Arike Ogunbowale on Dallas Wings' New Season, Personal Goals, and WNBA Growth

Team Outlook and Personal Goals

• 🎯 The Dallas Wings are entering an exciting time with a new coach, coaching staff, and a completely new team, aiming for new goals and intentions.
• 📈 Arike Ogunbowale's personal goal is to be better than last year, focusing on consistency and effectiveness in her established game rather than adding many new elements.
• 🔑 Entering her seventh year, she emphasizes polishing her existing skills and doing whatever it takes to help the team succeed.

Lessons Learned and Faith

• 💡 A key lesson learned throughout her WNBA career is to stay God-first and God-driven, as external factors like teams and coaches change frequently.
• ⚓ Maintaining consistency in morals and faith provides a grounding force, ensuring she remains stable amidst constant changes.
• 🔄 She notes having a new team almost every year and multiple coaches, highlighting the importance of uncontrollable, consistent actions like staying in her faith.

Notre Dame Return and WNBA Journey

• ✨ Returning to Notre Dame to play basketball was an amazing experience, reconnecting with old fans, coaches, and staff, and seeing it as a full-circle moment.
• 🏆 Playing against Jackie, a former championship teammate, was a special moment, reflecting on her journey from an 18-year-old freshman to a 7-year league veteran.
• 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Her family from Milwaukee was able to attend, making the experience even more personally significant.

Team Chemistry and Player Development

• 🤝 Building team chemistry through playful interactions and trolling is important, fostering relationships off the court that translate to on-court support.
• 🚀 She advises rookies to find a consistent routine, acknowledging that things change rapidly in the WNBA and steadfastness is key to navigating disruptions.
• 🌟 The rookies have shown impressive moments, and Ogunbowale is excited about their potential and the energy they bring.

WNBA Growth and Compensation

• 💰 Ogunbowale desires to see more zeros in WNBA salaries, emphasizing that the talent and product are present and players need to be compensated accordingly.
• 🌟 She believes there should be multiple million-dollar players as the league continues to grow in popularity and talent.
• 💪 The new coaching staff is noted for their hunger and drive, fitting well with a new roster that is also looking to prove themselves in the league.