Notre Dame adds graduate transfer Becky Obinma from Pepperdine
Notre Dame went to the transfer portal earlier this spring to bolster its backcourt. The Irish secured the commitment of sharpshooting guard Anna DeWolfe from Fordham. Thursday, the Fighting Irish got deeper in the frontcourt.
Notre Dame added 6-2 graduate transfer Becky Obinma from Pepperdine. The forward began her career at TCU before spending the last couple seasons on the West Coast. She has averaged 5.0 points and 4.8 rebounds per game in 79 appearances and 42 starts.
“I’m thrilled to officially welcome Becky to our Notre Dame family!” Notre Dame head coach Niele Ivey said. “Becky brings experience, athleticism and depth to the post position. She has a great motor and contagious energy on and off the court that will fit perfectly with our team. I’m looking forward to adding her post presence and speed in the open court to enhance our offensive capabilities.”
In 28 games last season, Obinma averaged 6.5 points and 6.5 assists in 19.7 minutes per game. She averaged a career-best 7.5 points per game in addition to 6.3 rebounds per game in 23 games during the 2021-22 season.
Obinma is a true post player. She’s only attempted one three-point shot in her career. Notre Dame was in need of a complement to Kylee Watson after losing Lauren Ebo to graduation. Ebo was a menace in the paint on both ends of the floor in her lone season with Notre Dame. She grabbed 18 rebounds in Notre Dame’s second-round NCAA Tournament victory over Mississippi State to set a new program record for rebounds in a tournament game.
Ebo averaged 9.0 points and 7.0 rebounds per game in 28 appearances and eight starts last season. Watson, in her first season in South Bend after transferring in from Oregon, averaged 6.8 points and 4.2 rebounds per game. She started all 33 of Notre Dame’s games in a campaign that came to a conclusion with a loss to Maryland in the Sweet 16. Notre Dame was playing without starting guards Olivia Miles and Dara Mabrey because of knee injuries.
The Irish are hoping to have Miles back by the beginning of the upcoming season. She had surgery just after the tournament run ended. Notre Dame is welcoming five-star guards Hannah Hidalgo and Emma Risch to the team this summer as well as DeWolfe.
