Two Notre Dame women’s basketball legends receive national honors
Two of the most influential figures in leading Notre Dame to its most recent women’s basketball national championship in 2018 are still being honored in various ways four and a half years later. Former Notre Dame head coach Muffett McGraw and former Irish guard Arike Ogunbowale made national headlines Tuesday.
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McGraw received the 2023 Pat Summitt Award, which is given to an individual who has greatly contributed to the development of collegiate athletes. She was selected for the award, which was established in 2017, by NCAA President Mark Emmert. Previous award winners include Herb Magee, Nancy Stevens, David Williams II, Percy Bates, Julie Soriero and Joan Cronan.
Summitt won eight national championships as the head coach of the Tennessee women’s basketball program. She retired in 2012, one year after being diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s disease. She died on June 28, 2016, at the age of 64.
“The impact that [McGraw] has made on our university and women’s college basketball is both immense and inspiring,” said current Notre Dame head coach Niele Ivey, who played for McGraw in South Bend from 1997-2001 before joining her coaching staff as an assistant. “Pat Summitt was a pioneer and trailblazer with her stamp on all of athletics, and she will always be the standard for coaches to follow!”
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Ogunbowale, meanwhile, landed on Forbes’ most recent reveal of “30 Under 30,” which highlights 30 of North America’s most influential sports figures under the age of 30. Ogunbowale hit the game-winning shot that gave Notre Dame its second-ever women’s basketball national title in 2018 and has gone on to become a two-time WNBA All-Star and a league scoring champion. Forbes also noted Ogunbowale is a founding member of LeBron James’ “More Than a Vote” initiative and is an investor in media startup Just Women’s Sports.
More Than a Vote is an organization that encourages African Americans across the country to exercise their rights to vote. Just Women’s Sports aims to increase attention on women’s sports by providing a landing space for articles, videos and other forms of media.
Ogunbowale is one of just two WNBA players among the 30 honorees. Former Oregon star and current New York Liberty point guard Sabrina Ionescu is the other. Their names are alongside those of other prominent athletes including Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid and San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle.
