WNBA Draft Prospect: Chiney Ogwumike of Stanford
Nigerian-American Chiney Ogwumike of Stanford is expected to be the top overall pick when the WNBA draft draw will take place in Uncasville, Connecticut next Monday.
Ogwumike, who was third in the country in scoring this year (26.6 points per game) and fourth in field-goal percentage (60.8 percent), led the Cardinal to a 29-3 record in the regular season. However, Stanford lost to eventual winner UConn in the playoff.
She was also `honored as a member of The Associated Press women’s basketball All-America team for the second straight season, this time as a unanimous selection.Â
Ogwumike has a 3.46 GPA. Her adviser was former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice (now a Stanford professor). She spent time in Nigeria, where her parents grew up, last spring as part of her major.
COLLEGE HIGHLIGHTS
Three-time First Team All-American, two-time Pac-12 Player of the Year, three-time Pac-12 Defensive POY, four-time All-Pac 12 First Team, and a finalist for multiple national Player of the Year awards each of last three seasons. Helped Stanford to Final Four as frosh and sophomore alongside sister Nneka. If selected with top WNBA pick, as Nneka was in 2012, they’d join Peyton and Eli Manning as only siblings selected No. 1 overall in NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, WNBA. Earned nation’s top student-athlete academic honor (Capital One Academic All-American of the Year) for women’s basketball by CoSIDA, following in footsteps of Stanford’s Andrew Luck, a fellow Houstonian and No. 1 overall pick in 2012 NFL Draft. Pac 12’s all-time leading scorer (surpassed Candice Wiggins) and rebounder entered 2014 NCAA tourney as only Div.1 player to rank in top 10 in scoring (3rd), FG% (3rd), double-doubles (6th), and rebounding (7th). PROUNOUNCED: CHIH-nay.
Personal Notes:
- Born Chinenye Ogwumike in Tomball, Texas, on March 21, 1992.
- Daughter of Ify and Peter Ogwumike; has three sisters: Nnemkadi, Olivia and Erica.
- Co-founded the “Step Up 2 A Reason” fundraising event to benefit underprivileged families in Houston.
- Nnemkadi (Nneka) is an All-American basketball player at Stanford who played on USA Basketball’s 2009 U19 World Championship Team and 2008 U18 National Team, both of which won gold medals, and was a member of the 2010 USA Select Team that trained alongside the USA National Team in April.
Bio:
Source: Stanford Cardinal & Wikipedia
