Erica Ogwumike was drafted with the 26th pick on the WNBA draft by the New York Liberty. Later that same night, Ogwumike’s rights were traded to the Minnesota Lynx.
Ogwumike attended college at Rice University where she became the fourth Rice Owls player to be taken in the draft. In early April, Ogwumike was selected by the Women’s Basketball Association as All-American Honorable Mention.
Ogwumike spent her freshman year at Pepperdine before moving on to Rice for her final three years. She will join her to older sisters Nneka and Chiney Ogwumike in the WNBA. Both Nneka and Chiney are members of the Los Angeles Sparks.
The Owls star guard finished her college career by joining the 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds club. Also, she was named back to back Conference USA player of the year.
Scoring
The one thing Ogwumike can do is score the basketball. She averaged 19 points per game in her senior season. In three years at Rice, she averaged a total of 17.7 points per game. While she is not a great three-point shooter, shooting only 17 percent from behind the arc last season, the talented guard can drive to the basket well and has an excellent mid-range game. The former Rice guard shot 45 percent from the field this past season.
Rebounding
At 5’9″ and playing the guard position, you would think Ogwumike would not be a solid rebounder. That is not the case; Ogwumike is not scared to mix up with the forwards and centers to battle for rebounds. She averaged 10.3 rebounds per game, and for an excellent rebounding guard, it allows them to push the pace after a rebound.
Defense
Lastly, Ogwumike brings defense to the table; she made the Conference USA All-Defensive Team twice. She does an excellent job moving her feet and staying in front of the person she is guarding. Also, she averaged 1.7 steals in thee years as a Rice Owl.
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