 12 months, what her staff has to do to search out success, and why partnering with Raid made sense for her.
Relating to her profession numbers, Ogunbowale made it clear her time within the gymnasium is a key consider her success.
I get after it, within the weight room, at all times offseasons are positively powerful, however I believe the most important factor is how I work out. I by no means shoot any photographs with no hand in my face. Even when I’m simply doing spot capturing, there’s at all times any individual there trigger I do know the kind of defenses I see, so I attempt to apply how I play. So any drill I’m doing whether or not it’s just a little sweep by means of to the elbow, there’s at all times going to be a defender there. Credit score to the individuals I exercise with and it’s at all times guys. The fellows I exercise with they dedicate their time day-after-day to figuring out with me and making me higher and holding protection like I’d see in a sport. Trapping me, doubling me so, positively the coaching that I do I apply how I play.
That form of play and depth definitely got here out throughout her All-Star Sport efficiency. She scored 34 factors, breaking the file for many factors in an All-Star sport, and led the WNBA All-Stars to victory, defeating Group USA on this exhibition matchup.
She was named the MVP of the sport and mentioned what being in that form of zone appears like.
As soon as a participant will get like that, and it actually might occur to any WNBA participant, the elite gamers, as soon as they get like that, there’s actually no stopping them. Except you’re about to ship each participant at them, they’ll discover a solution to rating trigger they’re simply scorching. A participant will get scorching like that it’s powerful to cease. Trigger they don’t see something however the basket. It doesn’t matter what you do on protection. They don’t see something however the basket. I believe that’s kinda how I felt; I used to be simply within the zone. Every little thing was getting knocked down and I had nice gamers round me, that had been discovering me, setting good screens, they knew I used to be scorching and so they needed to feed me so I respect that. It was enjoyable, and I used to be positively within the zone.
Taking part in on basically a dream staff and being the star that shines brightest is definitely exhilarating, however that point is over and accomplished with. The truth is the Wings are three video games again of the eighth and remaining playoff spot. With little time remaining, it is now or by no means to make a playoff push.
Each sport issues, each possession issues, and that’s how I’m approaching it. I do know that’s how the staff’s approaching it. We’re attempting to make that playoff run and I form of prefer it, form of underdogs proper now, so it’s going to be enjoyable. I’m about to go on the market and provides the whole lot I’ve.
We’ll discover out in September whether or not they make it to the postseason, however we all know that Ogunbowale will go away all of it on the court docket—and that she is going to get her matches off.
I like selecting matches for the video games and for occasions. Typically I’ll have individuals assist me simply trigger there’s rather a lot occurring, but it surely’s positively enjoyable simply collaborating with individuals or simply shopping for garments myself.
Her partnership with Raid was born from her love of garments, significantly footwear, and her need to maintain her footwear clear whereas coping with the humongous bugs that reside in Texas.
They reached out as a result of, fashion-wise, I’ve an enormous shoe room and the entire marketing campaign is “Save your footwear from killing bugs.” So the entire thing is there’s a RaidShoeSaver.com and you are taking your shoe, you scan the tag of it and also you get financial savings on Raid merchandise and Raid stuff to kill bugs, and clearly all people’s used a shoe to kill a bug so it’s excellent partnering with them. I’ve a number of footwear, shoe background and my shoe value, serving to them with the product to save lots of your shoe, so it was positively on model for me and tremendous dope.
With Raid in hand, clear Air Pressure Ones off the court docket and Kobe’s for on-court play, Ogunbowale is primed to complete the WNBA common season robust, along with her working mate Satou Sabally proper by her facet.
Whatever the remaining consequence, each matchup remaining for the Dallas Wings will probably be must-see tv. Ogunbowale is having an all-time season, and the thought that she nonetheless has extra to provide is a daunting one for the remainder of the league.
