In a raucous sold-out game at Purcell Pavilion in South Bend, Indiana, this past Sunday, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish took down a top 10 University of Connecticut team, handing them their first season loss. While the Huskies missed vital rotation players, and star wing Azzi Fudd went down with a knee injury early in the game, the Irish won against a team filled with talent.

In her postgame interview with ESPN and the following press conference, Notre Dame Head Coach (and former Fever guard) Niele Ivey highlighted the game’s significance.

“This is something I’ve always dreamt of,” said Ivey.

She returned to Notre Dame to return this program to the heights it reached while she was an assistant under legendary coach Muffet McGraw. From 2010-2020, Notre Dame went 323-49, making it to the NCAA Championship game six times and winning it all once in 2018. Ivey was an assistant and eventual associate head coach from 2007-2019, leaving to take an assistant coaching position with the Memphis Grizzlies for the 2020 season.

After McGraw retired at the end of the 2019-20 season, Ivey returned and has spent the past two years rebuilding the program, marked by a return to the NCAA Tournament and run to the Sweet 16 last season with a young team.

With the Irish rising to 5th in the AP poll following the game, out to 7-1 on the young season, and a significant matchup looming with 7th ranked Virginia Tech to open up ACC play in just over a week, Notre Dame is riding high.

It’s only fitting that Dallas Wings star and former Notre Dame great Arike Ogunbowale made her return to campus to sit court-side for the game. Branching the new era of Irish basketball with the not-so-distant past, Ogunbowale’s presence was felt when she was introduced to a roar of cheers during the third quarter.

The highlights of her 2018 Tournament run ran on the Jumbotron.

“This is my first game being able to see in person rather than playing since 2019. It’s definitely a cool feeling… sitting on the seats and actually seeing the game being played and I’m not out there, it’s gonna be a little weird to watch,” says Ogunbowale before laughing.

In a way, this was a full-circle moment for her.

In the three and half years since her senior season, Ogunbowale has accomplished a considerable amount, culminating in a recent selection to the Forbes 30 under 30 sports category. She’s a two-time All-Star and All-W team member, investor, and advocate; impressive by any stretch, but considering she won’t be 26 until shortly before the 2023 WNBA training camp, all the more so.

“It’s definitely amazing. There’s so many people in this world, and that got nominated for that list, so to be chosen, it’s an honor,” says Ogunbowale.

One of Ogunbowale’s business school classmates, Chas Pulido, was nominated to the 30 under 30 in the Venture Capital category, and they texted one another congratulations.

“We were in business classes together, business majors together, so that’s just dope to see people from Notre Dame doing great things.”

Coming back to campus, Ogunbowale held an autograph session before the game started. Seeing, by my count, upwards of 500 season ticket holders show up to say hello, snag a selfie, and get a t-shirt signed was incredible, but the interactions spoke volumes.

You can see the game-winners against UCONN and Mississippi State a thousand times over, but the fans who watched those shots live spoke on them as if they just happened 20 minutes beforehand. There was an aura around the signing and her presence, a vibrancy that reverberated throughout the lobby in which it was held. Countless murmurs from people of all ages, “there she is, that’s Arike.”

For nearly an hour, numerous recollections of big plays, small moments at a spring camp, and awe-inspired hellos.

It was the first time covering the game that I realized how much those moments mean to fans and what the actual legacy of a player can be.

“I just think of her being a legend.”

Notre Dame Head Coach, Niele Ivey

Ivey knew of Ogunbowale before seeing her as a recruit for the first time, but she was blown away by her game. She was strong. She was athletic. Her scoring prowess popped. With the physicality that screamed out pro potential, she played much larger than her size.

But, Arike’s freshman season was a bit of a feeling-out process.

“I felt like that first year she didn’t get a chance to really blossom and play her game because she was learning a lot, learning the system. Her sophomore year, she figured everything out. She got in great shape over the summer. That really challenged her with just having to come off the bench. That’s a challenge for an All-American, and she stayed the course and trusted the process. Then she led our program in scoring, then to the National Championship. Now she’s going to be part of our Ring of Honor,” says Ivey, reminiscing on Ogunbowale’s time in South Bend and what she means to the program.

Ivey was Ogunbowale’s position coach and main recruiter when she was a prospect.

“From day one, Niele showed a lot of love. That was one of the biggest things for my parents. They needed to send me away somewhere where I was comfortable, that I’d be considered like family. Niele was always hands-on with me, and since I was recruited, we’ve always been close,” says Ogunbowale

A national champion and All-American at Notre Dame herself, Ivey has a connection with Arike that others can’t fully understand. There’s a similarity in their paths that few can draw a comparison to. She’s living and exceeding the dreams that even Ivey envisioned.

“For her to be able to fulfill the dream that I had for her, and for her to do it exceedingly, and above and beyond of what I could even imagine is a coach’s dream,” says Ivey.

“I knew that she was going to be a program changer, but she’s impacted the face of women’s basketball, so even bigger than what we planned or I thought was possible.”

When Ivey recruits players, she wants them to have the same experience Arike had; impacting the program and winning at the highest level. That’s the experience Ivey had herself.

Ivey is bridging the gap from the title runs to this current regeneration, seeing out the fruits of a quick, but thorough rebuild. Star guard Olivia Miles, leading the Irish in scoring and their lead playmaker, is a pivotal part of this new era. An early enrollee during Ivey’s first season in 2020-21, Miles is still just a sophomore, but in her third year with the program.

She came to Notre Dame from New Jersey due to the blend of athletics and academics, but Ogunbowale’s path and presence played a part in her coming to South Bend.

“There was one quote she said specifically, “this is what we do at Notre Dame. Come to Notre Dame and you’ll win a championship” after she hit the two shots to win the championship. I was a young kid taking that into account and I think about her all the time when I think of Notre Dame and just her legacy. It’s super cool to see what she did here,” says Miles.

They hype one another up on Instagram and speak intermittently. Miles was excited to pick her brain after practice the day before the game. They’re very different players in style, but have the same tenacity, the same penchant for big plays, the same love and connection to the program they represent.

Ogunbowale sees a bright future for Miles.

She’d seen her highlights and known of her prior to her commitment to the university, but watching her the past few years has opened her eyes even further.

“She’s really good, but she has the potential to be great. I think she’s in the right hands with the coaching staff, and I’m so excited for her future,” says Ogunbowale.

Not playing overseas this season and staying back in Dallas to recover from injury and work with the Wings organization, Ogunbowale has been able to hit refresh. She’s hungry for a new season. Missing most of the Wings’ first-round matchup with the Sun was frustrating but also enlightening for her.

It made her appreciate the preparation and competitiveness it’ll require for the team to hit another gear in 2023, her fifth season in the league.

While there’s still much she wants to accomplish in the coming season and the next few years of her career, this past weekend was a reflection point of the work Ogunbowale has put in, the results it’s yielded, and the bright future she has ahead of her.

WNBA reporter Mark Schindler writes a column on WNBA.com throughout the season and can be reached on Twitter at @MG_Schindler. The views on this page do not necessarily reflect the views of the WNBA or its clubs.